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Robert will walk alongside his 23-year-old son, Barney, and their journey – named the South Pole Energy Challenge – will be the world’s first to use zero carbon all the way.

The two-man team will be setting off soon from their field base at Union Glacier – and will be relying on hi-tech kit from the likes of Shell and Toyota on their low carbon quest.

And among the advanced equipment the duo will be relying on will be solar snow melters designed and built in Scotland – by a new Scotch whisky distillery.

Last year Robert approached the Ardgowan Distillery for some very specific help.

“At the distillery our team has a very strong background in low carbon innovation, and Robert came to us with a clear challenge – to design and build an effective solar snow melter which would be reliable enough to survive the rigours of an eight-week expedition,” explains Martin McAdam, chief executive of the Ardgowan Distillery.

“We were delighted to help. Getting enough fresh water to drink is a constant challenge in the Antarctic, and usually this is done by melting snow and ice with kerosene, which of course burns a lot of carbon,” says McAdam, himself a renewable energy veteran.

“Our team designed a very simple and robust melter comprising a matt black stainless-steel flask encased in super-strong clear Lexan plastic, with inert argon gas as an insulating layer in between.

They’re designed to be strapped on top of Barney and Robert’s sledges so they can capture the maximum heat of the sun as they trek along, to provide a continual supply of drinking water,” McAdam explains.

“We sent a couple of prototypes to the team which they tested during their trial run in the Antarctic last year, and the feedback was so positive we were asked to provide five for the expedition.

If this very simple technology works well in the coming months it could have wider uses – for example in mountaineering. But overall we are just delighted to help – we have a strong belief in renewable energy and our new distillery will incorporate a number of design features to reduce the use of energy and water.”

Fortunately for Robert and Barney, the new distillery was also able to provide them with something other than water to drink on their trek.

“We did also manage to send two small flasks of a very special 20-year-old single malt which was taken straight from a single cask here in Scotland. The team have promised to have a dram from one flask on Hogmanay, and to take the other all the way to the South Pole. We then plan to bring it back to Scotland to form part of an exclusive commemorative bottling.”

“We wish them all the very best luck for their trip.” McAdam concludes.

Commenting on the expedition, Robert Swan said:

“Increasing the use of renewable sources of energy is essential to reducing CO2 emissions. By putting these clean energies to the test in Antarctica, the Earth’s harshest wilderness, Barney and I want to prove that they can be developed for use anywhere, and therefore play a crucial part in helping the planet transition to a low carbon future.”

Industry veteran Willie Phillips – who spearheaded The Macallan malt whisky for 18 years – has been appointed chairman of The Ardgowan Distillery Company.

He aims to help create a ‘really outstanding’ new lowland single malt whisky.

Last year the Ardgowan Distillery submitted their ambitious plans to Inverclyde Council, and a planning decision is expected shortly.

Phillips was managing director of The Macallan malt whisky from 1978 until the company was bought by Highland Distillers in 1996. During this period Phillips helped establish The Macallan single malt as an international brand.

Commenting on his appointment, Willie Phillips said:

“I’m really interested in the idea of creating a new lowland malt whisky in this part of Scotland, which is close to Irvine, where I spent much of my youth. The Ardgowan team is looking to bring on board one of the most experienced ‘noses’ in the businesses – someone who will help them craft a new spirit of great quality – and I am sure we will together create a really outstanding new lowland single malt whisky.”

Ardgowan Distillery chief executive Martin McAdam said:

“Willie Phillips has a real passion for whisky and decades of experience in making superlative spirits and marketing them around the world.

“We have a fantastic plan to build a globally-recognised new lowland malt whisky distillery which Inverclyde and Scotland will be proud of and we look forward to working with Willie in bringing our ambitious vision to life,” McAdam says.

Inverclyde Council is currently considering the distillery’s plans, which include a state-of-the-art distillery and visitor attraction on the historic Ardgowan Estate near the port of Inverkip, with the potential for new employment both during construction and once the distillery is operational in 2019.

“Following the planning decision, we will commence detailed design and procurement work for the construction of the distillery. This work will give us the opportunity to engage with local businesses and the public in order to develop our plan and start to employ the staff that will be engaged during the construction and operational stage,” McAdam says.

The proposal 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.

In addition to his role with The Macallan, Willie Phillips was managing director of Janneau SA, an Armagnac company from 1997 to 2003 and has been a non-executive director of a number of companies associated with the Scotch whisky industry, and was chairman of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society for ten years.

As with any new proposal, councillors and council officials will be interested in finding out how much support the project has, both locally and beyond the region.

We would therefore be very grateful if could show your support for the project, and ask your friends to do the same.

You can do this in one of a number of ways:

By going to the Inverclyde Council planning portal and voicing your support via the comments section here.
By emailing the development management team of the council on [email protected] – please ensure you use our planning application reference number: 16/0292/IC
By writing a letter to the development management team at the Municipal Buildings, Greenock, PA15 1LY. We have drafted a sample letter which can be downloaded here.
The council would prefer to receive comments via option 1 – the planning portal – but all means of representation are valid and treated equally.

Many thanks in advance for your support!

Commenting on the application, the project’s chief executive Martin McAdam said:

“We are really excited by our proposal and believe that a new Ardgowan Distillery will have a very positive impact on the local economy.

“More than 150 people came to our public consultation event in September and we received more than 60 questionnaire responses which we have taken into account in our planning application. We’ve been really delighted at the positive response our plans have generated so far.”

The application will now be considered by the council, with a decision expected by spring 2017.
The company plans to build a state-of-the-art facility on the site of the old sawmill just south of the A78 Inverkip road, near the junction with the A770. Plans include a retail and visitor attraction, with the potential for new employment both during construction and once the distillery is operational in 2019.

“Our ambition is to build a world-class distillery and visitor attraction in the heart of Inverclyde. The area has tremendous heritage and natural resources including a great water supply and we are working with the Ardgowan Estate to create a globally-recognised new lowland malt which will put the area firmly on the whisky map,” McAdam says.

The proposal 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.

“If approved the new Ardgowan Distillery will be a tremendous flagship for Inverclyde and will bring new visitors to the area,” McAdam concludes.

We are holding a public exhibition of our plansprior to submitting a major application relating to erection and operation of a whisky distillery with associated production and storage facilities including water abstraction infrastructure, and ancillary visitors’ centre and associated commercial / corporate event space including retail, tourism, staff related accommodation, cafe / restaurant uses, a gin still, a microbrewery and associated car parking, service requirements and landscaping on a site located on the southern side of the A78 between Greenock and Inverkip.

At the exhibition you will have the opportunity to comment on the proposals, ask questions and put forward your views to Ardgowan Distillery Company project team directly.

Further information on the proposals can be obtained from Garth Bryans on 07503881503 or at [email protected] or [email protected] and persons wishing to make comments on the proposals should do so in writing by 6th October 2016 to Garth Bryans.

Please note that comments are made to Ardgowan Distillery Company at the exhibition and thereafter are not representations to Inverclyde Council. You will have an opportunity to make representations to Inverclyde Council when our formal planning application is submitted.