Ardgowan Distillery, located in Inverclyde, Scotland, recently launched a new “maritime whisky,” inspired by the heritage of Scottish shipbuilding.
This expression, selected by Max McFarlane, master whisky maker, is called the Clydebuilt Sailmaker, and is the latest bottling in the distillery’s Clydebuilt collection, joining previous releases Clydebuilt Coppersmith and Clydebuilt Shipwright.
A statement from Ardgowan explains that the making of Clydebuilt Sailmaker draws on parallels with the engineering precision of Glasgow’s shipbuilding era.
The Clydebuilt Collection has garnered many awards and accolades, and with its second bottling, Shipwright, brought home the silver at the IWSC Spirits Awards 2022 and a Master Medal in the Blended Malt–Super Premium category at the Scotch Whisky Masters 2022.
The distiller explained that Sailmaker is made up of a blend of six unique whiskies from Highland, Lowland and Speyside distilleries matured in first-fill Oloroso sherry casks.
“Previous blended malts in The Clydebuilt Collection were of Highland and Speyside origin. Sailmaker gave us the opportunity to incorporate Lowland whiskies to the Highland/Speyside mix – something I had wanted to do for many years,” McFarlane said. “The addition of Lowland malts adds significant depth and richness to the flavor profile, making for a sumptuous dram.”
Sailmaker is the third release in Ardgowan’s Clydebuilt Collection, with the fourth, Riveter, due later in 2022.
The release of Sailmaker comes just as construction begins on Ardgowan’s new, £15-million single malt whisky distillery, gin distillery and visitor center on the Ardgowan Estate near Inverkip, 30 miles west of Glasgow.
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Ardgowan Distillery will begin production in 2024 with the capacity to make upwards of one million liters of whisky a year, and the combined facilities will create nearly 50 new local jobs.
The Clydebuilt Sailmaker is bottled at 48% ABV and will have a suggested retail price of £52.50, available at www.ardgowandistillery.com and at selected specialist retailers.
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