The arrival of copper pot stills at Ardgowan marks a pivotal moment in the distillery's journey. While construction continues apace, the installation of these magnificent vessels signals a psychological shift from building site to working distillery.
Handcrafted by the artisans at McMillan Coppersmiths, Ardgowan's wash and spirit stills (12,000 and 9,000 litres respectively) represent that quintessential marriage of artistry and engineering that defines Scotch whisky production. Each curve and contour has been shaped by more than two million hammer strikes, hardening the copper seams while creating the organic forms that will influence the character of every future drop of Ardgowan single malt.
The stills' design reflects a delicate balancing act between science and craft. While the basic physics remain constant — ethanol vaporizing at 78°C versus water at 100°C — it's the subtle design elements that will help shape Ardgowan's distinctive spirit. The initial wash distillation will concentrate alcohol from around 8–9% to approximately 23% ABV in the low wines, before the spirit still performs its crucial role in creating new make spirit at 68–73% ABV.

But beyond these fundamental numbers lies a more intricate chemical story. The true art of distillation isn't merely about separating alcohol from water; it's about capturing and nurturing the complex flavour compounds that will ultimately define Ardgowan's spirit style. The stills' design facilitates not only efficient alcohol extraction but also the careful selection of desirable esters created during fermentation while promoting secondary ester formation during distillation.
This selective process requires precise control. The distillery team during commissioning will master the critical "cut points" — separating the foreshots (lighter alcohols) from the precious heart of the run and later distinguishing this from the feints. The copper itself plays a vital role beyond heat transfer, reacting and removing sulphur compounds that would otherwise taint the spirit.

In addition to the functional role of the stills the wash still also incorporates an important heat recovery technology called thermal vapour recompression (TVR). Using this technology some of the heat in the condenser is recycled to heat the still itself improving the overall energy efficiency of the process and assisting Ardgowan on its journey to net zero.
The installation of these stills marks more than just a construction milestone — it heralds the birth of Ardgowan's production team and the next chapter in our whisky-making story. As the project shifts from construction to commissioning, these copper giants stand ready to begin their decades-long work of creating a new Scottish single malt.
Read earlier instalments in the Building Ardgowan Distillery series here.
