Scottish distilling firm Ardgowan has announced its ambitious new designs for its distillery and visitor centre in Inverclyde, on which construction is due to start later in the year.

The Scotsman reports that the new distillery design, styled on a Nordic long hall, has ergonomic and energy efficiency at its heart, and will be constructed using low-environmental impact composite cladding, timber, and steel, and will feature a glass-walled ‘sky platform’ to provide visitors with stunning views over the River Clyde.

Ardgowan has also pledged that the new distillery building will be carbon negative, and has worked closely with specialist engineers to incorporate state-of-the-art innovations in energy reduction, heat recovery, and carbon capture in the build.

The new designs replace those that secured planning permission in 2019, and a response to the new designs is expected from the local authority’s planning committee early in 2022, and construction will shortly follow that, with hopes to have the distillery fully operational by 2023.

Austrian IT executive Roland Grain, who is the majority shareholder of Ardgowan, said: “My passion for whisky began as a teenager in Austria when I began collecting Scotch whisky and my wish is for this project to create the highest possible quality whisky and a lasting connection to the community in Inverclyde.”

He added that he hopes that the distillery will stand out as a ‘cathedral to whisky’, and help place Inverclyde on the map for visitors, tourists, and whisky aficionados.

Martin McAdam, the chief executive of Ardgowan, said that the project will provide a major boost to the local economy, both during construction and in operation.

“Our goal is to build a world-class whisky distillery and visitor centre which will attract tourists and bring economic and social benefits to Inverclyde,” he said.

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