A $245-million whiskey distillery has been announced for Moore Line in St. Clair Township.
Diageo said the distillery will support growth for its Crown Royal Canadian Whiskey brand and, once built, will be able to produce up to 20 million liters of absolute alcohol annually. It will sit on about 161 hectares and include a distillery, as well as a blending operation and warehouse.
“Crown Royal is the heart of our whiskey business, as the most valuable whiskey brand,” Sophie Kelly, senior vice president of whiskeys for Diageo North America said in a news release.
The company said the distillery, once operating, will create “dozens” of new jobs.
“We are thrilled by this new world-class distillery,” she said.
“It’s a lot of excitement for us to see they would choose to come to St. Clair Township and Lambton County,” said Steve Arnold, mayor of St. Clair Township.
“I think it’s a real plum for all of us,” he said.
Arnold said it will require “hundreds of jobs” to build the distillery. “My understand was there is going to be between 40 and 80 full-time” jobs “once it’s done,” he added.
“It’s a good solid company and it is very exciting,” Arnold said.
The company said the new carbon-neutral facility will operate with 100 per cent renewable energy and zero waste to landfill from all direct operations.
“A low-carbon world is essential for a sustainable future, so I am thrilled to announce our first carbon neutral distillery in Canada as we continue to build momentum in our journey to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2030,” said Perry Jones, president of North American supply for Diageo.
“The company’s commitment to building a carbon neutral operation is also aligned with our priorities in ensuring a clean environment in the businesses that are in our community,” Arnold said.
The facility will be built on land zone for industry located just south of Nova Chemical’s Moore facility, close to Highway 40 and a railway line.
“It started last year,” Arnold said about discussions that led to Wednesday’s announcement.
“The SLEP (Sarnia-Lambton Economic Partnership) set everything up,” he said. “We got into the serious discussions with them in October-November and everything came together in December.”
“This significant investment will be a tremendous fit with the ongoing diversification of the local economy,” said Judith Morris, interim CEO of the economic partnership.
“The carbon neutral facility clearly links with the Sarnia-Lambton area’s efforts to attract new investment that aligns with the drive to a zero-carbon economy, while contributing positively to job growth,” she said.
Arnold said it’s possible that eventually the site may offer “tours and tastes” in a “retail setting.”
The company said the new Diageo St. Clair Distillery will supplement its existing Canadian manufacturing operations in Amherstburg, as well as sites in Manitoba and Quebec.
The company said construction is expected to begin in the second half of 2022 and the goal is to begin operations in the first half of 2025.
“Crown Royal has called Canada home for more than eight decades and Diageo has proudly increased investment here in recent years to allow for the development of some of the most technologically advanced and environmentally sustainable distilleries and production capabilities in Canada,” said Jodi Rumble, company general manager for Canada.
“Diageo is excited to be expanding our footprint in Canada,” she said.