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Overview
Diageo India commissioned a high-density rack-supported warehouse at its Alwar distillery to address acute space limitations and expand whisky maturation capacity. With existing storage fully utilized, the company required a vertical, space-efficient solution capable of housing more than 14,000 casks within a compact footprint. Rinac engineered and delivered a rack-supported structure integrating storage racking with the building envelope, designed for heavy loads and seismic resilience. Completed in eight months, the project enabled safe, scalable maturation storage while ensuring uninterrupted production operations across current and future growth phases sustainably.
Customer: Diageo India Pvt. Ltd.
Location: Alwar, Rajasthan, India
Industry: Distillery / Breweries
Solution: Rack-Supported Warehouse for Cask Storage
Capacity: 14,400 maturation casks
Business Need
Diageo required a new maturation storage facility to accommodate more than 14,000 whisky casks at its Alwar site. The existing warehouses had reached full capacity, and expansion space within the plant was extremely limited. Conventional construction using pre-engineered buildings and standalone storage structures would not deliver the required capacity within the available footprint or timeline.
Key project drivers included:
- Severe space constraints within the plant
- Urgent requirement to expand maturation capacity
- Tight deadline to ensure continuity of production
- Safe storage of heavy, rollable wooden casks
- Efficient inspection and handling access
A solution was needed that could maximize vertical space, accelerate project delivery, and ensure long-term structural safety.
The Solution
Rinac designed and delivered a high-density rack-supported warehouse (RSW) engineered specifically for cask maturation storage.
Advanced Structural Design
The structure was engineered using STAAD and R-STAB software, taking into account:
- Seismic conditions
- Wind sway patterns
- Rain loads
- Peak ground acceleration
- Site-specific tolerances in all axis
This ensured the facility could safely support heavy cask loads over multiple tiers.
High-Density Vertical Storage
The installation featured:
- G+11 levels of cask storage
- G+5 catwalk levels for rolling, inspection, and maintenance
- Optimized layout to maximize capacity within a narrow footprint
- Structural integration of racking and building envelope
This approach delivered dramatically higher storage density compared to conventional warehouse construction.
Safety and Operational Features
Given the cylindrical shape and rolling nature of casks, specialized safety components were incorporated:
- Swivel stoppers to prevent backward rolling into aisles
- Upright guards to protect vertical members
- Back stoppers to prevent cask from rolling at the back of the storage row
- Safety railings on catwalks
- Standard racking safety accessories
- Gates to prevent the roof access to unauthorized personals
These measures ensured safe operations during storage, inspection, and handling.
Project Execution
The project was completed within an 8-month period from order to commissioning.
To maintain progress while managing complexity, installation was carried out in phases:
- Project divided into five phases, each covering eight rows
- Continuous coordination with the client’s project team and PMC team
- Dedicated on-site supervision and safety management
Despite challenging site conditions, the phased approach enabled timely delivery.
Overcoming Challenges
Weather Conditions
Construction spanned multiple seasons, creating operational difficulties:
- Dense winter fog restricted working hours
- Summer temperatures reaching 45°C halted midday work
- Unseasonal rains caused additional delays
To mitigate these factors, manpower was increased and daily progress monitoring was implemented.
Severe Space Constraints
Limited internal working space posed challenges for heavy lifting operations.
The solution involved deploying a 40-ton crane outside the plant boundary, with permissions obtained from local authorities. This enabled safe installation without disrupting plant operations.
The Result
The completed facility delivered:
- Storage capacity for 14,400 maturation casks
- Efficient use of a compact footprint of 140 m × 14.6 m
- Rapid deployment compared to conventional construction
- Safe, long-term storage infrastructure for maturation operations
- Improved operational accessibility for inspection and handling
The rack-supported warehouse enabled Diageo to expand storage capacity significantly without requiring additional land or lengthy construction timelines.
About Diageo
Diageo is a global leader in premium alcoholic beverages, with an extensive portfolio of internationally recognized spirits brands. Its operations in India include large-scale distillation and maturation facilities where storage quality and operational efficiency are critical to product excellence.
