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Inverkeithing
based Muir Construction has been
appointed to begin the first phase of
Ardgowan Distillery's £20 million
“cathedral of whisky”
Inverclyde’s first zero-carbon whisky
distillery, Ardgowan Distillery, has
enlisted the services of Muir
Construction, based in Inverkeithing,
for the commencement of the initial
phase of its ambitious £20 million
whisky production facility, often
referred to as the "cathedral of
whisky."
This £7 million contract is anticipated
to span a duration of 12 months and will
encompass the finalisation of the
distillery's primary production
components. This significant milestone
will empower Ardgowan to commence the
production of its own spirit starting in
2024.
The realisation of this first
construction phase signifies the
culmination of nearly seven years of
meticulous planning by the distillery's
founders. It represents a monumental
step forward in creating an
ergonomically designed, energy-efficient
distillery and visitor experience. This
endeavour is set to generate up to 47
jobs within the local community and
produce as much as 1 million litres of
premium whisky annually.
The innovative distillery design
showcases a commitment to environmental
sustainability through the use of
low-impact composite cladding, timber,
and steel materials. The resulting
structure will resemble a contemporary
Nordic long hall, symbolising rebirth
and emergence from the ashes of the
former Ardgowan Distillery in Greenock,
which was tragically bombed during the
Blitz of 1941.
The distillery's ambitious vision for
achieving net-zero emissions
incorporates cutting-edge technologies
and strategic partnerships with emerging
technology developers. These initiatives
are aimed at realizing a genuinely
carbon-neutral spirit. Ardgowan
Distillery has joined forces with Heriot-Watt
University and engineering firm Briggs
of Burton to develop groundbreaking
technology designed to capture all
carbon dioxide emissions during the
fermentation process and convert them
into green biomethane. This pioneering
technique has never before been employed
within a Scotch whisky distillery.
Martin McAdam, CEO, said: "Partnering
with Muir Construction for this first
phase of the build is a major and very
welcome step forward for us. It was
imperative that we selected a contractor
who shares the same values for
sustainability. Muir’s experience
constructing some of the finest Scotch
Whisky distilleries open today, coupled
with their hand in pioneering Scottish
sustainability projects meant they were
the perfect fit."
Muir Construction, a division of Muir
Group, boasts a well-established
presence in the field of distillery
construction. Their track record
includes successful collaborations with
prominent distillery enterprises such as
William Grant & Sons, Distell, and
Glenmorangie. Additionally, Muir
Construction has actively participated
in several significant sustainability
initiatives, exemplified by their
contributions to projects like the
Queens Quay Energy Centre in Glasgow and
Celtic Renewables.
Alan Muir, joint managing director at
Muir Construction, said: "We are
delighted to be given the opportunity by
Ardgowan Distillery to join the delivery
team in what is an exceptional
distillery. Not only will this be at the
forefront of distilling fine whisky, but
it will also be an outstanding statement
in visual design, something I’m sure we
will all be proud of on completion.
"Our construction team is very excited
to get started on the first step in what
we are sure will be an excellent ongoing
relationship."
To date, 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.
Ardgowan’s multi award winning selection
of sherry cask influenced malts recently
celebrated a triple gold win at the 2022
Scotch Whisky Awards, their Clydebuilt
whisky range is available from specialist online whisky
shops such as
The Whisky Exchange
and
Master of Malt
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