A NEW multi-million-pound whisky distillery being built near Inverkip will be a ‘lighthouse project’ which will boost tourism in Inverclyde, the development’s primary backer has claimed.

Austrian investor Roland Grain, who is the majority shareholder and principal investor behind the under-construction Ardgowan Distillery, believes the new facility can give the area’s tourist industry a huge shot in the arm.

The state-of-the-art premises’ interior is now taking shape, with several washback tanks already fitted and its whisky stills scheduled for installation in the near future.

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Distillery bosses hope that their upcoming open day on September 7 will give the public a closer look at striking structure, which is designed to look like a Nordic long hall.

(Image: George Munro)

Mr Grain told the Telegraph he was pleased to see the project taking shape and hoped it could make a big impact on the surrounding area.

He said: “I had the possibility to invest in several projects but this one for me personally was outstanding because the situation of the distillery is so nice.

“We are in the lowlands, but we are right next to the sea, if you look up to Loch Thom then you have a beautiful lake which is normally what you’d see in the highlands.

“Plus, you have perfect infrastructure, there are so many distilleries you can barely reach so that’s also an advantage for me.

“It’s an incredible transformation I must say, but it will be going on for the next ten years as we are constantly investing.”

(Image: George Munro)

Around 50 jobs are set to be created by the venture which distillery bosses estimate will bring close to 50,000 people to the area each year.

Mr Grain said the distillery are currently exploring ways to offer visitors a comprehensive, all-day experience which will keep them in the area.

(Image: George Munro)

He added:  “I must say when I came here for the first time, I had the feeling this was a bit of a neglected area of Scotland, but when it opens up towards the distillery it becomes more beautiful.

“What this area needed in my viewpoint was a kind of lighthouse project.

“I think this will be one and there will be a lot of other foodie-related businesses coming up.

“We are working on an offering that will let people stay a whole day in the area and have fun rather than going to Glasgow or Edinburgh.

“If you look at advertisements for houses and flats here they are already citing that it’s close to the distillery.

“My personal opinion is the more people we can hire from the villages nearby the better.

“I want to have lifetime employment of these people and I want the distillery to be part of the community here.

“The area is beautiful it just needs this lighthouse project, look at the Eden Project in Cornwall.

“It’s in the middle of nowhere, but then it brought hundreds of thousands of people every year.

“I believe we will have 50,000 coming here a year for sure.”