A Scottish drinks maker has hailed the arrival of copper stills at its new £20 million distillery.
The arrival marks a “significant milestone” for the distillery as it prepares to commence operations early in the new year.
It’s a major step forward for Ardgowan Distillery Company Limited, which is building a new one-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.
“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."
The stills, featuring a distinctive design exclusive to Ardgowan Distillery, are a “testament to the enduring art of coppersmithing” the firm said.
Arrival of Copper Pot Stills at Ardgowan Distillery earlier today pic.twitter.com/JaabLRdyrN
— Andre de Almeida (@insidethecask) November 4, 2024
“ 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,” Ardgowan added.
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 with the roof constructed from 97% recycled aluminium, steel trusses contain 64% recycled steel and the 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.
'Beautiful' holiday park sold after seven decades in family ownership
A Perthshire holiday park which has been under the same family ownership since 1954 has been sold for an undisclosed sum.
Faskally Caravan Park, which is located in countryside close to the popular tourist town of Pitlochry, has been acquired by Wood Leisure. The deal takes Wood’s portfolio to six holiday parks in central Scotland.
The “beautiful” Faskally site spans 30.9 acres and includes around 330 pitches providing a mix of private static and lodge holiday homes, an established hire fleet and touring caravan pitches. It had been owned by the Hay family for seven decades.
Nike’s flagship store on Buchanan Street in Glasgow for sale
A global sports brand’s flagship store in a Scottish city has been put on the market for sale.
The property has Nike contracted as tenant until 2034, with the sports giant currently undertaking a major refurbishment of the store, which is expected to reopen next month.
The store has been at the prime location on Buchanan Street in Glasgow for 13 years, and is undergoing works by Graham including the reconfiguration of the 2,500-square-metre layout.
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