Company run by Durness native David Morrison seals 'multimillion' deal to sell Brora whisky maturation plant
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A 200,000 square foot whisky maturation facility in Brora has been sold in a “multimillion pound” deal, it has emerged.
Kinburn 123 LLP, the owners of Scotia House, have sold it to their tenants - the Glenmorangie Company Ltd, a subsidiary of Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy.
Durness native David Morrison (79) runs Kinburn, a property investment company set up in 1994, along with his son Ross Morrison (56) and business partner John Gibson. There are no other staff members.
Mr Morrison confirmed: “We have sold the facility to Glenmorangie. They approached us and said they would rather own it than lease it and wanted to buy it before the end of the year.
“They are happy with the deal, which was sealed around a fortnight ago and it was a very nice Christmas present for us. We have opportunities to pursue elsewhere - we do business all over and are very good at seeing the potential in buildings that are lying fallow.”
Broughty Ferry based Kinburn took over Scotia House - the former Hunters of Brora woollen mill located on the southern side of the village - around 13 years ago and converted it into a whisky maturation plant for the exclusive use of Tain distillery Glenmorangie..
The firm extended the complex in 2012, adding a 1858 metre storage facility comprising five steel-framed warehouses to the rear of the property.
In 2016, Kinburn won consent to almost double the floor space at the facility, despite facing opposition from local councillors. The proposal was rejected by Highland Council but its decision was overruled by the Scottish Government after an appeal was launched.
Mr Morrison estimated that there were around 200,000 barrels of whisky in Scotia House at the time of sale.
