In 2024 the lowlands of Scotland will see the opening of a new distillery at Ardgowan, which vows to be carbon neutral.
Ardgowan distillery is set to open in 2024, following a £20 million construction project on the historic Ardgowan Estate near Inverkip, Firth of Clyde. The construction of the distillery is being overseen by Muir Construction, who are using materials with a low environmental impact such as composite cladding and steel.
Image credit: Ardgowan Distillery
The design of the distillery is reminiscent of a Viking longhouse, which were multi-functional Viking homes usually made of wood, stone, and turf.
As well as having an environmentally friendly shell, the team at Ardgowan pledges to make their whisky-making process as ecological as possible. The distillery has worked closely with Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh and Briggs of Burton to develop a carbon-capturing process that will happen during fermentation. The captured Co2 will be converted into methan to heat the stills, making sure as much carbon as possible is repurposed. The distillery also plans to use hydrogen as its main energy source within 18 months.
Ground was broken on the new distillery in 2023, and Ardgowan distillery is set to open in 2024, with the hopes of releasing its first whisky in 2030. In the meantime, Ardgowan has been releasing limited edition blends and a single grain under the brand name Clydebuilt. McFarlane has selected the best casks from across Scotland to whet the appetites of whisky lovers eager to try Ardgowan whisky.
The team is led by Max McFarlane who once served as lead whisky maker at Edrington, the parent company of Macallan. McFarlane has over four decades of experience in the industry and, as an Inverkip local, is fully invested in helping Ardgowan create a stunning maritime lowland whisky.
