New Scotch Whisky Aims To Raise Awareness Around Clean Energy

The intersection of whisky and charitable causes is one in which we see the former used to raise awareness, usually through bottle sales, of more noble undertakings those behind the brown spirit have interest in. A prime example of this from a number of years ago, for example, was a 29 year old Glenfiddich tied to a group of war veterans trekking across Antarctica to raise funds for a veterans’ charity. Now another distillery, this time an up and coming one out of Scotland, has teamed up with a South Pole expedition to bring attention to cleaner energy.

The Ardgowan Distillery, a planned Lowland Scottish distillery set on an estate some 45 minutes from Glasgow, teamed up with explorer Robert Swan OBE and his son Barney on their recent low carbon expedition to the South Pole that was designed to showcase how one can travel to one of the most inhospitable places on the planet in a more environmentally friendly way. On their journey they each carried a small amount of a special whisky acquired by the distillery for this event. Upon its return the Scotch was then blended back into the rest of the 20 year old expression, drawn from so called “classic single casks from upper Speyside and the northern Highlands.”

“This special whisky commemorates our partnership with Robert and Barney, who we helped by designing and making a number of solar-powered snow melters for their clean energy quest,” said Ardgowan Mission Controller Jessica Skelton in a prepared statement. “In return, Robert agreed to take some whisky to the pole – and Expedition is the end result.”

Ardgowan Expedition, as this whisky is called, was specially blended by Ardgowan Chairman Willie Phillips, who rose to fame as the managing director of The Macallan from 1978 to 1996. Phillips noted of this bottling that “by combining the richness of Speyside and whiskies from the north coast, and marrying in sherry casks, the blend has an opening sweetness, a pleasant mouth feel (perhaps a little peppery undiluted) and a finish which reminds one of its age – altogether a unique and very enjoyable dram.”

Expedition, bottled at 46% ABV, is presented in a special wooden presentation case and prices at £500, or about $655 USD. 600 bottles have been made available, one for every mile walked to the South Pole. Plans for future releases by Ardgowan are in the works, with construction on the distillery itself set to begin next year.