News

The exclusive dram – which was created specially by Ardgowan Chairman Willie Phillips – was ranked against its peers in a blind tasting by an international panel.

Commenting on the win Ardgowan Chief Executive Martin McAdam said:

“Our Chairman Willie Phillips is the driving force behind our Expedition whisky. You can have the best marketing in the world but the liquid in the bottle needs to be great.

“This is our third award for Expedition, and we are very thankful to Willie for guiding us in producing something special, to our customers who have purchased and enjoyed the whisky and to the judges at Hong Kong International Wine & Spirits Competition who have acknowledged the quality of this beautiful liquid.”

Ardgowan Expedition 20-year-old is a blended malt which includes classic single casks from upper Speyside and the northern Highlands. The 600-bottle run also contains whisky which has travelled to the South Pole and back, carried by Polar Explorer Robert Swan OBE.

Each bottle, which retails at £499, has been personally signed and numbered by Willie Phillips, who rose to fame as the managing director of The Macallan from 1978 to 1996.

It can now be purchased online at the Ardgowan Distillery online shop.

“We did something special with Expedition – it is not only a great whisky but also a collector’s item. Since releasing Expedition we have now brought Max McFarlane (formerly Master Distiller/Blender at Edrington) on board and he has already created our new limited-edition Coppersmith whisky which is now available under the Clydebuilt by Ardgowan label,” McAdam says.

McAdam concluded that his company is now working hard on establishing local distribution for their Expedition and Clydebuilt whiskies in the Hong Kong market.

“Coppersmith is the first in the Clydebuilt series of whiskies which Ardgowan Distillery will release in the years ahead,” says Max.

“Each bottle in the series will celebrate the pride shown by generations of workers on the Clyde, who together built some of the world’s most illustrious ships.

“In our first release I wanted to produce a top-drawer blended malt and I believe that is what we have achieved,” says Max.

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

It is described as: “A whisky to savour, which oozes opulence and stunning cask maturation with a super balance of sweet and spicy, heather honey, sultanas and very dark chocolate, with a long, dry finish.”

The whisky will be available in selected retailers from October 1 and is now available to pre-order online via the Ardgowan Distillery online shop (UK and Ireland only).

The new release follows the recent success of the distillery’s Expedition blended malt which won the gold medal in this year’s Scottish Whisky Awards for the best blended malt over 12 years old.

The Ardgowan Distillery Company Limited project is being developed in Max’s hometown of Inverkip, 30 miles west of Glasgow.

Max joined the company to help the fledgling distillery develop its whisky-making skills and deliver the Clydebuilt series. In the years before the distillery’s own products are available the company intends to develop its whisky making skills and build strong relationships with both UK and global customers by creating where possible unique, collectable and desirable whiskies.

The CEO of Ardgowan, Martin McAdam said:

“The first steps on our journey in developing our distillery is to bring together a great team. We have Willie Phillips our chairman and now Max McFarlane, both of them are amazing whisky legends. We are in awe of their skill. The starting point with both of them is quality. With Willie we created our Expedition blended malt and now with Max on board we are very excited by his ideas and creativity.

“Bringing these products to market helps establish our brand and demonstrates to the world that we have a team that can create great whiskies. Until we have our own product on shelves it is also very important to generate revenues from these initial products and forge routes to market around the globe. We must never forget that 93 percent of Scotch whisky is exported,” McAdam says.

For over forty years Max was whisky maker for Edrington where he ensured the quality and consistency of some of the industry’s most iconic brands, including Famous Grouse, Cutty Sark, Bunnahabhain, Tamdhu and Highland Park. He was appointed a Keeper of the Quaich in 2017.

“You can see why we are so privileged to have him on board,” McAdam says.

The Ardgowan Distillery has already received planning permission for their one million litre facility and will commence construction next year. They plan to start distilling in 2021 and aim to produce a flagship seven-year-old alongside a range of younger single malts.

Max says he is delighted to be working so close to home:

“When I first heard there would be a new distillery in Inverkip I knew immediately I wanted to be involved. It’s my home town and I have long thought that Inverclyde is a natural area for a distillery,” Max says.

“It’s en route to the islands, it’s near the sea and I think this will help us create a coastal lowland malt of real character.

“Of course, this will be a number of years away, but our new Clydebuilt series will give us something to enjoy while we wait.”978 to 1996.

“We did something special with Expedition – it is not only a great whisky but also a collector’s item. Since releasing Expedition we have now brought Max McFarlane (formerly Master Distiller/Blender at Edrington) on board and he is now working with the team to create our next set of whisky releases which will be under theClydebuilt by Ardgowan label,” Martin McAdam concludes.

The exclusive dram – which was created specially by Ardgowan Chairman Willie Phillips – was ranked against its peers in a number of categories.

Commenting on the win Ardgowan Chief Executive Martin McAdam said:

“Working with Willie Phillips to create this product has been an absolute pleasure. He is such a gentleman and so generous with his knowledge. Willie has helped us embed quality in everything we do: obviously that starts with the liquid but then becomes embodied in our approach to marketing, sales and communication.”

Ardgowan Expedition 20-year-old is a blended malt which includes classic single casks from upper Speyside and the northern Highlands. The 600-bottle run also contains whisky which has travelled to the South Pole and back, carried by Polar Explorer Robert Swan OBE.

Each bottle – which retails at £500 – is available at Robert Graham 1874 – has been personally signed and numbered by Willie Phillips, who rose to fame as the managing director of The Macallan from 1978 to 1996.

“We did something special with Expedition – it is not only a great whisky but also a collector’s item. Since releasing Expedition we have now brought Max McFarlane (formerly Master Distiller/Blender at Edrington) on board and he is now working with the team to create our next set of whisky releases which will be under theClydebuilt by Ardgowan label,” Martin McAdam concludes.

Ardgowan Expedition, an exclusive 20-year-old premium blended malt specially created by Ardgowan Chairman Willie Phillips, was ranked against its peers in a number of categories.

Commenting on the announcement, Ardgowan Chief Executive Martin McAdam said:

“We are really excited that we’ve been shortlisted as a finalist both for the whisky but also for our product launch and product branding. Working with Willie Phillips to create this product has been an absolute pleasure. He is such a gentleman and so generous with his knowledge. Willie has helped us embed quality in everything we do: obviously that starts with the liquid but then becomes embodied in our approach to marketing, sales and communication.”

Ardgowan Expedition 20-year-old is a blended malt which includes classic single casks from upper Speyside and the northern Highlands. The 600-bottle run also contains whisky which has travelled to the South Pole and back, carried by Polar Explorer Robert Swan OBE.

Each bottle – which retails at £500 – and available at Robert Graham 1874 – has been personally signed and numbered by Willie Phillips, who rose to fame as the managing director of The Macallan from 1978 to 1996.

Martin McAdam, chief executive at Ardgowan Distillery, said:

“Securing the licence is the next key step in our journey and we are grateful to Stephen and the team at TLT for their assistance. We are now focused on developing the site which we are confident will become a leading attraction in the west of Scotland.”

The licence was secured for the distillery by TLT solicitors. Stephen McGowan, head of licensing (Scotland) at TLT, said:

“It was a real pleasure to represent such a fantastic project. It really was an exceptional application and a joy to work with the team at Ardgowan Distillery. The Inverclyde Licensing Board was extremely supportive of the proposal and showed genuine interest in this.”

Since then the premium dram has scooped a bronze medal in the Scottish Field Whisky Challenge, and now the packaging design – by our Dublin-based brand agency Clickworks – has been selected for the 100 Archive 2018, a prestigious curated showcase of what are considered the best 100 Irish designs in a given year.

Here distillery CEO Martin McAdam meets with communications manager Neil Davidson to find out how distillery plans are progressing.

Neil: Martin it is a while since you released Expedition. Have you been happy with the results?

Martin McAdam: Yes, absolutely. We obviously don’t have our own whisky yet and we wanted to create something that reflects what we want Ardgowan to be in 20 years’ time. With our first blended malt whisky we achieved the Bronze Award at the Scottish Field Whisky Challenge. We think that was a tremendous result for the first outing.

Neil: Why do you think you did so well?

Martin McAdam: What we want to do with every whisky we release is to start with the liquid. Working with people like Willie Phillips and now Max McFarlane you get to know that a quality product has to be the starting point. They both drum this into our team every day.

Neil: Tell us about the packaging and the design you chose for Expedition.

Martin McAdam: Again, it is about quality and authenticity. Expedition as a product had to reflect the achievement of Robert Swan OBE and his son Barney. By walking across the Antarctic using only renewable energy it shows the realities of what can be achieved by using the alternatives to fossil fuels. The packaging reflects the preparation needed for an expedition and the style and quality of expedition equipment.

Neil: What is important about the recent selection for the @100archive?

Martin McAdam: When we set out last year to create something special for our Expedition whisky we decided to work with the team at Chemistry and Clickworks. I personally have worked with the team for over 30 years and they have become great friends. As this is a startup they committed some sweat equity to the project. The brief was to define the packaging to reflect the quality of the liquid and the achievement of the South Pole Energy Challenge. I believe the team did that.

Neil: What is the purpose of the @100archive?

Martin McAdam: The @100archive is a living archive which presents and discusses the past, present and future of design and communications. For Expedition to be selected it means that we have done something right. The packaging for Expedition is very strong statement and a design which we believe will pass the test of time.

Neil: Thank you Martin McAdam, our CEO at Ardgowan Distillery Company Limited. We will get together again soon to find out what else is happening at the distillery.

The whisky connoisseurs ranked Expedition ninth overall, and third in the over £100 category, with judges describing the dram as “sherried, nutty, sticky toffee pudding” and “sweet, rich, stewed fruit…did not add water, smooth as it was”.

Commenting on the award, Ardgowan Chief Executive Martin McAdam said:

“We are delighted with the recognition this award has given our very first whisky. Ardgowan Expedition was an opportunity for us to put our shared expertise to the test and we are immensely proud of the result.”

Ardgowan Expedition 20-year-old is a blended malt which includes classic single casks from upper Speyside and the northern Highlands. The 600-bottle run also contains whisky which has travelled to the South Pole and back, carried by Polar Explorer Robert Swan OBE.

Each bottle – which retails at £500 – has been personally signed and numbered by Willie Phillips, who rose to fame as the managing director of The Macallan from 1978 to 1996.

The distillery is progressing plans to build their new distillery, with production to start in 2020.

“In the meantime, we are putting together a private collection of premium barrels which we will release in a number of different expressions in the coming months,” Martin McAdam concludes.

Neil: Martin, it’s been pretty quiet on the distillery front of late, what been happening?

Martin McAdam: Well, it may have been quiet, but we have been very busy! As well as continuing to fundraise for the project our core team has been working with our civil engineers and architects to pin down the final distillery design – which is now substantially completed. We also need to think about a myriad of other things, such as forward purchasing barley and malt and the design of our copper stills.

Neil: So, is it still on track then?

Martin McAdam: Yes absolutely. Our plan is still to commence construction this year and aim to start distilling next year.

Neil: It’s a pretty big distillery – a million litres per annum initially with the potential to double this. Why are you starting so big?

Martin McAdam: When you are building a distillery, you need to plan for the long term. All of the trends that we see, with continued growth in new global markets, gives us confidence that there will be strong demand for premium single malt – which is exactly where we are aiming.

Neil: How big is the team now and have you made all your immediate key hires?

Martin McAdam: Nearly all of our strategic roles have been filled and we have brought on board some real expertise across a range of disciplines – including our Mission Controller Jessica Skelton who is an astrophysicist! As she says, it’s not rocket science.

Neil: There has been a lot of local excitement in Inverclyde about the business. When are there likely to be some local jobs?

Martin McAdam: We are just about to announce a very important role which has gone to an Inverkip local. In our planning submission we estimated there would be 30 jobs during the construction phase and over a 5-year period we will build up to 25 to 30 jobs at the distillery once the visitor centre is up and running. We would like to see as many of these positions being filled by local people.

Neil: There are some terrific links with the Ardgowan Estate. How do you see this panning out in the future?

Martin McAdam: We have a great relationship with estate and Sir Ludo Shaw Stewart and are collaborating to make the distillery and Ardgowan House a real draw for visitors to the area. Every year dozens of cruise ships dock in Greenock and we would like to give them the chance to have a great experience locally.

Our choice of Ardgowan was related to the place. Ardgowan has everything – micro climate, history, legend, atmosphere and of course the fantastic Estate House and the landscape.

Neil: What have you found the most challenging aspect of developing a new distillery from scratch.

Martin McAdam: Well, funding is always a challenge – it is tough to get people to commit capital to a project which will not show a return for many years, but we have a great shareholder base and we are well on our way. The Brexit uncertainty has certainly dissuaded some overseas investors from making a decision about investing in the UK.

The other area is the complex customs and excise regulations around making and selling whisky! It is (quite rightly) a highly regulated industry and it has taken us some time to get to grips with it all.

Neil: A lot of distilleries are producing gin before they actually start distilling. Is this something you plan, or do you have other ideas?

Martin McAdam: We are in the fortunate position to have built up some private stock of some really fantastic single malt barrels with the wise advice of our chairman Willie Philip (ex MD of the Macallan). This means that in the years ahead we will be able to issue a number of releases – including single and blended malts – so customers can get a real sense of what Ardgowan Whisky will be like. As part of our planning permission we did include a gin still. It is something that we are seriously looking at and we have brought on board one of the most renowned gin designers in the country.

Neil: There are nothing but new distilleries cropping up around Scotland. Do you think there is room for them all?

Martin McAdam: The industry is clearly doing well at the moment. I think we need to stay nimble and seek out new markets across the globe. The lessons we have learned from our chairman Willie Phillips is that we need to focus on quality. There is always a market for a quality product. The industry is also changing – the single malt component is continuing to grow.

Neil: You have a background in renewables, and so does your business partner Alan Baker – how did you two meet, and when did you decide to open up a distillery? Was it over a dram!?

Martin McAdam: Well we met when we were both working in the renewable energy industry. Twenty years ago, the wind industry was a frontier – being creative and entrepreneurial and responsive meant that you could get a great position in the industry in a short period of time. The changes in government support and the emergence of big players in the renewable industry changed the nature of the business.

I was involved in a couple of distillery projects previously and indeed I was one of the founding shareholders in the Kingsbarns distillery in Fife. We needed a change from the energy business and the whisky industry looked attractive. There is a place for independents, some of the oldest registered brands in the world belong to the whisky industry. It is also fascinating – with electricity you have to sell the product as soon as you make it, with whisky, you cannot sell it for at least three years and its better if you don’t sell it until it is much older.

Neil: Does this mean you will be incorporating green energy or eco measures in the distillery?

Martin McAdam: Yes indeed. Everywhere we can we will conserve heat and water and over time we hope to evolve the distillery to include even more renewable energy projects and hopefully start generating our own electricity on site.

Neil: Have you always had an interest in whisky? And was your first dram Irish whiskey??

Martin McAdam: I was a very early convert to whisky. When at university and all my friends were drinking beer – I was a whisky man. It was purely medicinal: I had an allergic reaction to beer and whisky became my thing. Thankfully this reaction has disappeared over the years and while I am still a dedicated whisky drinker – I do love a beer. My background is in engineering and I worked in countries all around the world. In many places, whisky was a point of interest to discuss with colleagues and new friends. I had my first single malt – Glenfiddich, when I was working in Germany and that started the path of discovery for single malt.

Neil: Where do you see the market for whisky developing in the years ahead?

Martin McAdam: Well we see the market is changing. In the mature markets like the USA and France – we see overall volumes of Scotch Whisky slightly dropping but the market for single malt is actually growing. So, people are drinking less but seeking out a different sensory experience in the single malt category. Obviously, Asia is a key market with Singapore and China becoming increasingly important.

Now Max has joined the Ardgowan Distillery – in his home town of Inverkip, 30 miles west of Glasgow – where he will help the fledgling distillery develop its whisky-making skills and deliver a series of new whiskies this autumn.

The Ardgowan Distillery has already received planning permission for their 1 million litre facility and will commence construction this year. They plan to start distilling in 2020 and aim to produce a flagship seven-year-old alongside a range of younger single malts.

And whilst the company plans for production and release of its own sprit, Max is already working with the Ardgowan team to a develop a number of new whiskies – in an as yet un-named series – to be launched later this year.

These will be created by Max, through blending and bottling quality barrels from distilleries Scotland-wide.

“Our first whisky will be released in and around Inverclyde this autumn, and it will be the first of a series of affordable and accessible quality whiskies which we will issue in the years ahead,” says Max.

Max, who was appointed a Keeper of the Quaich in 2017, remains tight-lipped on what the new series will be named, but did confirm it would include a single malt, a blended malt and a grain.

Martin McAdam the CEO of Ardgowan welcomed Max to the team:

Max is just a lovely guy. He is totally unassuming, and we are delighted he has chosen to work with us.

“Max knows so much about the industry. He is an expert in assessing new-make spirit and he is also working with the team at Ardgowan on our wood policy and production schedule. He has astonishing talent and is someone we can learn a lot from.

“By bringing Max on board now, and whilst we wait for our own product, we can showcase some really great-tasting, quality whiskies to establish the Ardgowan brand and give a sense of the kind of spirit the distillery will produce in the years ahead.

“Max, whose Highland Park 18-year-old was voted the best single malt in the world, will be a fantastic asset to our team,” Martin McAdam concludes.

The whisky veteran says he is delighted to be working so close to home:

“When I first heard there would be a new distillery in Inverkip I knew immediately I wanted to be involved. It’s my home town and I have long thought that Inverclyde is a natural area for a distillery.

“It’s en route to the islands, it’s near the sea and I think this will help us create a coastal lowland malt of real character.

“Of course, this will be a number of years away, but our new series will give us something to enjoy while we wait.”