BOSSES from Ardgowan Distillery have signed a massive £100m deal with with a Spanish firm to secure a decades long supply of ‘infinity casks’.

The contract with one of Spain’s oldest sherry cask producers is believed to mark the first unique design for the Scottish whisky industry in over a century.

Ardgowan have 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 project - which will create almost 50 jobs - nears a construction start date, it has also appointed a new master of wood, Stuart MacPherson.

He joins from drinks firm 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.

Martin McAdam, chief executive of Ardgowan Distillery, said: “With up to 80 per cent 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.

“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.”

Ardgowan Distillery revealed plans for its £20 million ‘cathedral of whisky’ distillery at Bankfoot near Inverkip in 2021.

First production is scheduled for 2024.

Roland Grain, the principal shareholder at Ardgowan and director of investments, said: "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.

“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.”

A total funding package of £24m has been secured for the distillery so far, with around £3.6m recently raised via a convertible loan note to shareholders.

Mr 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.

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