Ardnamurchan

Region: Western Highlands

Owner: Adelphi Distillery Ltd

Founded: 2014

Like a number of other independent bottling companies, Adelphi have decided to acquire a distillery. Unlike some that have renovated and restored historic distilleries, Adelphi have decided to build one from scratch and build it in the middle of nowhere!

The location they chose was Glenbeg on the Ardnamurchan peninsula, just north of the Isle of Mull, thus making it Scotland’s most westerly distillery. The aim of the distillery was, apart from creating a world class spirit, was to have as small an environmental footprint as possible. So, a hydro-electric generator in the river which also provides the distilleries cooling water generates all the power required, while a biomass boiler using wood chips from a local forest provides all the hot water. The draff heads to local herds and pot ale goes as fertiliser for the fields.

However, the innovation doesn’t end there. Adelphi partnered with a digital tech firm called Arc-Net to launch a scannable QR code for its bottles called ‘Blockchain’. This software aims to provide retailers, distributors and most importantly consumers with absolute certainty in what they are purchasing is indeed the real McCoy and not knockoff. So, by scanning said QR code, consumers will be able to digitally view details of the bottle – from the field the barley was farmed into the date it was bottled and the name of person who bottled it and probably what he had for breakfast as well!

I must admit that I don’t know who would want to produce counterfeit bottles of Ardnamurchan, but given how popular the distillery has become in a relatively short period of time, there is a possibility that counterfeiters will give up faking old bottles of Macallan and focus on first releases from these new distilleries, such as Ardnamurchan, and although it might seem a bit overkill now, it may become an invaluable tool in the future in determining whether that 100 year old bottle of Ardnamurchan is kosher or not!