Ardmore Distillery Information
The Ardmore distillery was established in 1898 by William Teacher’s & Sons (Adam Teacher (The son of William Teacher who established Teachers) and his brother William) in order to ensure sufficient quantities of whisky for the Teachers blends. There previously was a distillery on Islay carrying the same name, but it was closed around 1837, and its buildings were made part of Lagavulin. The Ardmore distillery itself is located close to Kennethmont, near the foothills of the Grampian mountains in the Speyside region of Scotland. The location was picked because of the abundance of clear water, peat and barley nearby, as well as the nearby railroad. When the distillery was established, it was powered by a single steam engine; a relic of times long gone that is kept on display.
In 1955, the number of stills was doubled from two to four, and again in 1974 to a total of eight stills. In 1973, a visitor centre was opened, though nowadays the distillery is open to the public by appointment only. In 1976, William Teachers & Sons was acquired by Allied Brewers (nowadays Allied Distillers), who chose to close the Saladin box maltings in the same year. During the late 1980s the cooperage was closed. In 2002, the stills were switched from direct firing to indirect steam-heated stills. Ardmore was one of the last distilleries to use direct firing at the time.
In 2005, the distillery was taken over by Fortune Brands, a subsidiary of Beam Suntory.
Ardmore Whisky
Most of the spirit distilled at Ardmore is still used for Teachers blends. However, there have been a few official releases:
- 12 Years Old (released in 1999 to commemorate the distillery’s 100 year anniversary)
- Traditional Cask; a no-age-statement whisky, mostly matured in Bourbon casks, followed by a second maturation in Quarter Casks
- 25 Year Old (for United Kingdom and Duty Free)
Distillery info:
Name | Ardmore |
Region | Speyside |
Logo | |
Status | Active |
Founded | 1898 |
Water source | Several sources on Knockandy Hill |
Owned by | Beam Suntory |
Address |
Ardmore Distillery +44 (0)1464 - 83 12 13 |
Visitor centre | No |
Website | http://www.ardmorewhisky.com/ |
N/A | |
https://www.facebook.com/Ardmorewhisky | |
Community | N/A |
Map |
Distillery Setup:
Component |
Capacity |
Quantity |
---|---|---|
Mash tun | 12 tonnes | 1 (Copper domed) |
Washback | 90,000 litres | 14 (Oregon pine) |
Wash still | 15,000 litres | 4 |
Spirit Still | 15,000 litres | 4 |
Expected yearly output in LPA (Litres of pure alcohol) | 5,100,000 |