Coppersmiths in demand as global taste for whisky grows

Coppersmiths say their skills are in demand like never before thanks to the global demand for whisky.

They are responsible for producing the large stills which are crucial for the distillation process.

In the past 12 months a team in Clackmannanshire has worked on around 30 of the copper stills and is recruiting apprentices to pass on the craft.

Stills have been made at Abercrombie, Diageo’s coppersmith business in Alloa, since the 1790s.

Operations manager Charlie King said: “We are enjoying one of the busiest periods we’ve ever seen.

“High-quality copper stills produce high-quality whisky and we are very lucky to have a team of highly-skilled craftsmen here in Alloa who can produce the best in the business.

“I’m particularly pleased that the growth in the industry is allowing us to take on young people as apprentices and to train them up in this traditional craft,” Mr King said.

Abercrombie has just installed new stills at Linkwood and Mannochmore distilleries on Speyside.

It is not just whisky that can be produced in the stills. The company has an order to craft a model for the production of the Turkish anise-flavoured spirit raki.