A major milestone has been reached for McMillan Coppersmiths and Fabricators, as two handcrafted copper whisky stills – a wash still and a spirit still – embarked on their journey to Ardgowan Distillery, currently under construction in Inverkip, Scotland.
These traditional copper stills, crafted using techniques dating back to the 1800s, will soon form the heart of Ardgowan’s distilling operations. The project represents a collaborative effort, with teams from BRIGGS and McMillan playing pivotal roles in the design, engineering, and build of the new distillery.
The moment was captured by The Edinburgh Reporter, celebrating this essential step in the distillery’s progress. Further updates on the project’s development will be shared as it continues to take shape.
John McIntosh, McMillan Coppersmith’s Global Projects Director, explained the TVR process which is key which improves the efficiency of the distillation process. He said: “Thermal Vapour Recompression uses the energy we have used before – capturing that, enhancing that and using it again so that it is not lost. Traditionally we had energy used once and then dispelled into the atmosphere. Here we capture it from our heat energy, process it to make our processes more efficient. There is a capital investment in the beginning but that certainly comes with a payback and the end users do benefit from it.”
Martin McAdam, CEO and founder of Ardgowan Distillery, said: “This is a very special day – and a transition of the project. We move from a building site to become a distillery once these stills are installed. This is the culmination of a lot of work here by the guys at McMillan Coppersmiths. We are delighted to have these ready and to be installed on the site in the next couple of days.”
Find out more about McMillan Coppersmiths here.
Photos Courtesy of Duncan McGlynn.
About McMillan Coppersmiths
Founded in 1867, McMillan Coppersmiths has a rich heritage of craftsmanship, with many of its production methods dating back 150 years. The manufacturer prides itself on the traditional handcrafted production of copper stills, as well as semi-automatic and manual welding equipment for welding stainless steel, copper and nickel alloys. Since acquiring McMillan in 2020, Briggs of Burton’s business growth in the Scotch Whisky sector has soared.
