Whisky Stills by Rothes Football Ground

Image: © Ian Dodds Taken: 30 Oct 2021

The small town of Rothes is situated close to the West bank of the River Spey, and lies at the heart of the Speyside whisky industry - there are umpteen distilleries within a few miles of here. Forsyths, which has existed here since at least the 1890s - though back then it went under a different name - was originally a copper and brass fabrication works, producing equipment exclusively for the drinks industry. According to their website, they had to diversify into other metals in the 1980s due to a sharp decline in whisky consumption. Though much is made of their modern links with the oil and gas industries, judging by what was sitting in their yard it would appear that whisky related products once again are at the heart of its business. Considering that over 200 bottles of whisky are currently sold per head of Scotland's population, and that whisky now accounts for about a fifth of all the UK's food and drink exports, this is hardly surprising. There is no catering inside the football ground at Rothes so all half-time pies and Bovrils come from the burger van in the car park, at the far left of the picture.

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