Amid the hum of modern machinery and automation, the artisans at McMillan Coppersmiths in Prestonpans, East Lothian, uphold centuries-old methods in handcrafting copper stills for whisky distilleries. Here, on the outskirts of Edinburgh, traditional craftsmanship merges with the precision and artistry required to create copper pot stills—a staple in Scotland’s famed whisky production.
A Symphony of Hammer Strikes
Inside McMillan’s fabrication hall, the rhythmic pounding of hammers on copper reverberates throughout. Skilled coppersmiths wield hefty mallets, steel hammers, and metalworking tools, shaping flat sheets of copper into the iconic stills that are indispensable to whisky production. Terms like “planishing” and “tafting” describe essential stages in the process. Planishing involves hammering welds flat to create seamless seams, while tafting forms the copper into gentle curves that define each still’s shape.
Each still requires an astonishing million hammer blows to complete, a testament to the skill and endurance of the craftsmen. Coppersmith Alphonso Martin, among the artisans shaping the iconic swan necks, illustrates this dedication, each strike leaving a faint imprint—a subtle reminder of the hand behind the tool.
Precision Without Modern Tools
While industries globally have moved to 3D printing and laser cutting, the coppersmiths at McMillan’s work primarily by eye and intuition, only occasionally consulting rulers, chalk, and compasses. Louis Black, a 27-year-old coppersmith, relishes the creative freedom that comes with this approach: “We’re hardly using tape measures or any sort of measuring equipment. Every hammer blow makes a difference.”
This meticulous yet organic process allows the artisans to shape copper sheets into the complex forms required by distilleries. The largest of these handcrafted stills can require up to 15,000 hours of labor to complete, a commitment to craftsmanship rarely seen in today’s high-tech world.
Whisky Stills with Global Reach
McMillan Coppersmiths’ reputation extends beyond Scotland, supplying stills to distilleries around the world. Their clients range from traditional Scotch whisky makers to distillers of rum, gin, and tequila in places like China, South Korea, Mexico, and Australia. The company is currently completing two stills for Ardgowan, a new malt whisky distillery located at Inverkip on the Firth of Clyde. Ardgowan’s founder, Martin McAdam, views McMillan’s dedication to handcraftsmanship as part of the brand’s ethos.
“We love the ethic of this,” McAdam says. “In a world where we have automation everywhere, here’s something which is fundamentally a handworked, crafted object. We love the idea that 2 million hammer blows have gone into our stills.” These stills, completed in October, are specially designed to accommodate Ardgowan’s innovative energy-saving method, which recycles waste heat from the distillation process and reduces energy consumption by 40%.
Why Copper? The Unique Chemistry Behind Whisky Stills
Copper is prized in the whisky industry for its unique properties. Beyond its excellent conductivity, copper strips out unwanted sulphides from the spirit and encourages the production of esters, which are essential to the flavor profile of whisky. Distillers view copper stills as a critical part of their product’s distinct taste, texture, and aroma.
Once finished, the stills are coated in a protective lacquer, giving them a characteristic salmon-pink hue. This distinctive finish, combined with copper’s chemical properties, not only influences the distilling process but also adds a traditional aesthetic value. Robert Goudie, McMillan’s operations manager, underscores this significance, explaining that each still is custom-built to meet the specifications of the master distiller.
“Every still is different,” Goudie notes. “The master distillers have specific designs to enhance their whisky’s characteristics. Some even visit regularly during the still’s construction to oversee the process.”
Preserving Scotland’s Distilling Heritage
McMillan Coppersmiths stands out for its commitment to traditional craftsmanship, as it remains the only stillmaker to hammer out each weld by hand. This dedication to hand-finishing reflects Scotland’s rich heritage in whisky production, which remains a deeply rooted aspect of the country’s identity and economy.
Euan Robertson, another skilled coppersmith, applies the final planishing touches to a still destined for Ardgowan Distillery. It’s a role that requires patience, precision, and respect for Scotland’s whisky legacy. As Robertson’s final hammer strikes smooth the last welds, the still gleams—a symbol of McMillan’s commitment to a tradition of craftsmanship as enduring as the spirit it helps to create.
A Tradition in Every Hammer Stroke
The Scotch whisky industry’s heritage, Goudie says, is intertwined with these handcrafted copper stills, which are as unique as the spirits they produce. Each shape—conical, round, tapered—reflects both aesthetic and functional demands that must be fulfilled to perfection. As new distilleries emerge with novel approaches and designs, McMillan Coppersmiths continues to craft stills tailored to each distillery’s vision, ensuring that every hammer blow shapes not only metal but also the future of whisky.
