ardgowan

‘If you like a drop of water or an ice cube or two in your whisky, you might have noticed a slight ‘haze’ in some whiskies when they are colder. You might even have worried this means there’s an issue with the spirit or the quality has been affected.

Firstly, let me assure you that this isn’t the case – to explain why, we need to delve into the science behind the whisky.

The whisky making process introduces various chemical compounds into the spirit at every stage: from the very start of distilling through to cask maturation. Mainly esters and fatty acids, these compounds are responsible for the vast range of flavours and aromas found in Scotch Whisky – here is a useful graphic illustrating various esters and their characteristics.

The notes of pear, melon, green apple, banana, or vanilla found in many whiskies are due to these chemical compounds, which can ‘clump’ together at low temperatures.

This ‘clumping’ is called flocculation or ‘floc’. Floc is most often found in whiskies reduced to lower than 48% ABV, but can be seen in higher strength expressions too, particularly in whiskies from sherry or wine casks rich in these flavourful compounds.

Far from being a quality issue, these compounds are vital when it comes to the flavour, mouthfeel and quality of your dram.

A procedure called ‘chill filtering’ can remove these compounds to get a product that can be reduced to as low as 40% ABV that won’t haze at low temperatures. This is useful where a product being produced in large volumes requires absolute consistency of appearance.

Our award-winning, limited-edition whiskies in both our Clydebuilt and Discovery ranges are never chill-filtered or coloured. We believe these important chemical compounds are essential to the taste of our whisky, and nothing needs to be removed or added except pure Scottish water. The quality and taste of the whiskies we bottle is, and always will be, our top priority, and this is reflected in the many prizes awarded to us by various judging panels of industry experts – just this month our Shipwright Blended Malt was awarded the top medal, the Master medal, at the 2022 Scotch Whisky Masters.

More important than awards is our customers’ enjoyment of our whisky, and we love to hear your feedback. If you’ve enjoyed one of our whiskies, please do let us know and make sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to keep up with our news and new releases!’

In its first year of release, the second whisky in the Clydebuilt Series has followed in the footsteps of multi-award-winning Coppersmith, winning multiple medals from various panels of expert judges.

The top spirits in each category of the Masters are awarded the Master Medal, this year given to only fourteen winners. Inclusion in this select group demonstrates Ardgowan’s commitment to blending and bottling only the finest whiskies for our valued customers to enjoy.

Created by Max McFarlane, Ardgowan’s Master Whisky Maker, the sumptuous dram is a blend of four distinctive malts from Highland and Speyside distilleries, wholly matured in first fill Oloroso sherry casks and bottled at 48% ABV.

On the nose, it brings warm aromas that come in waves recalling the precious cargoes of the East with scents of marzipan, leather, Ceylon tea, dried spices, tobacco, and sandalwood. On the palate, the journey continues with bright complexities of orange peel and rich dark notes of black cherries and treacle as they come to the fore. Shipwright then settles gently, dry at first, then gliding into lingering spicy notes with hints of an old leather armchair.

Our distillery CEO Martin McAdam said: “We are a relatively new company. But we’ve learned from great people. Our former chairman Willie Phillips and our whisky maker Max McFarlane both insist that everything we put in a bottle has to be of extraordinary quality. Winning the Scotch Whisky Masters is so important to us, it justifies the extraordinary effort we make in terms of selecting casks and making the perfect blended malt scotch whisky. The leadership from Max and our young team of Nicola Campbell and Lisa Matthews is so important as we have experience and young talent combined – the result is in the bottle.”

Shipwright is available to buy online individually, or as part of the Clydebuilt Collection.

The Clydebuilt Collection offers the chance to secure all six bottles in the Clydebuilt series, alongside other Collector benefits. With the exception of some bottles held back for the Distillery opening, it is now the only way to purchase sold-out Coppersmith, with future releases being sent to you with free shipping and in advance of release to the public. The third whisky in the series is due for release this summer.

Olga is joining us as our Graduate Sales & Marketing Assistant, with Ross working alongside her as Production Assistant. They will be working closely together with the wider team to get our award-winning whisky into bottles before making its way to our customers and stockists across the globe.

As our Graduate Sales & Marketing Assistant, Olga will be collaborating closely with our stockists and customers both locally and internationally, delivering the Ardgowan experience with first-class levels of service.

Olga speaks five languages and has experience working across the globe in jobs utilising her wide range of knowledge – she holds a BA in Advertising Design, a MA in Project Management and MSC in International Tourism and Events Management. You might have seen her previously as a Visitor Experience Colleague at The Clydeside Distillery. Her varied roles have honed her skills in multiple areas such as design, research, coordination, talent development, and quality and process improvement.

Olga enjoys travelling and all things related to whisky. As well as being a member of the Glasgow Whisky Club and the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, she has gained qualifications with the Edinburgh Whisky Academy and is a familiar face at industry events, festivals, and whisky courses.

Ross is joining us as Production Assistant, tasked with every aspect of getting our award-winning whisky bottled.

Ross has a thorough knowledge of the whisky industry having previously worked at both Douglas Laing & Co and The Clydeside Distillery. He also has a wealth of other experience spanning many industries including tourism, hospitality, retail, production, and sales.

As a whisky enthusiast, he has furthered his industry knowledge by gaining qualifications with the Wine & Spirit Education Trust and the Edinburgh Whisky Academy and is currently working towards his BA Hons Degree in Business at the University of West of Scotland.

His passion for the drinks industry spurred him to start The Quaich Podcast as a co-founder, and he can be found chatting about all things whisky over a dram during his annual whisky pilgrimage to Islay or many other whisky events.

Ardgowan’s Production Manager, Nicola Campbell said:

“This is an exciting time for the Company as we continue to develop our current portfolio alongside working towards the opening of our flagship distillery and visitor centre in Inverkip. As our journey towards opening Ardgowan Distillery continues, we are delighted that our team is growing in size to help make our ambitious plans a reality. Olga and Ross have a wealth of valuable experience between them, and we are thrilled to have them on board.”

The second in the Ardgowan Distillery’s Clydebuilt series, Shipwright is a blend of single malts from Speyside and Highland distilleries, wholly matured in first fill Oloroso sherry casks.

It has been created by Ardgowan’s master whisky maker Max McFarlane and has already won a silver medal in the 2021 Scottish Whisky Awards.

Commenting on the IWSC award Ardgowan Distillery Production Manager Nicola Campbell says:

“It is always a thrill to receive an award from a panel of our peers and I think we are now seeing growing interest in the blended malt category. Shipwright’s success is a testament to Max’s skill and we look forward to launching many more award winning whiskies in the months and years ahead.”

Shipwright follows in the successful footsteps of the distillery’s first Clydebuilt release, Coppersmith, which also won a silver medal in the Blended Malt category at the 2020 Scottish Whisky Awards.

 Shipwright is non-chill filtered, non-coloured and has been bottled at 48% ABV.

It retails at £49.99 via the distillery’s online shop.

Here at Ardgowan we are proud to have talented females involved in all aspects of our growing business. As well as our new Distiller Lisa, our Mission Controller Jessica launched our first whisky Expedition and is now working hard on delivering our flagship Distillery, while our Production Manager Nicola works across many aspects of the business as we progress and grow.

Here’s what Lisa and Nicola have to say about working as ‘women in whisky’…

Our Production Manager, Nicola Campbell:

Like Lisa, I also grew up on Islay where there were plenty of women taking on important positions in the industry, but very few in production roles. My own father, grandfather, and great-grandfather worked in whisky, but it wasn’t until I graduated that I started to consider it as a career.

When I began working in the industry I soon realised I had an interest in production which I supplemented with some further studies. The course notes referred to the fictional distillery manager as a male throughout, which only made me more determined to reach my goals!

There have been great leaps made in the last few years with new barriers being broken down such as the first female coppersmiths and coopers beginning their apprenticeships. It’s absolutely fantastic for any prospective ‘women in whisky’ wishing to join the industry to see themselves represented in such far reaching roles

Whisky legends like Dr Kirstie McCallum and Dr Rachel Barrie are huge inspirations to me, having achieved positions at the absolute top of the game, and I am lucky enough to work every day with many amazing businesses with females at the helm.

My advice to any fellow females who want to make the leap into the world of whisky is not to let some outdated opinions put them off joining an exciting and dynamic industry. There is still a way to go, particularly in more physical roles, but it is a really collaborative and supportive field and there are some incredible role models to look up to, right up to the highest level. Don’t let stereotypes of the industry and whisky itself put you off – the modern whisky drinker isn’t trapped by rules and expectations, so don’t let yourself be either!

Although there are many important discussions around ‘women in whisky’ and shaping the future of the industry accordingly, there have been inspirational females climbing the career ladder for longer than you might expect – Lisa and Nicola’s native Islay is where Bessie Williamson became the first female to manage a Scottish distillery during the 20th century.

Beginning her career at the distillery in 1934 as a shorthand typist, Bessie became office manager before taking on responsibility for US distribution and then the distillery itself as its full-time manager. She was named as the Scotch Whisky Association’s American spokesperson in 1961 and toured the States representing our national drink to buyers and distributors.

As Lisa and Nicola embark on Ardgowan’s upcoming trade mission to Miami and New York City, they will be sure to think of Bessie’s trailblazing career while raising a dram to the future females of the industry.

Sláinte!

Mike is a qualified Scottish chartered accountant whose early career began at Bell’s Scotch Whisky in Perth, followed by senior finance and corporate roles at Guinness, United Distillers Europe and Diageo. Keiller joined Morrison Bowmore Distillers as CEO in 2000 and over the next 14 years he helped transform the business from a bulk whisky supplier into a profitable brand-led operation with globally acclaimed spirits including Auchentoshan, Bowmore and Glen Garioch.

After his retirement, he served as a non-executive director with The Last Drop Distillers from 2016 until 2018. Mike will continue as non-executive director at AIM-listed spirits group Distil following his appointment last year.

Ardgowan Distillery CEO Martin McAdam said:

 “Mike is a fantastic guy and it’s great to welcome him as our new chair as we enter a very exciting phase of our business. In the months ahead we will commence the build of our world-leading carbon negative distillery with the goal of producing the very finest premium malt whisky.”

In June 2021 the Ardgowan Distillery confirmed the Inverclyde project would go ahead following new investment of £8.4 million led by principal investor Roland Grain and additional investment from Distil Plc.

Roland, Director of Investments at Ardgowan commented:

“I have already worked with Mike at Distil and he brings huge experience and capability to the company. Mike shares our vision of creating a great carbon negative distillery, a great single malt and building long-lasting customer relationships. We are lucky to be able to access the best professionals in the industry and we will continue to do so to form an all-star team to achieve our goal of making the best and most climate-friendly whisky on this planet. I want to thank Willie for his service and I´m looking forward to continuing work with him in our whisky tasting forum. We are now on track to be operational at the site in 2023.”

In December the Ardgowan Distillery unveiled ambitious new plans for their landmark distillery and visitor centre which will commence construction later this year.

The stunning new design uses low environmental impact composite cladding, timber and steel materials to create a light-filled modern Nordic long hall.

The company has pledged their new distillery will be carbon negative and are working with specialist distillery engineers Briggs of Burton to ensure the flagship building has the latest innovations in energy reduction, heat recovery and carbon capture.

The new distillery will resurrect the name of the Ardgowan Distillery, which was founded in 1896 and located in Baker Street, Greenock. After a few years of whisky production, the distillery was used to make grain spirt and industrial alcohol until it was destroyed in the May Blitz of 1941.