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Former
Macallan Master of Wood Stuart
MacPherson joins Ardgowan Distillery as
they commission £100m deal with one of
Spain’s oldest sherry cask producers,
Bodegas Miguel Martín, to secure a
decades long supply of unique 'infinity
casks'.
Ardgowan
Distillery, Inverclyde’s first
zero-carbon distillery, has signed a
£100 million deal with one of Spain’s
oldest sherry cask producers to secure a
decades long supply of ‘infinity casks’
- marking what is believed to be the
first unique cask design for the
Scottish Whisky industry in more than
100 years.
Ardgowan Distillery which is based at
Inverkip in the west central Lowlands of
Scotland, 30 miles west of Glasgow, has commissioned Bodegas Miguel Martín to construct the sustainably
sourced European oak casks, at a cost of
30 to 40 times more than standard whisky
casks.
As the £20m distillery building project
nears a construction start date,
Ardgowan Distillery has also appointed a
new Master of Wood, Stuart MacPherson,
who joins from Edrington where he was
Master of Wood for more than 10 years
for brands such as The Macallan so he
knows a thing or two about sherry casks
and the influence they have on Scotch
single malt whisky. Overall Stuart
brings 43 years of experience in
managerial roles at some of the world’s
most successful spirits companies.
Martin McAdam, CEO of Ardgowan
Distillery, said: "With up to 80% of
whisky aromas and flavours deriving from
casks, it's imperative to have a Master
of Wood as experienced as Stuart to
perfect our maturation process. The cask
supply contract is an enormous
commitment from Ardgowan and
demonstrates our dedication to quality
and our desire to create a fantastic
whisky.
"The Ardgowan Infinity cask is
specifically designed for us and is the
first unique cask design for the
Scottish Whisky industry in over a
century. The casks are specifically
designed for long-maturation and will be
seasoned with organic sherry for 27
months - far longer than the industry
standard of 12-18 months.
"While others hurry to take their whisky
to market Ardgowan has made a conscious
decision to delay the introduction of
our single malt to market to make sure
we’re getting the most out of these
special casks."
Roland Grain, the principal shareholder
at Ardgowan and Director of Investments
commented: "Our partnership with Bodegas
Miguel Martín is indicative of our
commitment to creating what we hope to
be the finest whisky in the world. The
first batch of Ardgowan Infinity casks
have already been manufactured and are
now seasoning for at least two years in
Bodegas’ dunnage warehouse in Sanlúcar
de Barrameda.
"While many distilleries tend to just
finish their spirits in sherry casks,
our whisky will be matured for its whole
life in these first-fill infinity casks.
We have already spent more money on our
casks than many others are investing
into building a distillery."
Ardgowan Distillery revealed plans for
its £20 million ‘cathedral of whisky’
distillery in 2021 – with first
production scheduled for 2024. A total
funding package of £24m has been secured
for the project so far, with the
distillery recently raising in excess of
£3.6m via a convertible loan note to
shareholders.
Roland Grain added: "We’re fortunate to
have received excellent financial
support from investors so far as we
commit to delivering to a true low
carbon distillery, and shortly we will
be announcing our Clan Ardgowan
programme enabling whisky lovers around
the world to join our crusade."
In addition to creating 47 local jobs
for Inverclyde, the distillery has
invested in leading technologies to put
sustainability at the heart of its
plans, partnering with Heriot-Watt
University and engineers Briggs of
Burton to develop pioneering technology
to capture all of the CO2 in its
fermentation process and transform it
into green biomethane. The technique has
never been used in a Scotch whisky
distillery before.
Further proving its promise as a young
distillery and a good sign of what is to
come in the future, Ardgowan's
independent bottling's Clydebuilt
Shipwright, Discovery 4 Highland Single
Malt and Inverdarach Aon created by
Master Whisky Maker Max McFarlane, all
won gold at the 2022 Scotch Whisky
Awards.
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