The plans, submitted by CAG Architects Ltd, involve the demolition of an old warehouse to make way for a new distillery featuring a mill tower, mash house and office/laboratory/ancillary spaces. The new development is expected to enhance current production capabilities and forms part of the company’s ongoing commitment to innovation and growth.

The site, originally arable land before being transformed into a Royal Ordinance factory for explosives production during World War II, became home to William Grant & Sons Distillers in the early 1960s, the Ayrshire Post reports.

With the distillery’s expansion over the years, the site’s renovation is viewed as the latest progression in the company’s history. The total cost of the project has not been disclosed, but it is anticipated to be a significant investment.

In conjunction with the distillery upgrade, a separate planning application for a green energy initiative tied to the William Grant & Sons site has been approved. Grissan Carrick Ltd is set to install infrastructure at their site in Grangestone Industrial Estate to process up to 10,000 tonnes of distillery by-product.

The proposal includes the construction of a concrete containment ‘bund’ to house anaerobic digestion (AD) tanks and other infrastructure such as a biomethane upgrader, emergency gas flare, LPG tanks and a gas injection unit.

The scheme will aid Grissan in processing by-products from William Grant & Sons Distillers, and the installation of a carbon capture system will contribute to global warming mitigation efforts.

The AD process will generate up to two megawatts of renewable gas, after cleansing the biogas of impurities, it will then be fed into the national gas grid. The new infrastructure will be constructed alongside the existing AD plant, deemed a more efficient solution following a recent review.