Paris-based La Martiniquaise has relocated its Glen Turner distillery from France to open a new £15M, 37-acre storage, blending and distribution facility at Starlaw Business Park, Livingston. The company sought a Scottish location to enable it to label its whisky ‘bottled in Scotland’ to give it a more authentic flavour, and West Lothian provided the best solution to meet its distribution and workforce needs.
Distribution of the final products from Livingston – a single malt called Glen Turner and a blend called Label Five – will be fast and easy through the company’s close proximity to a key motorway network in to the UK and Europe. With an initial run of two million cases a year growing to five million annually, La Martiniquaise’s 12-year plan will see tens of millions of cases of Scotch whisky sold abroad from West Lothian.
The availability of a large skilled workforce was also an important consideration as 200 jobs were created during the construction phase of the plant, and a further 50 permanent jobs on its completion. West Lothian’s substantial local labour pool and position between two major cities, Glasgow and Edinburgh, means 60% of Scotland’s population are in reach within 60 minutes.
Edinburgh-based architect Blyth & Blyth designed and managed the project, and construction of the new facility was recently completed by Balfour Beatty.
La Martiniquaise is another boost for West Lothian’s burgeoning food and drink sector which already has household name employers such as Glenmorangie, Paterson Arran, Highlander Snacks, Lidl and Scottish Courage to name but a few.
