Ardgowan Distillery recently celebrated the delivery of their copper pot stills to its new distillery. The arrival marks a significant milestone for Ardgowan as it prepares to commence operations early in 2025.
Ardgowan Distillery Company Limited is building a new 1 million litre Single Malt Scotch Whisky distillery near Inverkip on the River Clyde. The company has achieved a watershed in its development with the delivery of the bespoke copper stills to the distillery site. These unique stills, crafted by the skilled artisans at McMillan Coppersmiths in Prestonpans, near Edinburgh, represent a blend of traditional craftsmanship and cutting-edge technology.
Martin McAdam, CEO of Ardgowan Distillery, emphasised the significance of this development: “This occasion is critically important to our company, it is a measure of how far we have progressed. The stills will be installed in the coming days, and the process of bringing Ardgowan Distillery to life now begins. I would like to thank the team at McMillan Coppersmiths. Creating our beautiful stills requires amazing skills, and they are truly works of art.”
“The coppersmiths have not just shaped metal but are weaving centuries of Scottish whisky-making tradition into every curve and contour of these beautiful vessels.” Martin McAdam
The stills, featuring a distinctive design exclusive to Ardgowan Distillery, are a testament to the enduring art of coppersmithing. Thousands of hours of meticulous handwork have gone into creating their unique shape and beautiful hammered finish. Each still has been crafted with over two million hammer blows to smooth and shape the copper, with the final seam of the spirit still alone receiving over 500,000 blows — a true labour of artistry and dedication.
Standing at 6.4 metres and 5.4 metres respectively with a capacity of 12,000 litres for the wash still and 9,000 for the spirit still and designed with both spirit character and energy efficiency in mind. They incorporate Thermal Vapour Recompression (TVR) technology, which compresses and reintroduces steam into the process to reduce energy waste. With a precision-engineered condenser of 315 tubes on the wash still, this technology supports Ardgowan’s mission to achieve net-zero within the next five years.
The delivery of these stills aligns with Ardgowan’s ambitious sustainability goals, the distillery building itself showcases this commitment:
- The roof is constructed from 97% recycled aluminium
- Steel trusses contain 64% recycled steel
- Insulation is made entirely from post-consumer recycled plastics
The Ardgowan Distillery is being constructed with Muir Group as the principal contractor, while Briggs of Burton is supplying the process equipment.
This achievement marks a significant step forward in Ardgowan’s journey to create a state-of-the-art, sustainable whisky distillery that honours Scottish traditions while embracing innovative technologies.
There was certainly plenty of interest on social media, with my post on X (a short video of the arrival of the copper pot stills) going viral and gathering close to 1 Million views….click here for the link.
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