ARDGOWAN Distillery has appointed Muir Construction for the initial phase of their whisky development at Inverkip.
The £7million contract for Muir is expected to last 12 months and will see the completion of the distillery’s main production elements, with Ardgowan aiming to begin producing its own spirit from 2024.
The £20million complex beside the A78 at Bankfoot will have a net-zero distillery and visitor experience, which will create up to 47 local jobs and produce up to one million litres of premium whisky per year.
This first build phase represents the culmination of almost seven years of careful planning for the distillery founders.
The innovative design uses low environmental impact composite cladding, timber and steel materials to create a modern Nordic long hall, symbolising the rising from the ashes of the former Ardgowan Distillery in Greenock, which was bombed during the 1941 Blitz.
The distillery has partnered with Heriot-Watt University and engineers Briggs of Burton to develop technology to capture all of the carbon dioxide in its fermentation process and transform it into green biomethane — a technique which has never been used in a Scotch whisky distillery before.
Martin McAdam, chief executive, 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.”
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.”
