GLASGOW’S Clyde shipyards were famed worldwide for designing and building boats to last – and that’s a business ethos that the Ardgowan Distillery Company is keen to emulate as it establishes what it intends to be a whisky brand that will endure for centuries to come.
While its own distillery, at Inverkip on the southern shore of the Clyde estuary, is under construction, the company has been getting its name out there by bottling the award winning Clydebuilt series of whiskies, all inspired by the rich maritime history of the Clyde shipyards.
The fourth bottling in this range, Clydebuilt Riveter, signals a move away from previous blended expressions, as it is the first single grain whisky in the collection.
Riveter is the product of fifteen ‘exceptional’ casks sourced from a prestigious Lowland distillery, each matured in premium bourbon barrels. The flavour profile has been guided by the expert palate of Ardgowan’s Master Whisky Maker, Max McFarlane, who commented: “Riveter pours like liquid gold, with a nose that opens on dark fruit compote before moving into furniture polish, lemon curd, figs, leather and old books.
“The palate is dry and moreish, with butterscotch, five spice, mint choc chip and brown sugar. A lingering, lovely, and very smooth. finish follows, drying down slowly.”
Embraced by esteemed industry accolades, the previous Clydebuilt releases have garnered prestigious awards, with Clydebuilt Sailmaker being honoured with the coveted Master Medal at the Scotch Whisky Masters 2022, while Clydebuilt Shipwright earned a distinguished silver medal at the IWSC Spirits Awards 2022.
The Riveter launch was held in Govan’s Fairfield Museum, which is dedicated to the Clyde shipyards. Prof. Bruce Peter, of Glasgow School of Art, was on hand to deliver a lively talk on the long relationship between Clydebuilt ships and the whisky industry.
