Forsyths Ltd. , coppersmiths and metalworkers, of Rothes, Scotland, is the United Kingdom’s leading manufacturer of equipment for the whisky industry. The company is family-owned and was founded by Alexander Forsyth (1873–1955). He served an apprenticeship at a brass and copperworks in Rothes, Speyside, during the 1890s, acquiring the business in 1933 and renaming it A. Forsyth & Son.
The son was Ernest—better known as “Toot” (1918–1983)—and after war service he took over the firm, soon introducing new welding techniques to replace traditional riveting. In the late 1960s he was joined by his sons, Richard and William, and the former became managing director in the mid-1970s, renaming the company Forsyths Ltd. Richard was succeeded as managing director in 2009 by his son, Richard Ernest.
Until the 1980s, the company’s focus was entirely on hand-beaten copper pot stills and condensers. The slump in the whisky industry at that time encouraged diversification into the fabrication of equipment for the paper, oil and gas, and pharmaceutical industries. But the company’s core business remains coppersmithing for distilleries all over the world.
still, pot.Gray, John R. Rothes Past and Present: A History of the Town and Parish and of Lodge St. John (Operative) no.193, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons of Scotland. Stirling, UK: E. Mackay, 1954.
“Our History.” Forsyths website. http://www.forsyths.com/about-us/our-history/ (accessed February 9, 2021).
By: Charles MacLean