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Ardmore: A look behind the scenes at this exciting closed door whisky distillery

Ardmore: A look behind the scenes at this exciting closed door whisky distillery

Originally Posted: The Scotsman
Photo Credit: Ardmore Distillery

Having recently been given a new lease of life as a single malt, there has been talk of a new visitor centre, however for the time being it remains closed to the public. Here, we take a look behind the scenes to catch a rare glimpse of a distillery that doesn’t normally allow visitors.

Ardmore was William Teacher & Sons first whisky distillery and was founded by Adam Teacher in 1898.
Ardmore still serves as the backbone of the Teacher’s blend. There is even an old ad on one of the distillery walls that reads: “Teacher’s – teaching Englishmen how to drink water for over a century.”
Distillery manager Alistair Longwell walking distillery dog Hebe.
Previously used for malting, these are now used primarily for storage after they were terminated in the 70s.
The Inverness Aberdeen railway ran alongside the buildings and would have allowed for casks, coal and other raw materials to be brought straight to the distillery from Glasgow.
The distillery’s original steam engine is still on display in a room in the distillery.
The Vickers Boby Mill dates back to the 30s.
The 12.5 ton semi-lauter mash tun.
The distinctive looking cast iron mash tun has a copper dome.
There are 14 Douglas Fir washbacks at the distillery.
The wooden washbacks feature propeller like switchers similar to the Yamazaki Distillery in Japan.
Ardmore has four pairs of stills, with additional pairs added to the original set up in the 50s and 70s.
This picture shows the steep angle on the lyne arm from the stills leading to the condensers. The distillery produces a traditionally peated spirit and also a newer non-peated spirit called Ardlair.
The stills were traditionally coal-fired but changed to steam-heated in the early 2000s.
The beautifully designed copper case spirit safe.
Much like distillery dog Hebe in the foreground, Ardmore’s casks slumber in the traditional dunnage warehouses.
Port casks play an important role in Ardmore’s core whisky range.
In 1913, a relative of founder Adam Teacher and employee of Teacher’s was credited with inventing and patenting a ‘replaceable’ cork, removing the need for a corkscrew. A bottle featuring the ‘self-opening bottle’ logo can still be seen at Ardmore.
Read the original article on The Scotsman

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