The Stillhouse

The Stillhouse is at the heart of Bowmore Distillery. Inside are the four stills where the spirit that will become whisky is made.

The first distillation takes place in our two Wash Stills. These great copper kettles are heated, and as the temperature approaches 93C the wash starts to bubble and the alcohol evaporate. The alcoholic vapour rises up and over the neck of the Wash Still and along the Lyne Arm to a condenser where it is turned into liquid again.

This liquid, now called Low Wine, will be about 22% ABV and needs to be distilled again in order to become spirit.

The second distillation is carried out in the smaller Spirit Still. As with the Wash Still, the Low Wine is heated and the spirit evaporates up the neck and along the Lyne Arm before condensing into raw spirit and travelling to the Spirit Safe.

It’s in the Spirit Safe that the Stillman draws off the the vapours in the three parts: Foreshots, Heart Of The Run and Feints. Clear like water but with an ABV of 69%, the Heart Of The Run is the only cut which fills our casks, ready to slowly mature in our No.1 Vaults.

The Stillhouse

It’s in the Stillhouse that we carry out the two-step process of distillation, where we separate alcohol from the water.

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