Ardmore

Built in 1898, Adam Teacher established the distillery to ensure a good supply of whisky for Teachers blended whisky. The build followed a surge of demand for Teachers products and was part of an extensive expansion of the company, including an international marketing campaign. Lying just below Knockandy Hill, alongside the railway line between Inverness and Aberdeen, Ardmore was one of the last remaining distilleries to rely on coal-powered fires to heat its stills and did not convert to steam until 2003.

In 2005, Beam Global became the new owners after buying twenty wine and spirit companies from Allied Domecq, for five billion dollars. Shortly after the acquisition, Ardmore’s capacity was increased from 3 to 5.1 million litres and in 2007 its own bottling was, at last, released, namely Ardmore Traditional. ‘Traditional’, matured in bourbon casks, followed by a secondary maturation in quarter casks, was originally launched for the duty free market but was released also on the American market in March of 2008.

One of the largest distilleries in Scotland, Ardmore is also the site for large scientific research laboratories. The whisky is mostly quite peated, but a small amount of un-peated whisky is released during a few weeks yearly in the shape of Ardmore Ardlair, though this is used exclusively in various blends.