Construction of a $245 million whisky distillery is scheduled to begin in St. Clair Township in the third quarter of 2022.
Diageo has announced plans for a 400 acre plant, on Moore Line near Highway 40, with capacity to produce 10.5 million proof gallons annually for its Crown Royal Canadian Whisky brand.
It will also include blending and warehousing operations.
St. Clair Township Mayor Steve Arnold said they've been working with Diageo, through the Sarnia-Lambton Economic Partnership, for about three years.
"There are going to be some good paying jobs and something a little different for us, an end user product and hopefully a storefront will be there," said Arnold. "There's talk there might be some taste and tourism that goes along with that. So, it's really exciting for us all."
Arnold said the distillery fits in well with the businesses already established locally.
"We have the Suncor ethanol plant which is just north of there and it is as well a large distillery process," he said. "They have dried distiller grains that go out into the farm community for feed, as well as they're bringing in the raw egg product in to turn it into alcohol. It will be a similar kind of process that's done here."
He said Diageo wants the facility to be carbon neutral by 2030, and St. Clair Township's 300 acres of solar panels will certainly help with that. Arnold expects between 50 and 75 jobs will be created at the site in the long term.
"You have a really high quality workforce here, great tradespeople and a tremendous safety record," he said. "When people are looking to build, they want a community that can support them properly. When you look at St. Clair Township, Lambton County and the surrounding area it really fits well into that type of portfolio for them."
Senior Vice President of Whiskies for Diageo North America Sophie Kelly commented on the announcement via a news release.
"Crown Royal is the heart of our whisky business, as the most valuable whisky brand. It’s critical when we extend our footprint, that we are committed to creating a more sustainable world," said Kelly. "We are thrilled by this new world-class distillery. It will enable us to drive momentum to 2030 and beyond to elevate Crown Royal as a best-in-class whisky brand that leads innovation in the industry."
An estimated 400 tradespeople will be rotating on site during the construction phase, which is expected to wrap up some time in 2025.