Growers Groups
For many of our customers, we are able to offer traceability from seed to bottle, with malting barley or distilling wheat being grown by customers of McCreath Simpson & Prentice (MSP) and then collected from farm, stored in grain storage sites that we own and then either delivered direct (wheat) or malted and delivered to the end user (barley).
This insight throughout the supply chain has led to the launch of Growers Groups, where select farms grow malting barley or distilling wheat for specific distilling customers, with the grains stored separately thanks to our large grain storage infrastructure of more than 450,000 tonnes.
Although the term 'Growers Groups' has become quite prominent in the malting industry in recent times, this graphic highlights what the concept is to us.
With MSP integrated in our business infrastructure, we believe our offering is unique, with enhanced traceability from seed to malt delivery through our vertically integrated supply chain.
Borders Growers & Distillers
In January 2022, alongside The Borders Distillery and ten farming businesses in the Scottish Borders, we formed Borders Growers & Distillers – a long-term partnership showcasing traceability of the malting barley supply chain from seed to spirit.
The ten farms are located within a 30-mile radius of The Borders Distillery and all are verified to Gold performance level of the Farm Sustainability Assessment (FSA).
Following a period in storage at our Craigswalls Grain Store, the farms' barley is then transported ten miles east to our Tweed Valley Maltings for malt production, before the finished product is delivered via bulk wagon load to The Borders Distillery.
It means that from seed to bottle, the entire process is happening within a 40-mile radius. Once at the distillery, The Borders team mill, mash and distil this homegrown barley to create their award-winning Puffing Billy Steam Vodka and Kerr’s Borders Gin, as well as their future Single Malt Whisky – the first to be produced in the Scottish Borders since 1837.
Ballantine's
In partnership with Chivas Brothers, we’ve established two dedicated Growers Groups: one for malting barley destined for Miltonduff Distillery, which goes through the malting process at our Tweed Valley Maltings, and another for distilling wheat supplied direct to Strathclyde Distillery.
Both distilleries produce spirit for Ballantine’s and a number of farmers are part of both Growers Groups.
Importantly, these relationships go beyond logistics. We've hosted in-person Growers Group events, bringing together farmers, Simpsons Malt colleagues and Chivas Brothers representatives to share knowledge, align on sustainability goals and better understand each other’s priorities and challenges.
Whisky tasting sessions with a Ballantine’s brand ambassador also provided growers with a clearer picture of how and where their grain is used – reinforcing the importance of their role in the final product.
“I think it is good the direction that Simpsons Malt and Chivas Brothers are going in. They are taking it slowly and guiding farmers through the whole process in a controlled way”
Alan Ramsay, D Ramsay & Son
