New Lagg distillery pot stills arrive on the island
Two huge copper pot stills make quite a sight on Brodick shore front bound for the new distillery in Lagg where they will be installed to produce Arran whisky.
And unlike their predecessors from the late 19th century, they were brought over in broad daylight in full view of spectators who watched them arrive on an oversized trailer able to accommodate the large, distinctive and separate pieces.
A spokeswoman for the Isle of Arran Distillers said: ‘In the past week some very exciting progress has been made at the new Lagg Distillery and visitor centre. Our custom-made copper pot stills arrived on Arran on the evening of Thursday August 30, and travelled down to the Lagg Distillery site in Kilmory early the following morning.
‘Master distiller James MacTaggart, along with distillery manager Graham Omand and visitor centre manager Faye Waterlow were all on site to welcome them and were delighted to see the stills round the final corner, past the church and through our Lagg gates.
‘The copper pot stills will now be installed into their brand new home, ready for the first run of spirit in early 2019.
‘It is amazing to see the progress that has been made on site since the beginning of this year and we are very proud of the way it is all coming together.’
The Lagg Distillery and visitor centre, where work started in February 2017 and which is scheduled to open next spring, is rapidly taking shape with the external steel structure in place, the floors laid and the roof almost complete. Internal structure work has also started and once complete will provide an exceptional visitor experience under the watchful eye of Faye, known for her long-serving and award-winning work at the Lochranza distillery visitor centre.
The new Lagg Distillery and Visitor Centre has a distinctive shape, reflecting the outline of Arran itself, and is designed to blend as comfortably into the surrounding environment as possible. The Bauder Sedum blanket roof will change colour with the changing seasons and like the traditional Scandinavian sod roofs, it will have the environmental benefits of reducing run off, providing cooling and reduce the heat island effect.
The Lochranza distillery, which opened in 1997, welcomes more than 100,000 visitors annually and, with the addition of the Lagg Distillery, is expected to exceed 200,000 by 2020.