Dave Valentine MBE, owner of Valentine International LLP, announced today that he concluded a major contract at the 15th World Chinese Entrepreneurs’ Convention held last month in London attended by around 3,000 Chinese business representatives from 60 countries.

Valentine confirmed that his company will manage a design and build project that will see the first phase of the distillery built next year in Ordos – a modern vibrant city of more than two million people.

Referring to the six-figure project management contract, Valentine said: “Building a distillery in Inner Mongolia is the brainchild of MengTai’s chairman Mr Ao FengTing whose ambition is to create China’s best and globally award-winning whisky.

“MengTai will provide all of the buildings and ancillary accommodation required to establish the distillery in Ordos costing several million pounds.

“However, the production equipment will be manufactured here in Scotland and shipped to Inner Mongolia for assembly by Scottish engineers. The initial phase of distillery production equipment will create a circa £2.5m export order for Scotland.”

He added: “In fact, the project will deliver a multi-million-pound export bonus for at least two Scottish companies still to be contracted for the design & build of the distillery production equipment and for the supply of bulk whiskies.

“As the project progresses there will be opportunities for skilled industry experts required to oversee the operation during the initial phases of the development.”

After signing the agreement in London, MengTai chairman Ao FengTing said: “My ambition is not just to produce China’s best quality whisky but one that is globally recognised in terms of world rankings.

“Scotland is the ‘home of whisky’ and has the greatest expertise in terms of distillery equipment manufacture and know-how. So, we are confident that Valentine International will deliver a world-beating project for us in Ordos.”

Dr Liz Cameron OBE, chief executive of the Scottish Chambers of Commerce, said: “This is great news for Scotland and an early win for our new International Trade Partnership programme which our network operates in partnership with the Scottish Government.

“These opportunities were identified as a direct result of SCC hosting a business group in Scotland from the Government of Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region. This visit very quickly resulted in the signing of a business co-operation agreement with the General Chamber of Inner Mongolia at a major global Chinese entrepreneurs convention in London last month.

“This deal creates a significant opportunity for Scottish suppliers worth over £3m. We are confident of more investors coming to Scotland as a result. It is an example of what can be achieved by forging relationships and adding value and confidence between businesses across the globe.”