Our Charentais copper pot stills are truly a work of art sourced in the Cognac region of France. The still was specially designed with a convex base to allow the direct gas fire to burn evenly in the centre. The heat produced by direct fire (rather than steam, used by most distilleries) can cause any residual particulate matter in the WASH (the rough beer base for whiskey distillation) such as dead yeast cells, barley husks, sugar and protein compounds to stick to the inner surface of the copper, in the same way a steak on a hot griddle pan will start to brown.

This is known as the ‘Maillard’ effect, a type of ‘browning’ that gives a distinctive depth of flavour to our single malt. Not only this, but the character of our direct-fire copper stills produced whiskey that generates curiosity, anticipation and appreciation and reflects the warm welcome and the spontaneous hospitality of the Gaelic spirit.