Building Ardgowan Distillery Part 5: Copper in the house

Building Ardgowan Distillery Part 5: Copper in the house

In his latest blog post for Whisky Magazine, Ardgowan CEO Martin McAdam reflects the arrival of the copper giants central to the distillery: the stills. 

 

Image: The stills are piped into Ardgowan's distillery

News | 28 Jan 2025 | By Martin McAdam

  • Share to:

This promotional feature was created by the Whisky Magazine team in partnership with Ardgowan Distillery

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.

Martin McAdam, Ardgowan CEO, with the stills

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.

The spirit still is lowered into position

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.

"The stills' design reflects a delicate balancing act between science and craft." — Martin McAdam
Magazine Archive

From the archive

Select an issue

Subscribe Now

Subscriptions for
Whisky Magazine are available
in print, digital or as a
complete package

The Benefits

8 print editions a year

Enjoy the convenience of home delivery

Full access to every digital edition via desktop, iOS or Android device

Latest Issue Subscribe Now

The Whisky Encyclopedia - Coming Soon 2024

Discover the world of whisky with our comprehensive encyclopedia
Featuring companies, distilleries, brands, glossaries, and cocktails

Join The Community

Sign up to the Whisky Magazine
newsletter letter and get access to the latest
in all things whisky

paragraph publishing ltd.   Copyright © 2025 all rights reserved.   Website by Acora One

Consent Preferences