The passing of Queen Elizabeth II yesterday at the age of 96 has sent ripples of grief and mourning throughout the United Kingdom and beyond, including its whisky industry.
FIVE hundred bottles of a limited edition whisky produced in Greenock sold out in less than a week. The Ardgowan Distillery Company Limited - which is on the way to becoming a fully functioning business - produced a limited-edition run of a lowland single malt, called Discovery 1. As soon as the exclusive bottles were released for sale on December 1, they were snapped up in days. The sherry-finish malt, which was distilled in 2011, was selected by Ardgowan s whisky maker Max McFarlane. Max said: It had been sitting in sherry casks for more than two years and it tasted superb. The success of the malt comes just weeks after Coppersmith - the first whisky in the company s Clydebuilt series - won silver at the Scottish Whisky Awards.