Eine Menge Geld hat man bei der in Entstehung begriffenen Ardgowan Distillery in den schottischen Highlands in die Hand genommen, um sich die Versorgung mit hochwertigen Sherryfässern zu sichern – und man ist sogar noch einen Schritt weiter gegangen: Mit dem ersten neuen Fasstyp, der nach eigenen Angaben für die schottische Whiskyindustrie in den letzten 100 Jahren erfunden wurde, setzt man auf Innovation. Das Ardgowan Infinity Cask wird mit Bio-Sherry für 27 Monate befüllt, anstatt die sonst üblichen 12-18 Monate. Es wird in Spanien aus nachhaltig gewachsener europäischer Eiche gebaut und kostet 30 bis 40 mal mehr als normale Fässer. Weitere Konstruktionsdetails konnten wir der Pressemitteilung aber nicht entnehmen.
Ebenfalls in der Presseaussendung wird erwähnt, dass Stuart MacPherson (früher bei Macallan) bei Ardgowan Master of Wood und damit für die Fässer und deren Management zuständig wird und diese Agenden bei Ardgowan vorantreiben. Er wird daneben für die Nine Rivers Distillery in China weiter beratend im Setup tätig sein, wie wir erfahren haben.
Hier der Presseartikel:
| Presseartikel | Für den Inhalt ist das Unternehmen verantwortlich |
INVERCLYDE DISTILLERY UNVEILS FIRST UNIQUE CASK DESIGN IN A CENTURY WITH £100M DEAL
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.
Inverkip-based Ardgowan Distillery 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, bringing 43 years of experience in managerial roles at some of the world’s most successful spirits companies, including more than a decade as Master of Wood at The Macallan.
“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.
Martin McAdam, CEO of Ardgowan Distillery
“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, independent bottlings 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.
