A SCOTCH whisky business has announced plans for a major investment in Scotland including new headquarters, a whisky museum housing a world-famous collection and a hotel.
Scotch Whisky Investments said the delivery of a new mixed-used development in Falkland will bring a new corporate HQ building and an expansion of a proposed whisky storage facility in Glenrothes.
The Netherlands-based business, which is involved in the whisky asset management sector, has a license to offer financial investment products in the form of bottles and casks of single malt Scotch whisky issued by the Dutch Authority for Financial Markets.
It seeks to showcase the history of, and educate people about, single malt Scotch whisky, as well as promote investment in the commodity.
As part of its vision, it is aiming to deliver the new facility with restaurants, the museum and hotel, as well as extensive community amenities for the village of Falkland, at the site of the former St John’s Works.
The 3.64-hectare St John’s Work’s site, formerly a linoleum factory which was taken over by Smith Anderson, a manufacturer of paper bags, before its closure in 2013 and subsequent demolition, is located to the south of the urban edge of Falkland.
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It is also intended to relocate the Valentino Zagatti whisky collection, one of the largest in the world, from the Netherlands to a museum within the building. Comprising more than 3,000 bottles, close to 300 whisky brands, most of which are extremely rare, the collection was created by Italian, Valentino Zagatti.
Falkland is set to benefit with the addition of new community facilities, in the form of an additional public car park, with a multi-use village green, micro-forest and play park, in the heart of the site.
The Falkland development forms part of a multi-million-pound investment in Fife, that includes the single malt Scotch whisky storage and bottling facility in Glenrothes.
A small number of cottages will be created on the north edge of the site to be used as ancillary offices for the headquarters building, as well as visitor accommodation, with some staff accommodation and specialist shops.
The Falkland development forms part of a multi-million-pound investment in Fife, that also includes a single malt Scotch whisky storage and bottling facility in Glenrothes, which “will complement the company’s activity in Falkland”.
A planning application for four whisky storage warehouses, maintenance and bottling buildings, and offices at Southfield Industrial Estate on Crompton Road in Glenrothes was submitted to Fife Council in March.
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A further 20 warehouses are now proposed for the 5.4-hectare site.
Proposal of application notices (PAN) for Falkland have also been submitted ahead of consultation.
Keith Rennie, director of Scotch Whisky Investments, said: “Our vision as a company is to showcase and educate people about single malt Scotch whisky, as well as promote investment in the commodity and provide new facilities for Falkland.
“Through this activity, complemented by the expansion of our facilities in Glenrothes, considerable employment and tourism opportunities will be delivered not just for Fife, but for Scotland as a whole.
"We look forward to engaging with the public on these proposals and keeping the community updated as they progress."
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