Diageo to expand spirits archive

Diageo has announced a £1.5 million investment to expand and improve its global brand archive in Clackmannanshire, Scotland.

Established 23 years ago, the archive in Menstrie contains over half a million items documenting over 405 years of history for Diageo’s brands, companies, people and sites, including its 28 Scottish malt distilleries.

If its planning submission is approved, Diageo will add a new storage facility, reception and library area. Although the archive is not open to the general public, hundred of Diageo employees visit every year to learn about the heritage of the company’s brands.

The drinks giant also described its archive as “a key source of inspiration” for its new product development, innovation projects and marketing campaigns.

In addition, items from the collection are on permanent show at Diageo’s various distillery visitor centres, as well as other public exhibitions, including a recent display at the Scottish Parliament to mark the centenary of the Scotch Whisky Association.

Welcoming the news as “hugely encouraging,” archive manager Christine McCafferty observed: “As the demand for our brands grows worldwide and there is an increasing requirement to protect brand identities and trade-marks, the work we do here in Menstrie remains as relevant and essential as it did when we started in 1990.”