THE owner of The Scotch Malt Whisky Society has signed a 10-year lease on a giant logistics facility in Uddingston in a move to give it greater control of its supply chain.

The Artisanal Spirits Company said the 37,000 square foot property will provide it with a high-quality warehouse, production building and offices, along with “excellent transport links”.

Design work and equipment sourcing is under way, with the installation scheduled to begin at the start of next year, Artisanal said in a statement this morning. It expects the facility to employ 10 people and to be fully operational in the second half of 2022.

The company noted that the new facility would provide it with “enhanced capability” to supply the 30,000-plus members of The Scotch Malt Whisky Society around the world.

Artisanal was valued at nearly £78 million when it floated on the stock market earlier this year.

David Ridley, executive managing director of Artisanal, said: “Securing a long-term lease at a newly refurbished supply chain facility comes at an exciting time for us as we continue to scale up the business with the IPO proceeds. The facility will allow us to take greater control over the group’s supply chain, whilst also providing us with the resources to supply our growing membership.

“To have attracted 30,000 members worldwide is testament to our offering and signifies an exciting milestone for the Group and we look forward to further membership growth, while continuing to excite our existing members, with an increasing variety of flavours and quality SMWS products in the years to come.”