The plant at Roseisle, near Burghead will be built next to the site of the company’s existing maltings complex.

The £40m development is part of a £100m expansion of Diageo’s operations in Scotland.

Joint chairman of the environmental services committee, Councillor Allan Wright, described the new distillery as one of the biggest and most exciting developments in the area in recent times.

The application had attracted a number of objections, primarily on the grounds of noise pollution, odour emissions and increased traffic.

As a condition of planning consent a legal agreement will be drawn up between the council and Diageo to address issues relating to the local roads network.