A BURTON-based distilling engineering company has opened new premises in Scotland amid surging demand from the Scotch whisky industry.

Briggs of Burton has unveiled the hub in the whisky heartland of Moray from where it will lead six new projects in Speyside, as well as service existing clients such as Glenlivet, Glenfiddich, Dalmunach and Mortlach and manage the large number of new enquiries it is receiving.

The investment, which will lead to the creation of at least 10 new jobs, underlines the progress Briggs of Burton has made in the Scotch whisky industry since it completed its first project for Loch Lomond Distillery in 2010.

READ MORE: Isle of Arran Distillers motoring on despite ferries saga

The company’s new premises are based at Forres Enterprise Park, which sits amid more than 100 acres of landscaped grounds and sustainable buildings. The park is home to a “thriving community” of manufacturing, engineering, and technology businesses.

Rob Buxton, managing director of Briggs of Burton, said: “Expanding into Morayshire, the ancestral home of the distilling industry, felt like the natural progression for Briggs of Burton, given its longstanding history of work within Scotland.

"We are working on contracts ranging from £3 million to £30m and the new office will support ongoing growth, create at least 10 jobs, and reduce our carbon footprint by bringing our expertise closer to clients.

READ MORE: Scotch whisky casks performing better than gold, report finds

"Briggs of Burton has extensive experience in delivering distillery projects in key spirit producing regions and this new premises will allow us to further deepen our knowledge of the Scotch whisky industry as well as support jobs and investment.”

The new office complements Briggs of Burton’s existing interests in Scotland. It already owns McMillan, a Scottish copper still manufacturer based in Prestonpans, which Briggs described as a “major force” in the domestic and worldwide supply of copper distilling and stainless steel process equipment.

Briggs is currently designing, expanding, and building new distilleries around the world, including in North America, Central America, Europe, Africa, Australia, Japan and China.

With clients such as whisky giants William Grant & Sons, Diageo, and Chivas Brothers, it recently partnered Ardgowan Distillery to lead the design, build and engineering of its new carbon negative distillery in Inverclyde. Briggs is also supporting spirits giant Brown-Forman in its plans to double the production capacity of its GlenDronach Distillery in Aberdeenshire by implementing operational energy efficiencies and supplying copper distillation equipment.