The Ardgowan Distillery, which plans to build the flagship project on the Ardgowan Estate near Inverkip, 30 miles west of Glasgow, secured £982,000 from the government’s Food Processing, Marketing and Co-operation (FPMC) grant scheme – providing vital capital towards construction costs.

The award was announced this morning by Fergus Ewing MSP, the Scottish Government’s cabinet secretary for the rural economy and connectivity, ahead of the AgriScot 2017 exhibition in Edinburgh.

The distillery now plans to commence construction next year – with ambitious plans for a world-leading lowland malt whisky distillery by 2020.

Commenting on the award, distillery chief executive officer, Martin McAdam, said: “The Scotch whisky industry supports over 40,000 jobs in Scotland, and is a vital component of Scotland’s ambitious food and drink growth strategy.

“This £12m project will move Inverclyde up the rankings for food and drink production in Scotland. During construction the project will support 35 jobs and contribute over £2m to the local economy.”

Once up and running, the distillery will create six new full-time jobs, with up to 15 additional jobs in the visitor centre and retail operations, with around 47 further jobs created in the wider economy during the first five years.

McAdam added: “We are extremely grateful to the Scottish Government for their generous support, and to all others who have backed the project so far, especially the local community for their enthusiasm and encouragement.”

The distillery has already received full planning consent for the project, which will transform a former sawmill on estate land near Inverkip.