The Distillers Journal - Issue 1, Summer 2021

THE MAGAZINE FOR DISTILLERS AND BLENDERS OF SPIRITS

DISTILLERS

J O U R N A L

ISSUE 1 | SUMMER 2021 ISSN 2754-0014

DR BILL LUMSDEN The guardian of Glenmorangie looks to the future 32 | SIPSMITH: PERFECTING THEIR ART

70 | ENZYMES: THEIR ROLE IN THE DISTILLING PROCESS

54 | MANCHESTER GIN: WHY AUTHENTICITY IS KEY

T

he other day I received a

economic classes, you might of heard of

wonderful surprise, a gifted

his first big seller, The Black Swan.

bottle of spirit. But, as welcomed as it was, what really

In this he talks about how, as a business,

got me thinking was the

we’re not prepared for a black swan –

LEADER

GROW IN THE TIME OF CHAOS rugged cardboard box it was delivered

something totally unexpected such as

in. Marked in large capital letters was:

Covid-19. In late 2019 I was interviewing a

FRAGILE.

craft brewer outside of Birmingham, Eng-

subjected to stress and tension, many

land, whose taproom brought in at least

things in life benefit from stress, disorder,

Besides the obvious, that word sums up

80 percent of his business – and busi-

volatility, and turmoil. In nature, there are

not only how most of us are looking at

ness was good. It was very, very good.

certain confers and flowering plants that

our distilleries right now as the Covid-19

require the extreme heat of a fire to seed.

pandemic lingers on, but even how we

I asked him what would he do if suddenly

look at our businesses when all is going

the taproom closed, how would he stay

“Some things benefit from shocks; they

well.

in business? Did he have the contact

thrive and grow when exposed to volatil-

details of any of these customers who

ity, randomness, disorder, and stressors

flooded in every weekend?

and love adventure, risk, and uncertainty.

That cardboard box is designed to keep the bottle safe in the worst of times; if

Yet, in spite of the ubiquity of the phe-

it gets dropped, kicked, or whatever. In

“Why would it close and why should I

nomenon, there is no word for the exact

our business, plans are contingencies,

bother?” he asked suspiciously, as if I

opposite of fragile. Let us call it ‘antifrag-

fall-safe measures – if the distillery loses

knew something on the sly.

ile’,” says Taleb.

one breaks in, an alarm message gets

“No reason, no reason at all,” I told him.

He explains that being antifragile is

sent out.

Despite thinking that he had a lot of

different from being resilient. Resilience is

eggs in one basket, I didn’t see any black

the ability to withstand setbacks without

We look at these kicks and punches our

swans circling overhead. Little did any of

being worse off afterwards. Antifragility,

business takes as something that we’ll re-

us know what was in store.

on the other hand, is the ability to not

power at night, a fire breaks out, some-

cover from – even though we lost power,

just withstand challenges, but thrive as a

we’ll survive because we have a back-up

Like with Sun Tzu’s ‘in the midst of chaos

result of them. The resilient resists shocks

generator.

there is also opportunity’, Taleb sees the

and stays the same; the antifragile gets

But what we never think about are what

same. “The same wind that blows out a

better and better.

opportunities we’ll have if the world

candle can get a fire roaring.”

around us goes pear-shaped. In other

Buster Benson, author of Why Are We

words, not looking at just recovery or a

You could shield the candle from the

Yelling?, says: “An antifragile way of life

return to normal, but pushing beyond.

wind, but to Taleb, antifragility is beyond

is all about finding a way to gain from

resilience or robustness – get that fire

the inevitable disorder of life. To not only

There was a book written around

roaring! The resilient resists shocks and

bounce back when things don’t go as

10-years ago by Nassim Nicholas Taleb

stays the same such as my bottle in the

planned, but to get stronger, smarter, and

called Antifragile: Things that Gain from

box. But the antifragile gets better.

better at continuing as a result of running

Disorder that explains this idea. As of

into this disorder.”

yet, I have not met most of you but I still

If you’ve ever had the misfortune to have

would not wish this 500-page ramble on

your knee or hip operated on, you know

None of this will happen, however, unless

anyone.

that instead of lying about in your hospital

you decide to do so, that you’re willing

That said, Taleb has some interesting

bed, the nurses get you walking hours

to reinvent your distillery to keep moving

ideas which I will get on to in a second.

after recovery.

forward, despite the chaos around you.

Just as human bones get stronger when

Velo Mitrovich

While you might not have heard of his Antifragile, if you’ve taken any business or

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SUMMER 2021

CONTENTS

Comments Insight in the world of imports/exports Don’t run the risk of HMRC fines on deliveries The dos and don’ts when launching new products Where should you be selling after lockdown?

10 12 13 16

The Big Interview | Dr Bill Lumsden The head of distilling & whisky creation at ‎The Glenmorangie Company on his love of innovation.

18

Trending | No and Low spirits Velo Mitrovich looks at why alcohol-free spirits are more than a passing trend

24

Meet the Distiller | Sipsmith With a nod to the past and a look to the future, Sipsmith continues doing what it does best.

34

Ingredients | Fruit additions The growing demand for natural fruit additions.

38

Meet The Distiller | The Portsmouth Distillery A South Coast trio on a mission for UK rum

41

Case Study | RAER How Scotland’s RAER are realising their vision.

50

Meet the Distiller | Manchester Gin

54

Seb Heeley and Jen Wiggins, the co-founders of Manchester Gin, discuss their passion for authenticity.

Technology | Pumps

60

Why improving plant efficiency can boost profitability

Science | Enzymes

67

Adam Johnson, European technical sales at Murphy & Son, on enzymes and their role in distilling.

Technology | Humidity

73

Effective solutions for controlling humidity

10

Comment | Distribution

Insight into the import and export of premium spirits to and from the EU, US and beyond.

4

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SUMMER 2021

DISTILLERS JOURNAL

CONTACTS Velo Mitrovich Editor velo@rebymedia.com +44 (0)1442 780 591 Tim Sheahan Group Editor tim@rebymedia.com +44 (0)1442 780 592

18

Josh Henderson Head of sales josh@rebymedia.com +44 (0)1442 780 594 Jon Young Publisher jon@rebymedia.com

The Big Interview | Dr Bill Lumsden

The head of distilling & whisky creation at ‎The Glenmorangie Company on his love of innovation.

54

Meer the Distiller | Manchester Gin

Seb Heeley and Jen Wiggins, the co-founders of Manchester Gin, discuss their passion for authenticity.

22

Trending | No and low

Velo Mitrovich analyses why alcohol-free spirits are more than a passing trend.

distillersjournal.info

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SUMMER 2021

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RECORD NEW DISTILLERIES

W

NEWS IN BRIEF

GRANTS TO DECARBONISE A combination of Scottish and English distilleries are set to receive between £44,000 and £75,000 in the first phase of

hile COVID-19 restrictions have hurt pub and restaurant

a UK government funding project to help

sales of distilled spirits, it hasn’t hurt the number of people

decarbonise distilleries. The scheme will

getting into distilling. According to figures from HMRC, the

aid in the use of hydrogen and biofuel

number of new distilleries being registered in a year sur-

boilers and geothermal energy in spirit

passed 100 for the first time.

production. The government claims that

The figures reveal that UK distillery numbers have doubled in four years, and in

this will help distilleries cut emissions by

England’s case have tripled since 2016. England now has 311 registered distiller-

almost a million tonnes of CO2 a year.

ies, 97 more than Scotland, which has also increased its number to 214. Northern Ireland recorded 10 new registrations, while Wales had four. According to the Wine & Spirit Trade Association (WSTA), bold investors have chosen to take the plunge and launch new spirit businesses across the country, despite the restrictions of the pandemic and closure of the hospitality sector.

LOST DECADE OF GROWTH

Miles Beale, chief executive of WSTA, said: “It’s heart-warming to find a positive story from the gloom of 2020 – and our bold and growing band of distillers have

The double whammy of Covid-19 and

delivered once again. The record number of new distilleries opening across the UK

the 25 percent US tariff have hit Scotch

is great news and helps provide jobs and a real boost to local economies.

whisky distillers hard, according to figures

“With such a difficult 2020 behind us and a daunting challenge to recover in 2021,

released by the Scotch Whisky Associ-

our distillers need the support of the Chancellor at the upcoming Budget. A freeze

ation (SWA), that show global exports of

at the last Budget certainly helped distillers to invest and grow, but we need the

Scotch whisky fell by more than £1.1bn

Chancellor to go further this time, with both a duty cut and an extension of the VAT

during 2020.

reduction in hospitality venues, until at least March 2022 – and including alcoholic

The export figures are the lowest they

drinks.”

have been in a decade.

In 2020, the export value of Scotch whisky exports fell 23 percent by value to £3.8bn. The number of 70cl bottles exported fell by 13 percent to the equivalent of 1.14bn.

30 SECOND COCKTAILS Diageo is now selling its draught cocktail system to pubs and bars in anticipation of continued demand for premium drinks once people return to their local pub or bar.

Dayalan Nayager, managing director of Diageo’s GB business, said the company launched the technology prior to the WSTA is urging the Government to back the brave army of distillers, who are taking

pandemic, but is already experiencing

a risk and ploughing their cash and efforts into businesses at a time of such uncer-

an influx of requests from pubs and bars

tainty, and to ensure that the UK remains the world’s biggest spirit producer.

which want to expand their menus in

“Distillers across the UK will play a vital role in 2021 and beyond as hospitality be-

time for reopening. A lot of high-footfall

gins to open up again, and by showing his support for distillers at the Budget the

outlets don’t actually serve cocktails

Chancellor can also promote the hospitality industry as it rebounds from Covid-19

because it takes the bartender so long to

restrictions,” said Beale.

make a good cocktail, so it doesn’t make

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RUM FROM ISLAY

financial sense. Whereas, this way you

Lavery more than a decade ago through

can actually add four or five cocktails to

his Belfast Distillery Company, the project

your menu which will take a bartender 30

was later taken over by a group of US

A former lemonade factory on Islay is

seconds to pour,” he said.

investors, who are now the directors of

set to become the island’s first craft rum

the firm. It was originally granted planning

distillery. Described as a “small-scale

approval by BCC back in April 2013,

project”, the Islay Rum project team said

although work on the site later stopped in

it is aimed at creating business oppor-

July 2015.

tunities for a new generation of distillers

Belfast Distillery Company’s recent appli-

on the island, which is more famous for

cation was submitted following meetings

producing whisky and the occasional gin.

with planning officials in 2019.

Ben Inglis of Islay-based The High Road

ALCOHOL COFFERS BURSTING

Rum Company will run the venture.

The Government is £800 million richer than it anticipated in taxes from alcohol

This last year alcohol duties brought

0.0% TANQUERAY ELLC IN SECOND TO LAUNCH CROWDFUND

in £12.7 billion, up from £11.5 billion the

Drinks giant Diageo is launching Tanquer-

previous year. UK consumers – unable

ay 0.0%, a zero-alcohol drink in the style

The East London Liquor Company is

to drink in pubs, restaurants and clubs –

of its gin.

launching a new crowdfunding venture

turned to supermarkets for their daily sip.

This will be crafted from the same dis-

to help the distillery grow “bigger, bolder,

However, the hospitality trade has to be

tilled botanicals as Tanqueray London

and better”. In 2018 nearly 1,000 people

wondering if Britons will prefer drinking at

Dry including juniper, coriander, angelica

invested £1.5 million to own their piece of

home as they have become accustomed

and liquorice. Individually immersed in

the boozy adventure.

to over the last year, or will they return to

water, the botanicals are heated and then

pubs once restrictions are lifted?

distilled to create the distinct flavours

duties, which actually rose during the pandemic, according to data from the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR).

associated with Tanqueray, said Diageo.

MIXING AT HOME

With Gordon’s launching earlier this year its 0.0% gin-like, this is a sign that the big

MALT PRODUCER ASSISTS FARMER

players see alcohol-free as a market to According to data experts Kantar, 68

be involved in. The Gin Guild has been

Simpsons Malt is assisting all its farming

percent of UK households bought spirits

reminding all that to be labelled as gin, it

partners who currently grow malting

in 2020, a higher proportion than wine

must be at least 37% ABV and juniper-led.

barley on contract in becoming accredit-

for the first time ever. Diageo, the world’s

ed to the Sustainable Agriculture Initiative

largest spirits company, said its premium

(SAI) Platform’s world-renowned Farm

drinks such as scotch whisky and tequila

Sustainability Assessment (FSA).

brands Casamigos and Don Julio have

A total of 422 of the company’s farming

been particularly popular among house-

partners across Scotland and northern

holds during the pandemic.

England achieved Gold performance level through the FSA.

GO-AHEAD FOR GAOL DISTILLERY

BOMBAY BOTANICALS Eight out of 10 botanicals used in Hamp-

A £15m plan to transform Belfast’s historic

shire-based distillery Bombay Sapphire

Crumlin Road Gaol into a whisky distillery

have been certified as sustainable

has been given the green light by Belfast

by Ecocert, who awarded the Bacar-

City Council, announced the Belfast

di-owned distillery a ‘For Life’ certificate.

Distillery Company.

Bombay is hoping that it will soon be able

BCC’s Planning Committee signed off on

to certified its liquorice from China and its

the application, which will also see part

Grains of Paradise from Ghana. Grains of

of the old prison’s vacant ‘A’ wing turned

Paradise are small, red-brown seeds of

into a tourist centre.

a cardamom-like plant belonging to the

First proposed by lottery winner Peter

ginger family.

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SUMMER 2021

DISTILLERS JOURNAL

COMMENT

KNOW WHERE YOU STAND GIVEN ENOUGH TIME AND EFFORT, MOST DISTILLERS CAN ACHIEVE THEIR GOALS

BY THEMSELVES, BUT TIME IS VALUABLE, AND EXPERTS CAN SAVE A LOT OF TIME (AND FEES) IN DOING THINGS RIGHT THE FIRST TIME, EXPLAINS BERT ALBRECHT, MANAGER OF MARKET DEVELOPMENT AT ETHIMEX

W

e are involved in

How it all works on the distillery floor and

the international

in the office is not clear from day one.

trade of bulk

Although there is a lot of information

ethanol and

available on the internet when it comes

premium spirits,

to hands-on issues like these you need to

we import and export alcohol to and from

talk to someone with experience.

the EU, US and globally.

It can take some time to go through this, In our UK warehouse, we break bulk into

however, if your supplier has a customer-

more manageable volumes like IBCs,

centric attitude, they will make a real

200L drums and even 25L jerry cans

effort to help and guide the distillers

and distribute to UK spirit bottlers, craft

through the process of understanding the

distillers and drink creators.

correct licensing (e.g. AWRS, WOWGR), the implications on transport and storage

Our team deals with ethanol every day,

of hazardous goods, and other intricacies

and we are familiar with the problems

of the industry.

distillers are facing. Newcomers to the trade go through a steep learning curve

Once the still is up and running, we

about licensing and legislation require-

receive many questions related to ABV.

ments, and they frequently come to us

The concept of LPA (Litre Pure Alcohol)

for help when developing their business

is not always well understood, and it is so

plan.

important when blending.

These new distillers often have a

This also goes for the TCF (Temperature

background that is not related to the

Correction Factor) and shrinkage when

beverage business. As a new company,

diluting ethanol. LPA is also used to

where do you find out about the practical

calculate duty.

workings of paying duty versus deliveries under bond?

Here, you don’t want to get in trouble

Or due diligence with HMRC SEED

with the HMRC for underpaying, but you

checks and the first shipment under

don’t want to pay them more than their

EMCS (Electronic Movement Control

fair share either.

System)?

10

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SUMMER 2021

DISTILLERS JOURNAL

We participate in seminars around these

Today, distillers are not merely looking

topics and are happy to share this on-

for the lowest price but also for support,

the-job knowledge and offer customised

guidance, and fast response times. They

support.

want an outstanding supplier service that

It’s not just newer distillers that need

they can pass on to their custom-ers.

assistance, more established distillers reach out to us when venturing outside

Through years of visiting local distilleries

their area of expertise. It could be for the

and close contact with our customers,

development of a new or unique product.

Ethimex has built up a global network and we relish being active members in

That product may require ingredients

the beverage community. We are here

from particular locations which have strict

to help and maybe even inspire British

legislation in place for their spirits, like

Distillers.

How it all works on the distillery floor and in the office is not clear from day one.”

tequila, or perhaps help is needed to deal with the complexities of importing So-

Ethimex is a privately-held UK-based

chu from Japan as part of a consolidated

company, headquartered in London, with

container load, or simply purchasing bulk

over two decades of experience in the

rum or sugar-cane alcohol that arrived

industrial ethanol and beverage spirits

in vessel via the ARA (Amsterdam-

markets. We supply a comprehensive

Rotterdam-Antwerp) trading hub in the EU.

range of over 40 grades of ethanol, specialised spirits, as well as botanicals

The truth is that, given enough time

and barrels from our specialised divisions,

and effort, most distillers can achieve

Cask Solutions By Ethimex and Craft

their goals by themselves, but time is

Solutions By Ethimex.

valuable, and experts can save a lot of time (and fees) in doing things right the first time.

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Digital, conventional and combination print facilities including: • Hot foil • Cold foil • Digital spot colours • High build tactile varnish • Embossing • Debossing • Conventional print up to 17 colours Supplying premium soft drinks, beers, wines, spirits, food, toiletries and any market requiring decorative labels.

Wood Street, Earl Shilton, Leicestershire LE9 7NE Tel: 01455 844451 www.bslabels.co.uk distillersjournal.info

Contact: Elaine Swingler - 07867 787320 SUMMER 2021

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DON’T RUN RISK OF HMRC FINES FOR COCKTAIL DELIVERIES AS HOME DELIVERIES BOOM, BUSINESSES NEED SPECIAL PERMISSION FROM HMRC FOR THE OFF-SALE OF PRE-MIXED COCKTAILS. HERE, UK LAW FIRM TLT EXPLAINS ALL

C

alled a compounder’s

sold unmixed for mixing at home, only

licence, HMRC can

pre-mixed cocktails.

impose penalties if operators are engaging

“Operators could be in for a nasty

in these practices without

surprise if they are deemed by HMRC

the necessary paperwork. The licence

to have been too slow to make the

is necessary even if a business is mixing

application. There is no charge for

the cocktails at an on-licensed premises,

applying, so subject to complying with

so long as the sale is for customers

the requirements for producing the

elsewhere.

products in accordance with the law, this

The warning comes as bars, restaurants,

is an administrative process only.

pubs and drink brands are increasingly offering cocktail home deliveries as a

“Cocktail makers looking to offer this

way of continuing to trade during the

service will also need a premises licence

pandemic. A number of new pre-mixed

to sell alcohol. For those who already

cocktail brands have also launched over

have a premises licence, they will need

the last year, to cater for the homebound

to ensure they are permitted to provide

consumer.

off-sales without restrictions that would otherwise prevent this activity.

According to HMRC, you are a

“The current temporary Covid

compounder if you “combine or mix

deregulation of off-sales, along with the

plain spirits or previously compounded

suspension of conditions, will assist the

spirits with any other substance, except

majority of premises licence holders, but

water, so as to distinctly alter the

it is worth seeking advice to ensure that

character or flavour of the plain spirits or

this applies where otherwise your licence

compounded spirits, producing a new

would not allow it.”

compounded spirit.”

The compounder’s licence also applies HMRC also says: “If you’ve not applied for

in Scotland.

a licence when you should have done, you must let us know without delay.

Stephen McGowan (pictured right),

You’ve the right to appeal if we impose a

partner and head of licensing (Scotland)

penalty.”

at TLT, says: “In addition to the HMRC

COMMENT

permissions, in Scotland if you are doing

12

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SUMMER 2021

Piers Warne, legal director at TLT, says: “A

home deliveries of cocktails, or any

lot of operators don’t realise they need a

alcohol, this facility should be clearly

compounder’s licence to legally offer this

stated on your premises or occasional

kind of service.

licence under the Licensing (Scotland)

“It has largely flown under the radar, but

Act 2005 to avoid any issues with the

with the recent rise in home deliveries

licensing board. There are also special

of alcohol and specialist cocktail makers

rules you must observe for home

looking to supply their creations directly

delivery, including keeping records and

to consumers at home, the genie is well

following age verification processes.”

and truly out of the bottle.

Businesses can apply for the licence on

Remember this does not apply to spirits

the gov.uk website.

DISTILLERS JOURNAL

STAY ON TOP OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY WHETHER YOU’RE JUST STARTING OUT OR LAUNCHING A NEW PRODUCT, THERE ARE A WEALTH OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY ISSUES TO CONSIDER IN THE WORLD OF DISTILLING. HERE, CIARA CULLEN, BEN MARK AND SARAH MOUNTAIN FROM RPC, OUTLINE THOSE DO’S AND DON’TS, THE CHANGING LANDSCAPE AND HOW TO THRIVE IN 2021 AND BEYOND.

T

here are a number of

present on product packaging or in

branding dos and don’ts

marketing materials.

when launching a distillery.

Copyright also protects literary work (i.e.

Do: Consider what

text), as long as it meets the test of being

intellectual property rights

the author’s own intellectual creation.

(IPR) you own or might create and how

Marketing slogans, website content and

those IPR might need to be protected.

even product descriptions may therefore

Companies often create more IP than

be capable of attracting copyright

they expect. The main categories are

protection.

Copyright does not need to be

Trade marks: A trade mark can consist of

registered, and generally lasts for 70

any sign that can be represented clearly

years from the end of the year in which

and precisely. Whilst packaging shapes,

its creator dies.

colours and even sounds are capable

The owner can use their copyright to

of protection as trade marks, they are

prevent any unauthorised use or copying

typically comprised of signs and/or

of the works.

symbols.

Design rights: Design rights protect the The core function of a trade mark is to

appearance of more functional articles,

allow consumers to identify the origin of

provided they are novel.

a product or service and to differentiate it

This could apply, for example, to the

from those of third parties.

various parts of a spirit bottle, such as

Items commonly protected by trade

its overall shape, or just the shape of a

marks include company and product

particular feature, such as the neck.

names, logos, product packaging

Certain design rights are also capable

(including, for example, the shape of

of protecting two dimensional products

spirit bottles), and slogans.

such as patterns and layouts.

Trade marks are useful as they allow

Design rights can be registered or

their owner to prevent competitors from

unregistered, and allow their owners to

using the same or similar marks which

prevent the manufacture and/or sale of

might confuse consumers or suggest an

lookalike products.

COMMENT

association between the two businesses.

distillersjournal.info

Although trade marks can be registered

Patents: these generally protect

or unregistered, it is desirable to obtain

technical “inventions”, for example a

registration as this provides certainty over

new technology which allows a distillery

when the right came into existence and

to make products faster or using an

avoids disputes regarding who began

improved process.

using an unregistered right first.

The registration of a patent can be a

It is also desirable to obtain trade mark

long and expensive process, but once

protection at an early stage, to avoid a

granted, patents provide inventors with a

situation where time and expense has

20 year monopoly.

been invested in a brand, only for a third

It is therefore worth any new business

party to later dispute its use or to apply

considering what IP it may own or create

for registration itself.

and how best to protect it. This will also be helpful if/when that business wants to

Copyright: Copyright arises automatically

seek further investment or to fundraise,

and protects traditionally ‘creative’ works.

as prospective investors will take comfort

Copyright will therefore usually exist

in knowing that the company’s IP is

in company logos and in any artwork

protected.

SUMMER 2021

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Do: Make sure you have appropriate

protected.

regulatory landscape, we would

contractual arrangements in place

Only recently, an alcohol-free sparkling

recommend that they seek pre-product

to ensure that any IP created for the

wine dubbed ‘Nosecco’ was required

launch legal advice.

company (in particular, by third party

to undergo a rebrand as its name was

contractors) belongs to it, so that you can

deemed too similar to ‘Prosecco’, which is

use it and deal with it as you wish. Again

a protected designation of origin product.

prospective investors will be keen to see

‘Low-alcohol’ or ‘alcohol-free’ claims

One of the most significant changes to

that these types of arrangements are in

must also comply with Regulation (EU)

the IP landscape in recent years has

place, to avoid future disputes regarding

No 1169/2011.

been the broadening of the scope of

ownership.

THE CHANGING LANDSCAPE

copyright protection, through a string of Health claims: When preparing

EU cases.

Do: Make sure, when developing your

marketing materials and advertising

new brand, that its use would not infringe

their products, distilleries should be

Their effect is that even more functional

someone else’s IPR. The main things to

particularly wary of making health related

(as opposed to artistic) designs can now

check, before a brand is selected, are

claims, which are heavily regulated under

benefit from copyright protection.

that the proposed company name and

the CAP Code.

any logo are clear and not in use by a

The threshold for a ‘work’ to benefit from

third party, particularly one that operates

Under section 15.6, claims that either

copyright protection is now relatively low,

in the same sector. This will help to avoid

state or imply that a person’s health

so it is worth being especially cautious

disputes and wasted costs on brands that

could be affected by not consuming a

when copying anything from the internet,

subsequently need to be abandoned.

drink are prohibited, as are claims which

even if it is not obviously an artistic work.

Equally, when producing any marketing

state or imply that a drink prevents, treats

materials, do make sure that you have

or cures human disease.

appropriate permissions to use all

For example, Ts & Cs may appear purely functional but may still constitute literary

content (e.g. stock photos, which can

Green claims: Care should also be

works protected by copyright.

often be licensed online for the payment

taken when making ‘green’ claims about

Similarly, the design of a functional item

of a small fee).

products. The ASA released useful

like a spirit bottle may now be protected

guidance in 2020, which highlighted the

by copyright as well as by design rights.

Don’t: Share information about your

importance of being able to properly

This is significant because copyright

company and/or its IPR with third

substantiate any sustainability claims.

protection lasts for much longer.

parties, unless that information is publicly

The Competition and Markets Authority

Also and although not strictly IP-related,

available or you have appropriate

(CMA) is taking a similarly robust stance,

many businesses will be aware of the

documentation in place to protect

announcing that it will investigate

General Data Protection Regulation or

confidentiality (e.g. a Non-Disclosure

descriptions and labels used to promote

‘GDPR’, which came into force in April

Agreement).

products and services claiming to be

2016.

‘eco-friendly’, and whether they could Don’t: Assume that because materials

mislead consumers.

are available online, they are free to use

Any business that processes customer data (including distilleries) should ensure

or copy! Be careful where you take your

Packaging: Under European law, no

that they understand and comply with

inspiration from.

alcoholic beverage containing more than

the requirements of the GDPR, to avoid

1.2 % ABV may make health claims in the

the sanctions and significant financial

LAUNCHING NEW PRODUCTS

EU.

penalties that data breaches can carry.

When new trends take off, it can

Whilst EU law ceased to apply to the

2021 AND BEYOND

(understandably) be tempting to develop

UK, following the expiry of the Brexit

and launch new products as quickly

transition period, on 1 January 2021, this

2020 was challenging across the board

as possible, to satisfy and capitalise on

continues to be a relevant restriction for

but for businesses operating within,

demand. When it comes to naming and

distilleries wishing to sell and promote

or servicing, the hospitality sector, the

promoting a new product, there are

their products in the Eurozone.

impact of the COVID-19 pandemic was

however various pitfalls that it can be

felt particularly acutely.

easy to fall into. The following are most

Allergens: With any consumable

relevant to distilleries:

products, it is essential that all possible

When bars, restaurants and pubs were

allergens are identified, appropriately

forced to close for the first-time, in March

verified and labelled.

2020, many distilleries saw a significant

Naming: When deciding on the allimportant name of a product, care must

percentage of their business dry up

be taken to ensure that it does not sound

If distilleries are uncertain or have any

too similar to goods that are already

questions regarding the applicable

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SUMMER 2021

overnight.

DISTILLERS JOURNAL

Whilst various relief packages were

embracing no and low products like

In the current climate, distilleries should

offered and emergency legislation

never before.

consider the channels through which

passed, second and third lockdowns at

Of those surveyed, 62.5% reported

their products are sold and any direct to

traditionally busy times of the year dealt a

having sampled a low or no product and

customer routes that are available.

heavy blow to the already strained sector.

a quarter regard themselves as ‘semiregular consumers’.

In the post COVID-19 world, greater

Although certain factors like consumer

Year on year, consumers are also

attention is also being paid to contractual

confidence and the progress of the

becoming increasingly ethically and

provisions that were previously thought

COVID-19 vaccination scheme are

environmentally conscious. To satisfy the

of as largely boilerplate and innocuous.

outside the control of businesses,

growing demand for products that are

innovation and versatility will be key

made in a responsible and sustainable

Where new contractual arrangements

components of future success.

way, distilleries should consider who

are entered into or when new

and where they source their ingredients,

agreements are negotiated with key

services and labour from.

suppliers and customers, it will be

Health and wellbeing has been a huge

important, at the outset, for the parties

trend in recent years and the desire to obtain and maintain a healthy mind and

Cross-sector collaborations between

to consider the risk that some or all of

body has only been exacerbated by the

likeminded businesses are also on

them may be unable to perform their

pandemic.

the increase and distilleries should

obligations, in the event of further

give careful thought to the image and

lockdowns or other force majeure events.

For the food and drink sector, this has

message that both they, and those that

resulted in many alcohol brands creating

they work with, present.

offerings.

Ensuring that this risk is properly and fairly apportioned and that appropriate

or adding to their low and no-alcohol Recent events have also changed

contingency plans are in place will help

(possibly forever) the ways in which many

to ensure (as much as is possible) the

A recent poll, commissioned by The

businesses operate. For the food and

continuance of both the contract and the

Portman Group (the social responsibility

drink sector, this has meant a huge surge

parties’ ability to do business with each

and regulatory body for alcohol in the

in home delivery services (independent

other.

UK), found that UK consumers are

and through platforms like Deliveroo).

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SUMMER 2021

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15

WHERE SHOULD I BE SELLING AFTER LOCKDOWN? AS WE EMERGE FROM LOCKDOWN, DRINKS BRAND OWNERS MUST HAVE AN EFFECTIVE SALES STRATEGY IN PLACE THAT WILL DELIVER FOR BOTH THEIR BUSINESS AND FOR THEIR CUSTOMERS, EXPLAINS JOE BROUDER, THE FOUNDER AND MANAGING DIRECTOR OF 2EM

T

he Government has

Begin by segmenting your list of

announced its roadmap out

customers into subcategories that

of lockdown. We’re seeing

work for your business. There must be

a phased reopening of the

sufficient detail for you to be able to carry

economy with hospitality

out meaningful analysis, but not so in

businesses reopening from April.

Assuming no further lockdowns or

depth that you only have a handful of customers in each subcategory. Some suggested subcategories are:

challenges from new variants of the virus, this summer is set to be one of the

u Independent Free Trade

busiest on record, with pent-up demand

u Multiple Retail Groups

for human contact never before seen.

u Regional wholesale distributors

For many in the hospitality supply chain,

u National wholesale distributors

whether manufacturer, distributor or

u National retail groups

service provider, the revenue from on

u Managed national

trade customers provides a huge chunk

u Regional brewers

of their profitability.

u Leased & Tenanted u HoReCa

If the previous reopenings are anything

u Prestige

to go by, it will be hectic for both on trade operators and for those in the

THE PERFECT CUSTOMER

supply chain. Minimising time-wasting and having more meaningful sales

You might already have a perfect

conversations with the right customers

customer profile set up. In this exercise

has therefore never been as important.

we are going to further define what this perfect customer looks like from a sales

Drinks brand owners must have an

perspective.

effective sales strategy in place that will deliver for both their business, and for

At 2EM we recommend implementing

their customers.

the following grading system:

COMMENT

Luckily, there are a few steps you can

16

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take to make sure that you and your sales

#1 Permanent stockists / high volume /

team are committing your time to the

brand advocate

right customers.

u Clarify exactly what high volume looks like in your business

CATEGORISE SALES DATA

#2. Permanent stockist as part of the range / reasonable volume

SUMMER 2021

Digging through data has never been

u Clarify what reasonable volume looks

the most riveting of subjects, but it is

like in your business

by getting into the detail that you will

#3. Rotational or guest stockist

understand where your sales are coming

u The customer has bought in last 12

from, and more importantly where they

months

are not.

#4. None stockist

DISTILLERS JOURNAL

u Prospective account who can (and will)

not in ‘buying mode’ right now, there are

buy in the next 12 months

many that are.

Note – Whilst we are just talking about

Summer 2020 saw a boom in trade for

on trade customers here, this system will

those sites who had either (a) outdoor

transfer across your other sales channels.

areas, (b) a quality food offer, (c) nearby public green space, or (d) a premium

The next step is to establish a process for

offer for an affluent demographic working

recording this data within your Customer

from home.

Relationship Manager (CRM) system.

This will likely take the form of an

Overlaying some of these criteria onto

automated update or a manual update

the above customer data will allow you

every time one of your sales team visits

to further target the right sites – those

or calls on the customer.

who are most likely to be booming this

This summer is set to be one of the busiest on record,” Joe Brouder, 2EM

summer – without wasting time on the Then, working through your customer

wrong ones.

list, categorise them into one of the four grades above.

Think about what your brand could offer

Compare each sales territory and

to these customers and how you might

complete a smoothing exercise to ensure

support them.

each region is of a similar size, as well as level of responsibility and opportunity.

For example, even if restrictions are lifted consumers are likely to still be wary of

POST LOCKDOWN CUSTOMER

indoor drinking.

How could you assist your customer

Now that you have categorised your

in providing something extra for those

customers by channel and by value, you

consumers who wish to take away drinks

have a baseline to work from.

and sit in the nearby park?

Take a look at the distribution of accounts

The future is extremely uncertain at the

across each territory. Using a mapping

moment, with a lot of noise and worry

tool such as BatchGeo can help to

swirling around. But as ever over the

visualise this data.

last year, the most important thing you can do is keep a cool head, think about

Some things to think about:

where the opportunities will lie, and plan,

u Where are you over-indexing? How

plan, plan.

might this affect the salesperson covering this area?

Good luck, and see you on the other side.

u Where are you under-indexing? This might be fertile territory for new business.

Joe Brouder is the founder and Managing

u What routes to market are you showing

Director of 2EM. 2EM works with drinks

as strongest in? Are these the most

brands to accelerate their growth through

profitable RTMs for your brand?

strategy, recruitment and training. Joe’s

u Where are your prestige and top-tier

first book, How to Grow Your Drinks

accounts?

Business, will be published in 2021.

It is imperative you understand where your existing sales come from, in order to see where the opportunity may lie after lockdown.

Although many on trade customers are

distillersjournal.info

SUMMER 2021

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17

THE BIG INTERVIEW

DR BILL LUMSDEN

IN MORE THAN 25 YEARS AT THE GLENMORANGIE COMPANY, DR BILL LUMSDEN HAS CREATED A WEALTH OF SEMINAL WHISKIES. AND WHILE THE LAST 12 MONTHS HAVE PRESENTED CHALLENGES TO OVERCOME, HIS MAIN FOCUS REMAINS THE SAME AND THAT’S TO PRODUCE DRINKS THAT PEOPLE ENJOY AND CHERISH THE WORLD OVER.

W

e’ve all been there,

in the Scotch whisky industry stopped

I’m sure.

production for a while, including

Your taxi turned

ourselves,” he recalls. “But we swiftly

up on time, or

realised that as long as we stuck to the

public transport

protocols, and put the relevant safety

ran without a hitch. You’ve navigated through security with a breeze.

|

SUMMER 2021

Within approximately six weeks, the business was up and running once

And be it a holiday, weekend break or

more. While a number of initiatives were

even a work trip, you’re then greeted with

put on hold, the team focused on what

the comforting, warming glow of Airport

they knew best and that was producing,

Duty Free.

bottling and distributing great whisky.

A sensory overload owing to the

“Travel retail was all but wiped out, like

aroma of exotic fragrances, the sight of

it was for the rest of the industry, but

oversized Toblerone chocolate bars and

thankfully our brands are very strong

the chitter chatter from the weary and the

and when you look at off-trade sales, we

wise who are either slowly waking up for

turned in a good performance and ended

their early flight, or fighting off tiredness

up beating our original budget for the

from a long day in transit.

year,” says Dr Lumsden.

And like any good Duty Free concession, there is a beautiful visage. A myriad of

He adds: “I’d like to think we were quite

fine spirits from across the globe and, if

agile at adapting to the circumstances,

you’re lucky, the chance to sample one.

and we made it work for us. Yes, we had some exciting plans we had to delay but

So what if it’s 8am? You’re in the airport

if that’s all we’re complaining about then,

and timezones don’t exist like they do in

guess what, it was not a bad year.

the outside world.

“I think we learned a lot about ourselves For many, this particular highlight of air

and as a director of the company, I’m

travel has been consigned to recent

very proud how well we all adapted to

memory. However, that time will arrive

working in these situations.”

once more, that’s for certain.

Adapting to testing circumstances is one It comes as no surprise that for many

thing, but refusing to rest on your laurels

businesses in the world of spirits, travel

is something different altogether. And

retail plays an important role in their value

in his decorated career in distilling, Dr

proposition. And losing that sales channel

Lumsden has become synonymous with

is far from an ideal situation.

pushing the boundaries.

For Dr Bill Lumsden, the head of distilling

There’s a saying that goes along the lines

and whisky creation at The Glenmorangie

of “There’s no point having a mind if you’re

Company, the last 12 months in this

not prepared to change it.”

pandemic have presented a number of challenges but he’s proud how his team

The best artists, creators and producers

have not only met them head-on but

have a way of challenging our

overcome them, too.

preconceptions and in doing so, make us look at things in a different way.

“It was obviously a bit of a shock to start off with. Most of the companies

18

measures in place, then we’d be ok.”

passport control expertly then passed

And in creating Glenmorangie Signet, the

DISTILLERS JOURNAL

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SUMMER 2021

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19

distillery’s ground-breaking whisky, Dr Bill

now more commonly known as the

“For me, the biggest surprise of the year

Lumsden did just that.

International Centre for Brewing and

was Wee Beastie. It’s a five year old

Distilling.

whisky, which could be seen as a risk but

Originally launched back in 2008,

of course, I would never in my wildest

Glenmorangie Signet was the first single

In the years that would follow, Dr

imagination allow a product to be bottled

malt to use high roast ‘chocolate malt’

Lumsden held roles as a research

if I didn’t think it was good enough,” he

barley in its production and includes

scientist and also trainee malt distillery

says. “That said, I simply cannot keep

some of the distillery’s rarest whiskies

manager. Joining the Glenmorangie

up with demand for that product. It has

matured in bespoke designer casks.

Distillery in 1995, it wasn’t long before

delighted me, but it also surprised me a

he took up the position of director of

little bit.”

Glenmorangie Signet has gone on to win

distilling, whisky creation and whisky

accolades such as Double Gold in the

stocks at The Glenmorangie Company.

Bottling a whisky that’s five years old, as

San Francisco World Spirits Competition

In doing so, he would head up the

Dr Lumsden says, could be seen as a

in 2018 and remains one of Dr Lumsden’s

production and evolution of whiskies

bold move. But there’s no denying the

proudest creations.

from Glenmorangie and Ardbeg

quality of such a release.

distilleries. A role he has both relished Such success is only fitting then, when

and thrived in during the decades that

He’s more than aware, however, that

you consider for one week each year,

have passed since.

certain decisions in the world of whisky

the stills at Glenmorangie’s distillery are

After all, you don’t take home accolades

can be made without truly considering

dedicated to the creation of this beloved

such as Scottish Distiller of the Year,

the end product. And in doing so, asks

beverage.

Industry Leader of the Year, and Global

if there can be experimentation for

Ambassador of the Year by pot luck.

experimentation’s sake?

But before going on to create these

He explains: “To a certain extent, yes.

disruptive and pioneering whiskies at

And looking back in the past year Dr

But we have very severe restrictions and

Glenmorangie, Dr Lumsden achieved

Lumsden is gratified by the performance

regulations placed on us by the Scotch

a BSc in Biochemistry and Cell Biology

of established products such as

Whisky Association. These are great,

from Glasgow University.

Glenmorangie Original. However a much

don’t get me wrong. They protect the

newer release that is also performing

integrity, quality and reputation of our

He would then start a PhD in

well is Ardbeg Wee Beastie. A 47.4%

brands and our industry.

Fermentation Science at Heriot-Watt

expression matured in ex-bourbon and

University’s Department of Brewing

Oloroso sherry casks, Wee Beastie

“But it does mean some of the wackier

and Biological Sciences, a department

launched in 2020.

things are simply not possible. And you

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SUMMER 2021

DISTILLERS JOURNAL

Glenmorange, based in Tain, Rossshire, produces whiskies enjoyed across the globe

know, the other side of the coin is that

However, in more than 25 years at The

sometimes you see people trying to do

Glenmorangie Company, Dr Lumsden is

things just for the sake of it. And at the

no stranger to genuine innovation.

end of the day my mantra has always been ‘Does the product actually taste good at the end of it?’ And if the answer is no, then what’s the point?”

And it’s a particular point of contention, especially when brands are boasting so-called innovations that are, ironically, quite the opposite.

“I think there’s an element of that, and previously I’ve actually generated a response from one particular company,” he says. “When I had read how they were going to rule innovation in the world of Scotch whisky, they published a long

We turned in a good performance and ended up beating our original budget for the year,” Dr Bill Lumsden, Glenmorangie

list of things, which in itself was quite

In addition to the aforementioned Signet, you have Quinta Ruban and Allta.

The former is matured is a single malt whisky matured in Bourbon Casks then ‘finished’ in ruby port casks.

Quinta Ruban is full-bodied and velvety rich in texture, with a long and smooth finish.

A more recent expression, Allta, was launched to mark the tenth anniversary of the company’s Private Edition series, It’s also the first Glenmorangie expression created from the yeast which grows wild on the distillery’s Cadboll barley.

unusual, because normally you like to matured in the barrel for a minimum of

And it’s the creation, and production, of

three years before it can be bottled. But

these whiskies that keeps Dr Lumsden

Dr Lumsden adds: “But I read down the

in reality, in my opinion, for good single

ticking.

list and I thought ‘Yes we did that 20 years

malt Scotch, it generally needs a bit more

ago, yes we did that 15 years ago’. So

than that.

keep your powder dry.”

there’s not really anything particularly

“We’ve got a set up in our company where the main focus of the work of

new out there. And the other thing that I

“On top of that, I see people offering their

myself and my team is to ensure the

find intriguing is that, obviously, a lot of

first release at three years old for like

on-going high quality of our core range

these new startup companies are having

£120 pounds a bottle and I think you’re

of whiskies, whether it’s Ardbeg 10 year

to sell their product very young.

having a giraffe here, guys. But if people

old, Glenmorangie Original, or perhaps

feel they want to pay that, then good luck

Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban,” he explains.

“And by law your Scotch whisky has to be

distillersjournal.info

to them.”

SUMMER 2021

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21

“But we also have extensions to the range where we showcase our experimentation and innovation. And,

Does the product actually taste good at the end of it? And if the answer is no, then what’s the point?” Dr Bill Lumsden, The Glenmorangie Company

you know, I genuinely believe we were the first to do many of these sorts of things such as using chocolate malt for Glenmorangie Signet. I’ve also got a couple of really wacky products for Glenmorangie coming out over the next couple of years. So I’d like that we can satisfy the more inquisitive adventurous drinker as well with these ranges.”

But for a company has established and proven as Glenmorangie, does Dr Lumsden feel that it always get the credit it deserves?

“No, I think I think we don’t get as much as we should get for things like that. And you know, maybe we’re a little bit, not quite shy, but a bit too modest about what we do,” he says. “But you know, there’s so many things we’ve done over the years that are still rolled out now as recent innovations.

“That’s why I’m such a great supporter of long established brands. And in the eyes of some people they’re not viewed as sexy brands, but that’s ok, I prefer to let the quality of my whiskies do the talking.”

And with the company’s new experimental distillery, Dr Lumsden will be able to let even more of his creations have that particular conversation.

The new experimental distillery boasts two full size pot stills which are the same as the other 12 in the main distillery. If Dr Lumsden was so inclined, they can make classic Glenmorangie spirit in them. But that’s not the plan at all.

Instead, he is enthused by the ability to create a wealth of different spirit characters. But just how do the stills in the new distillery differ to the main distilleries flagship stills?

“With this new setup, we can vary the way we apply the heat to them and therefore can run them at a different rate,” he says. “We also have different condensation mechanisms, and one of the keys to giving your whisky spirit its unique character is the way in which it’s condensed.”

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SUMMER 2021

DISTILLERS JOURNAL

Dr Lumsden adds: “And the two main

warm spice. As its name suggests, this

Lumsden, was delighted by the way his

techniques in the industry are what

whisky’s taste deliciously reflects the

team worked closely with the brand team

we call a shell and tube condenser. So

natural influences of the new wood.

to position ‘A Tale of Cake’ in the market’.

there’s about 200 copper pipes, which

“And when I got the sample in from the

“I recall telling them ‘Look, I can bore the

you pump cold water in. Your spirit very

distillery, the casks had been selected

pants off you’ with complex biochemistry

quickly comes into contact with a large

according to my approved recipe. The

for hours on end, if that’s what you really

surface area of copper, which cleans the

sample comes down to me and various

want. But at the end of the day, all you

spirit up, removes sulphur compounds

other members of my core tasting team

need to know about it is it’s just simply

and condenses it.

to taste.

delicious to taste.

“Or you can have a worm tub, which is a

“And when I did, I thought, “WTF What is

“Thankfully, that’s exactly the approach

huge vat of cold water and your neck of

this?’. I looked at the label and thought,

they took.”

the still goes into that and coils around,

Ah, okay, I know what this is now!”

it’s a large copper column and inside

And going forward, the head of distilling

like a worm or a snake. You’re exposing your vapours to a much smaller surface

An unwavering commitment to quality

and whisky creation is excited about the

area of copper. So consequently you

is one invaluable trait but from speaking

opportunities that await.

make a much more full-bodied spirit.

to Dr Lumsden, another he has in abundance is that he never wants to lose

“We’re rolling out the new brand

“However, the worm tubs take up too

sight of the joy achieved from creating

positioning for Glenmorangie. And as

much space but we have the technology

new whiskies.

always, I have quite a few new products in the pipeline. Building on the success

to mimic that with stainless steel condensers. So I’ve got various ways of

One such example is ‘A Tale of Cake’,

of releases like ‘A Tale of Cake’, we

working on the neck of the still to allow

it’s an expression initially matured in

are working on something similar,” he

me to vary the reflux rate and therefore

bourbon casks before being finished in

explains.

create different spirit characters.”

Hungarian Tokaji dessert wine casks.

“Using Tokaji wine casks, I wanted to

“And, you know, it reminds me of a silly

For Dr Lumsden, the absolute sign of

recreate something I had tried more than

comparison. You look at the amazing

success will be discovering something

20 years ago because back, then it didn’t

success Queen had with ‘Bohemian

on the small pilot scale that he can then

work. Back then I left the 10 year old

Rhapsody’. I remember reading an

scale up in the main distillery. He doesn’t

Glenmorangie in the Tokaji casks for too

interview with Freddie Mercury, where he

yet know what that will be. But he knows

long and the tannins from the Hungarian

said they are working on the follow up,

that’s a big personal goal with this new

oak killed the product,” he recalls.

but it took years to come out.

“It rankled with me for quite a while.

“Eventually they released ‘Somebody to

Another such goal is seeing the

So I thought I’m going to repeat this

Love’, which was a homage to that. And

distillery’s travel retail jump back into life

experiment. And I’m going to plan every

for me, that’s what I’m always trying to

once more.

bit of it.”

do. Something similar, a little different,

facility.

but always delicious.”

“It’s a great shop window for your products. And that’s why a lot of

And this time, it turned out just right.

the companies in the industry have developed their own unique travel retail

He says: “Like so many of us, some of

range,” he says. “In fact, we had just

my favourite memories come from cake,

introduced a new range before the world

whether it be helping my granny in her

went into lockdown. We have a 12, 14 and

kitchen, or the pineapple birthday cake

16 year old expressions, all with a slightly

my daughter surprised me with one year.

different cask selection but we haven’t

By finishing whisky in Tokaji wine casks,

quite seen the full success of these yet.”

I’ve captured the joy of those indulgent

Dr Lumsden adds: “But they are in the

cake moments.

LISTEN TO THE FULL INTERVIEW:

marketplace now and we continuing to produce them. In fact I recently approved

“The liquid is a rich copper, but the taste

a bottling of one product, The Elementa.

is pure technicolour – luscious, sweet and complex with multi-layered bursts of

“It had been a while since I had tasted

honey, white chocolate and fruits with a

that release. Taking whisky aged in

hint of mint.”

bourbon casks, we finished it in new charred oak casks for woody depth and

distillersjournal.info

And for that project in particular, Dr

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23

NO AND LOW IS HERE TO STAY

TRENDING

ALCOHOL-FREE SPIRITS ARE MORE THAN A PASSING TREND, WITH THE UK BEING THE WORLD’S LEADING PRODUCER. HOWEVER, IF YOU’RE THINKING OF JUMPING ON THE BANDWAGON, DON’T QUIT THE DAY JOB YET. IT IS ONE TOUGH MARKET OUT THERE AND THINGS HAVE JUST GOT TOUGHER. VELO MITROVICH REPORTS

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SUMMER 2021

J

ust 10-years ago – no, make

On the beer front, the German malt

that five – the vast, vast

brigade has been pushed to the back

majority of those who drank

and now you can find anything from

alcohol-free were recovering

hoppy IPAs to pastry stouts, most of

alcoholics, pregnant women,

which taste shockingly and surprisingly

and designated drivers. Indeed, a

good. Big beer and craft brewers alike

German alcohol-free beer was being

have heard the cash registers jingling

marketed as far back in 1973 as “The car

and are making products with the drinker

driver’s beer”.

in mind who chooses to occasionally drink dry, as opposed to those practicing

Why so few takers? To be brutally honest,

complete abstinence.

they tasted pretty horrible. Barely anyone drank them as a first choice.

This is extremely similar to the plantbased meat market which is not targeting

The offerings were mostly centred on low-to-no-alcohol malty German beers and ‘mocktails’ which in the States had names such as the ‘Shirley Temple’.

Orders were whispered to bar tenders

SWOT FOR NONALCOHOLIC SPIRITS

with more embarrassment than being 16 and buying condoms for the first time.

STRENGTHS u Growing market

Non-alcoholic drinks were traditionally

u UK seen as world leader/export

made by taking advantage of alcohol’s

potential

lower boiling point than water. Beer or

u Very few regulations

other alcoholic drinks were brewed in a normal manner, and then boiled until the

WEAKNESSES

alcohol evaporated off. Unfortunately,

u Supermarkets not promoting

the flavour broke down and little of it

u Expensive – little impulse buying

could make it through the process, giving

of bottles

drinks a lop-sided taste with only one or

u Difficult to market without pubs

two strong elements.

OPPORTUNITIES However, thanks to modern alcohol-

u Consumers drinking more and

removing technologies which has been

want better choices

improving each year since 2015, those

u 30 percent of 16-26-years-old do

days are gone. And in fact, many makers

not drink

of zero-alcohol spirits no longer use any

u At home experience not being

production steps which produce alcohol.

touched

If you look at any of the growing number of UK online bottle shops specialising

THREATS

in low-to-no such as Dry Drinker, Sober

u Crowded marketplace

Sauce or Wise Bartender, you will see

u Shelf space taken by big players

that choices now number in the hundreds

u Low-no beer more popular

of low-to-no beers, spirits, wines, ciders and kombucha.

DISTILLERS JOURNAL

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SUMMER 2021

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25

vegans but instead ‘flexitarians.’ These

alcohol than the UK, they’ve found that

make a spirit with rattlesnake poison and

are consumers who sometimes eat meat,

Americans are drinking less during the

the first year you sell no bottles and the

and sometimes choose to not. Why go

current pandemic, increasing the sales of

second year one, you didn’t have a sales

after three percent of the UK population,

low-to-no.

increase of one percent, you had a sales increase of 100 percent. Can you imagine

when there is another 97 percent to Unlike former US President Donald

tempt.

the headlines!

Trump who had a massive red button In the States – the world’s largest market

on his desk to instantly order a Diet

Considering that alcohol-free spirits are

for of low-to-no – they’re finding that the

Coke, many of those choosing to drink

a very recent development, the slightest

major alcohol-free beverage consumers

less alcohol still want to have a drink

number of sales leads to percentages

are those under 30 and those over 65.

that tastes like it’s been made for an

being driven through the roof. What are

It cuts evenly across the sexes, with no

adult. Alcohol-free spirit producers are

the real figures? That can be a challenge

research group finding 0% ABV drinks

responding in kind.

to find due to non-alcoholic beverages not falling under the same regulations

being the domain of one sex.

“It’s similar in the UK,” says Crossip’s

While the alcohol-free spirit front has

and data collection as alcoholic drinks.

been lagging well behind the low-to-

But, based on data from CGA, it appears

founder Carl Anthony Brown. “Sixty-five

that for every single nine-litre case of

percent of Millennials are reducing their

non-alcoholic spirits sold, 2,132 cases of

alcohol intake with 23 percent of under

regular spirts are sold.

25s being teetotal. We find that our most popular age group is around 25 to

Second, many of the headlines are

50-year-olds. I can’t say we specifically

generated by commercial companies

target one group of people…our goal is to give anyone cutting back drinking or stopping an amazing option.”

Andrew Stacey of Herbarium says that the demographics of their consumers is something they need to continue to review from a marketing point of view.

“The challenge we have is that from feedback so far, a broad age range really like Herbarium Distillation 29 – we have people in their early twenties right up to 80 enjoying the product,” says Stacey. “There is a lot of data out

Sixty-five percent of Millennials are reducing their alcohol intake with 23 percent of under 25s being teetotal,” Carl Anthony Brown, Crossip

that sell industry reports costing anywhere from £500 to £2,500. All tend to make five-year predictions – all positive spins to sell reports – which are all impossible to prove.

Despite the hype, alcohol-free spirits distillers are finding it a tough market for various reasons. A study by the Diageobacked Distill Ventures found there are three huge challenges the no-ABV category faces: “Liquid excellence, education and the drinking experience.”

With these three, cost has to be added.

there to suggest a particular age group/

Abbie Lysaght-Mason of Crossip say that

demographic etc, but for now we simply

it is always a difficult nut to crack with any

want everybody to enjoy the product.”

no beer market, big leaguer Gordon’s

new product.

has released an alcohol-free version You might think going by the media and

of its gin, with Tanqueray close on its

“Engaging with new consumers and

commercial reports that if low-to-no

heels. The UK is the world leader in the

getting impartial feedback to pass on

beer is doing well, alcohol-free spirts

production of alcohol-free spirits, with

to perspective buyers is important. We

are coming on strong like gangbusters.

42 in the market as of January 2021, as

have also tried to showcase drinks and

Statistics being thrown about show an

opposed to 29 in the States. Since that

recipes to illustrate the uses that can be

increase of a whopping 400 percent

magic year of 2015 when Seedlip hit the

achieved.

in alcohol-free spirits since 2019, with

market, overall the low-to-no market has

predictions stating this rise will continue

grown by over 500 percent.

Is this it then for the alcohol industry?

type of consumer, which means they are more likely to ‘take the plunge’.”

In 2019, Nielsen reported that two-thirds of all Millennials want to reduce their

“We’ve found that the general consumer for non-alcoholic drinks is an ‘explorer’

for at least the next five years.

No, not even close.

With low-to-no beer, wine and cider,

alcohol consumption and Berenberg Investment called Gen Z the Generation

First things first. Percentages are useful

there is no one trying to reinvent the

of Sobriety. In the States, which has

to fool reporters and make headlines, but

wheel. Open a can of any low-to-no

always had a different attitude towards

not to base business decisions on. If you

beer and guess what, it tastes like beer.

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DISTILLERS JOURNAL

There are a wealth of choices on the market for drinkers that want spirits without the alcohol

Herbarium’s Steve Brown (L) and Andrew Stacey (R)

which does not have at least 37.5% ABV

of Gordon’s in a delicious alcohol-free

in it. However, there are no standards

alternative.

forbidding Gordon’s from taking a bottle and label, which look like its regular gin,

“This special distillation process is a

and using it for Gordon’s 0.0 ABV.

closely guarded secret, known only to a handful of people and we are incredibly

The world’s best-selling London dry gin

proud to be bringing gin drinkers that

It might not taste exactly what you were

producer can afford to produce and sell

juniper led taste they’re expecting from

expecting, the mouthfeel is different but

its no-alcohol version at only £12 per 70cl

Gordon’s when they choose not to drink

it looks, smells and tastes like beer. With

bottle, two pounds cheaper than regular

alcohol.”

beer, no one is trying to create a totally

Gordon’s. In taste tests, most agree there

new and different taste that doesn’t taste

are similar tastes to regular Gordon’s and

With Gordon’s being part of Diageo – as

like anything comparable on the market.

the majority liked it.

is Tanqueray – who’s stable of drinks

With alcohol-free spirits, you’re entering

Anita Robinson, marketing director

it’s hard seeing any other no-alcohol

a totally different world. There are some

Diageo GB tells us: “Our expert innovation

spirit having the same possible impact as

like the forementioned Gordon’s and

team at Gordon’s has combined years

Gordon’s 0.0.

Tanqueray which are trying to duplicate

of expertise and historic gin distilling

Without being able to squeeze onto

exactly the taste of an existing product of

knowledge to create a credible alcohol-

those hard-contested supermarket

theirs – like Heineken’s 0.0% beer – and

free experience.

shelves and along with current COVID-19

have a firm hold on supermarket shelves,

cannibalise their existing customers.

restrictions not allowing pubs or “Gordon’s 0.0% is created by distilling

restaurants to open, for perspective

One massive advantage the big players

the same botanicals used in Gordon’s

drinkers to try 0% ABV spirits, marketing

have is that they have established

London Dry Gin. These botanicals are

has been a huge challenge.

alcohol versions already on the market.

individually immersed in water, heated

For example, it is against UK and EU

and then distilled before being expertly

Many are utilising Facebook but, as

trading standards to call something gin

blended together to capture the essence

Crossip’s Brown says, Facebook doesn’t

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DISTILLERS JOURNAL

always work. “They keep blocking us

alcohol spirits. Lyre’s has been extremely

in place of gin, whisky, rum or mescal.

because they think we are alcohol, they

successful in carving an international

While the distillers are not trying to

can’t seem to pick up the word ‘No’.

market with this method, producing

duplicate 100 percent an existing spirit’s

Social media on the whole is our most

drinks with very similar taste to spiced

flavour, they are trying to duplicate 100

important way to spread the word.”

rums, gins, whiskies and others.

percent an existing spirit’s usage. For

Herbarium says that Facebook is

“The whole basis of Lyre’s was an ode

is they know what to do with them. “I

definitely a platform that they are utilising

to the original products,” says CEO

know I’m not buying gin, but I can use

and will be exploring other advertising

Mark Livings. “We really want to make

this exactly like gin.”

opportunities.

our spirits as close as possible to the

consumers, the beauty of these products

originals, re-creating their true flavour

An example of this is Crossip which was

From observation, Distillers Journal

so they can be easily substituted in their

created by Carl Brown, an award winning

notices that Facebook by using its

favourite mixed drinks.

cocktail expert.

analytics, knows when a user expresses the slightest interest in anything and

“We wanted to establish what categories

sells the person’s name on to as many

are out there in the no-alcohol spirit

like-companies as possible. A customer

world currently and how we can

you helped develop on Facebook,

define ourselves. We felt there’s the

suddenly becomes available to all your

‘Replacement’ who are copying individual

competitors as well.

“COVID-19 has definitely had a marketing impact, preventing us from getting out and promoting the product, but we have social media which is even more effective in these challenging times. Online sales are definitely going to play a key part until restrictions start to relax,” says Stacey. “For a customer to purchase to get that initial sip, we have to encourage recommendations, reviews and word of mouth to give customers the confidence that they’re buying a quality flavoursome drink that will meet and hopefully exceed their expectations.”

WATCH THAT NAME

People might want to change their own drinking styles or preferences in regard to alcohol, but they won’t need to in relation to flavour,” Mark Livings, Clean Co

alcohols such as rum, whisky etc. The ‘Clear Botanical’ are those that are targeting gin lovers – this is the largest, most popular group. And there are the ‘Euphorics’ who are going for the health benefit approach,” says Brown.

“We felt that we stood apart, so love us or hate us, we are ‘Unapologetically bold’ and are flavour lead. This encompasses, flavour, taste and texture, thinking about the quality of your finished drink.”

Then there are those distillers who have gone completely out of the box and are creating completely new tastes. In Facebook ads, photos of the founders seem to favour them holding a glass of their creation and then looking off to a distant horizon. Feragaia says that it is a

The Gin Guild claims it has secured the

“life changing drink”.

withdrawal or re-marketing of several low ABV drinks incorrectly described

“When people are having a gin and tonic

as gin, and has now established a

or a Negroni, or whatever it may be, it

Because the taste are so different,

partnership with Buckinghamshire &

should still taste the same as it would

the first sip is similar to most people’s

Surrey Trading Standards to clamp down

have if it was an alcoholic version. People

first unsure taste of Campari. It’s only

further. One that it went after was ‘Clean

might want to change their own drinking

going back for a second sip or through

Gin’, produced by Made in Chelsea’s star

styles or preferences in regard to alcohol,

experimenting with different mixes do

Spencer Matthews company Clean Co.

but they won’t need to in relation to

you come to appreciate what the distiller

flavour,” he says.

was hoping to achieve. But, are most consumers willing to have that second

Although on its bottles Clean Co call its

sip?

1.2% ABV drinks ‘CleanG’ or similar, on

While some no-alcohol spirits provide

Clean Co’s website they’re still referred

cocktail recipes, Lyre’s goes one further

to as CleanGin, CleanRum, etc, as they

and better. Buy a bottle for £24 and you

Without the mouthfeel of a drink with

try to match the flavour of the alcoholic

get a free 15-minute, one-on-one session

alcohol, they can be too similar to

drink.

with a mixologist.

drinking water with flavouring. While the makers of Herbarium come out and say

Much like Clean Co, others are choosing

There are alcohol-free distilleries who

that their product is not meant to drink

this approach of copying existing

are making products meant to be used

straight, it is a guarantee that most will

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SUMMER 2021

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29

try it this way for only then will they know

huge whack of tax on a standard bottle of

flavour comes from distillation? As Mark

how to use it in a mock-cocktail.

spirits. So the £25 price of a bottle of no/

Livings of Lyre’s points out, it’s been a

low spirit is very largely made up of profit,

long, long time since an actual carriage

With those breaking new ground in

distilled and then conjured by clever

was driven on our carriageways.

tastes, what Distillers Journal sees as

marketing mixology,” he says.

Although the EU has recently backed the dairy industry in its quest to not allow

vitally important is including with each bottle recipes for at least three perfect

With the current lockdown restrictions

the term ‘milk’ to apply to soya, almond,

drinks.

and not being able to sample a non-

oat, or rice-based beverages, it’s how

alcoholic spirt at a pub, restaurant, or

consumers refer to – and use them.

For example with Herbarium, by itself it

store display, distillers are asking for a

tastes just short of horrible. With tonic

huge leap of faith with customers parting

It’s hard to believe now but just 12-years

water it’s good, but with tonic, grapefruit

with £25 for something completely

ago the only non-dairy milk-like

juice and tonic, it is truly outstanding

different than anything they have

beverage in the UK was Alpro made from

and could be the drink of the summer.

experienced.

soya. Today Sainsbury stocks around

However, not all drinkers have the

If this was a perfect non-pandemic

70 different options. In the meantime,

same assortment of fruit juices, tonics

world with pubs, bars and restaurants

reduced demand for cow’s milk and

and the like, as The Distillers Journal to

opened, bartenders would be operating

falling prices led to the closure of 1,000

experiment with. This work should be

as ambassadors to these new spirits,

dairy farms in the UK between 2013-2016.

done for them before the first bottle is

showcasing to the curious their potential

Despite the massive difference in units

sold.

well beyond events like Dry January. As

sold between alcoholic and alcohol-

it is, there is no drink education taking

free beverages, after 4,000 years our

place.

relationship with alcohol is beginning

If the taste isn’t a bit off-putting, then

changing. Much like how plant-based

there is the cost, which averages around £25 a bottle. You pay anywhere from £2

The lack of education is also affecting

burgers, chicken, and fish are challenging

to £4 for a low-to-no beer, you might

supermarkets. While Tesco’s online

how we view animal protein, low-to-no

not care for it, but it doesn’t stop you

shows numerous alcohol-free products,

will ultimately do the same with alcohol.

from trying others. Companies have their

it’s a challenge finding them at even

reasons for their high costs, however,

Tesco’s Superstores. When a store

The question is, with global liquor

some disagree and question whether the

employee, who was stocking the drinks

behemoths such as Diageo, Pernod

public is just being had.

section, was asked where to find the

Richard and William Grant moving into

alcohol-free drinks, the question drew a

the sector, will there be room for anyone

blank look.

else? Last August, Diageo acquired a

In 2015 Ben Branson launched Seedlip,

majority stake in non-alcoholic spirits

which was the world’s first non-alcoholic spirit and which has changed forever

THE FUTURE

brand Seedlip, while Pernod Ricard has a partnership with non-alcoholic gin maker

the low-to-no market. Branson set many standards with Seedlip, including its

Brown of Crossip sees the low-to-no

price, which all others seem to use as a

spirit industry as still being in its infancy

benchmark.

stage.

Ceder’s.

Mark Livings of Lyre’s sees an advantage in being small, which allows Lyre’s to

Branson told The Grocer that he knows it

“We are only just starting to see

move quickly to take advantage of a

is expensive, but feels justified in its price

subcategories appearing and the

market. In about the same time it took

due to the costs incurred in making a

consumer needs time to establish what

Gordon’s to produce its one alcohol-free

bottle, which takes six-weeks. Between

they like,” he says. There is so much room

drink, Lyre’s has come out with 13.

sourcing single-origin ingredients,

for growth and the category/subcategory

distilling each one separately, and then

to evolve. We are already lined up to

“We always intended to run this business

removing the alcohol needed in the

be in a number of bars, we believe the

as an explosive Silicon Valley tech-style

process to capture and concentrate the

;mixology and pub’ community could

company where we move incredibly

flavour, it all adds up.

really create some amazing drinks with

quickly, we run the business prioritising

Crossip.”

speed over efficiency, and then we look to optimise the business down the track,”

However, the BBC’s Scotland Business/

he told the Australian Financial Review.

economy editor, Douglas Fraser,

In talking with some of the modern

disagrees completely in regards to

creators of low-to-know, there are

Seedlip and William Grant & Sons ‘Atopia’.

questions as to how consumers will view

As we all know, however, the race doesn’t

the term ‘spirit’ in the near-future as low-

always go to the fastest, but to the one

“Both are audaciously trying the trick of

to-no makes more of an impact.

with the greatest staying power. The

setting a price point comparable with

Will ‘spirits’ mean only a distilled drink

Distillers Journal will continue to examine

spirits, even though they don’t carry the

with alcohol, or any drink that part of its

this changing market.

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DISTILLERS JOURNAL

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MAKE GIN NOT COMPROMISES WITH A NOD TO THE PAST AND A LOOK TO THE FUTURE, SIPSMITH CONTINUES DOING WHAT IT DOES BEST. VELO MITROVICH REPORTS

I

In the world of beer, some

with anyone who asked.

breweries seem to have adopted the idea that if you want to get

So, the last thing Brown wants to do is to

noticed, you brew to shock, not

knock any other gin distillery – it is not in

to drink. There is an almost-black

his blood to do so.

blueberry IPA so thick, you can pour it on

But cotton candy flavoured gin? While

pancakes.

his words say one thing, his eyes tell you

A sour, so tart and vinegary tasting, that

something entirely different. “WHAT ARE

the kid tending bar warns you that he has

THEY THINKING?” they seem to shout.

never seen anyone finish taster, let alone a pint.

Sipsmith – a play on the word

And in the States, one brewery is trying

‘silversmith’ – is wrapped in a bundle of

to get its Carolina Reaper infused beer

contradictions. As traditional as its views

declared the world’s hottest.

of flavour are, it has also changed gin

MEET THE DISTILLER

from being something associated with

32

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SUMMER 2021

Until recently with gin, for a distillery to

the late Queen Mum, to being the drink

add much more than standard botanicals

of those under 30.

for flavouring it was considered a walk on the wild side.

It was bought out in 2016 by Beam

However, this is no longer the case with

Suntory with the main changes to

gins being flavoured with cotton candy,

business being distribution suddenly a lot

strawberry & cream and even violets –

easier for the team.

which leaves you wondering if the legal

And, from being once the only craft gin

age for alcohol has suddenly dropped

distillery to now being surrounding by

to 14.

hundreds of competitors, it still marches to the beat of its own drummer, like no

You ask Jared Brown, one of the three-

one else is around. It will be 12-years

founders of Sipsmith and the force

this May that Sipsmith became the first

behind the Sipsmith taste, about this

cooper pot distillery to open in London

trend. There is a slight hesitation before

since 1820.

he answers.

As with all things, Sipsmith started with Sipsmith’s distillery was ground zero

an idea. Cornwall childhood friends

for the UK’s craft gin industry. It was

Fairfax Hall and Sam Galsworthy were

Sipsmith that successfully challenged

working separately in the States in the

the law regarding still size that had been

drinks industry.

in the books for nearly 200 years. It was

Meeting up, they reaffirmed their love for

Sipsmith that created the whole idea of

a good G&Ts, made an observation of the

modern craft gin.

rise of craft distilleries and breweries in the USA, and wondered how this could

It was Sipsmith that went back to gin’s

play out in London.

roots and re-established its potential. This list can go on and on and on.

In dictionaries the word ‘optimist’ must be illustrated with a drawing of Hall and

In everything they did, they never

Galsworthy. They had no distillery site, no

patented any processes and in fact did

master distiller – no distiller at all for that

the opposite, sharing their knowledge

matter – no still, and the biggest obstacle

DISTILLERS JOURNAL

of all, they didn’t have a license to distil.

What had been holding everyone else

You have to wonder, at any one point did

back was the Excise Act of 1825, which

they realise why there hadn’t been a craft

stated no person shall keep a still of less

gin distillery in London for over 200 years.

than 400 gallons.

Although there are numerous amusing

No worries. In 2007 they sold their flats

stories out there as to why this figure was

and went for it.

decided on, it had to do with tax. A still smaller than 400 gallons was portable,

They commissioned a small, family-

making it more difficult for the taxman to

owned still firm in Germany to construct

get his due.

‘Prudence’ and, through purely a serendipitous event, found their distiller.

A year before Sipsmith, Chase Distillery had been after a similar licence, which

Making gin is like conducting an orchestra of botanicals,” Jared Brown, Sipsmith

At a Negroni Club party at the Beefeater

had been denied, forcing them to buy a

distillery, they were introduced to the

much larger still.

husband and wife team of Jared Brown

For other want-to-be distillers, this

managed to get a provision license, the

and Anistatia Miller who were not only

pushed the dream financially out of

first in nearly 200 years.

drinks writers and historians, they also

reach.

“And it was that that opened the

had experience in running a small

“If you were trying to get a license for a

floodgates for others to get provisional

distillery.

still under 1800 litres, if your application

licenses. And it exploded. Early on, the

was denied – which every application

phone was ringing off the hook from

The couple had just relocated from the

was denied on first round for misplaced

people who wanted to do it, and we

States and they were living close to

commas and apostrophes – you had no

helped more of them to start up than I

Hammersmith where Prudence had just

recourse to appeal because of the still

can count,” he says.

found a home. Brown was brought on as

size,” says Brown.

master distiller. The team now complete, the rest fell into place – eventually.

distillersjournal.info

This means that while with Scottish or “Sam and Fairfax and lawyers and family

Irish whisky distilleries, 12-years is the

and friends and MPs took that on and

age of their whisky in a barrel – not their

SUMMER 2021

|

33

Jared Brown: Sipsmith’s master distiller

relatively easy to make, requires no longterm barrel aging and – depending on one’s ambitions – investment is generally lower for gin.

Outside of the big players and a small number of craft distilleries, the base alcohol or ‘neutral spirit’ is made elsewhere.

In theory then, gin makers are more ‘redistillers’ than distillers. You can take a gin distillery class in the morning and literally be drinking your gin by the evening. But, while making gin is a breeze, making good gin is anything but.

Which then begs the question: What makes a good gin? distillery – the rebirth of craft gin is a

says Brown. “If you look at the enduring

recent development.

dominance of whisky, gin at one time was

This is almost hard to believe considering

up there and then gin fell out of favour.

the hundreds of craft gin distilleries today

LEAD FLAVOUR “Ah…first it has to lead with juniper, but

in the UK – or the hundreds that used to

“Today, gin is simply returning. When we

that’s a bit like saying wine is made with

exist in the 19th century.

started, there were 12 distilleries making

grapes,” says Brown.

20 brands of gin in Britain.

New HMRC figures show a record

“This is the spirit of England – born

According to the master distiller, gin has

number of distilleries were registered

in London – and there were only 12

to be made with juniper from the north

in the UK in 2020 – growing by over 124

distilleries making it! Think of that in

Mediterranean. While the juniper plant

in 12 months – for the first time, with

IPA terms. Imagine a time in the history

grows sub-Arctic to sub-tropic all the way

Covid-19 failing to put the brakes on

of IPA, when there were only a dozen

around the northern hemisphere, only

the distillery boom. This figure is up 28

breweries making it.”

in the north Mediterranean do you have

percent on 2019, doubling the number

the terroir that produces that particular

of UK distilleries in four years, for a total

Doug Hunter, Sipsmith’s head of

flavour of soft pine, sweet citrus that

number of over 560.

operations in London and formerly of

comes up in good gin.

Fuller’s, agrees with Brown.

Remarkably, the number of distilleries in

“Sipsmith is now becoming a much

“I’ve worked with juniper from Britain, it

England has almost tripled since 2016,

more established brand, but I think what

tastes like moss. I’ve worked with juniper

which was the same year that the gin

Sipsmith captured when they started was

from the American Rockies. It’s intensely

boom helped the number of English

the reintroduction of gin as our national

sweet, almost a bubble gum, with that

distilleries overtake Scotland for the first

drink. That had been lost somewhere,”

particular flavour underlying. So for me, I

time, according to the Wine & Spirit Trade

says Hunter.

will only work with juniper from the north

Association.

Mediterranean.

“Gin was incredibly unfashionable; that

In another first, England’s distillery

was simply because people weren’t

“But what more broadly makes a good

numbers have now passed 300, with 311

drinking very good gins at the time. That’s

gin, the satiation point in the glass?” says

registered distilleries in 2020.

where Sipsmith can take a great level of

Brown. “I can make a product that will

Scotland has increased its number

credit, in that they captured the essence

blow you away on first sip.

of distilleries to 214, and Wales and

of making the best gin that you could in a

“But you can’t get through a glass of it.

Northern Ireland saw distillery numbers

traditional method.”

And so, I always want the satiation point

grow too.

to be somewhere just below the stem of One of the reasons for the higher

that glass, or just below the bowl, just at

“Personally, I think that gin is simply

proportion of new gin distilleries opening,

the stem.

recovering its own position in the market,”

compared to other spirits, is that gin is

“So when you finish that, it seems like it

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DISTILLERS JOURNAL

limited release.

because the outfit had gone “corporate”.

overloaded and washed out and blown

“One of the rules that I’ve had both in

Indeed, in looking at buy-outs around

away.”

the distillery and as judge of countless

the world, there seems to be a fine

cocktail competitions around the world

line as to whether selling part or all of

is, when you feel like you’ve nailed it,

a craft company to a major player is

“What makes a great gin is a gin built on

schedule an evening, sit down with a

the kiss of death in quality, or simply

the classic structure of gin. You can make

friend and have three,” says Brown.

makes a product more available to more

might be a good idea to just have one more, that your taste buds haven’t been

customers.

amazing spirits, the sky’s the limit in creative combination of botanicals.

“Have a good beer. People who go to a

“But if you want to call it a gin, then

pub, they’ll have three of them. A cocktail,

With Sipsmith, as they drove around the

there is structure to that. A bit like the

people will go to a bar, they’ll have three.

streets of London making gin deliveries

difference between modern interpretive

If you can’t drink three of what you’ve

off the back of a scooter, they must have

dance and classical ballet. And when you

created.

thought there had to be a better way.

want ballet, you don’t want them busting

“What was the point in creating it? If you

out with garbage can lids and doing

can’t get past that first sip and that first

The dream the founders had was fairly

Stomp.

sip is truly amazing, find me a success

simple: To be available in a meaningful

where it will only ever be that one sip.”

way throughout the gin-loving world, and

“So that’s really what I personally strive

to be around in 200-years’ time.

for, is to build on the wisdom of the

By 2016, Sipsmith had 35 staff and was

collective generations of the master

growing at 60 to 70 percent a year,

distillers who came before me,” says

with exports at 30 percent, but the

Brown.

perception was Sipsmith was failing at

“What I quickly found out that making

the international market, having had

gin is like conducting an orchestra of

difficulties with three distributors.

botanicals. Brass, woodwinds, percussion and violins, and getting them in harmony.

This is the toughest thing I’ve ever done in distillation.”

To accomplish this, Brown and his wife Anistatia Miller poured over gin recipes from the 19th century and earlier, to define in taste what exactly is gin.

Recipes that Brown and his wife found in the Distiller of London, (published in

When you feel like you’ve nailed it, schedule an evening, sit down with a friend and have three,” Jared Brown, Sipsmith

To get to where they thought Sipsmith should be, in 2016 they sold a majority stake for a reported £50 million to Beam Suntory.

At the time of the sale, Jonny Forsyth, global drinks analyst at the market analysts Mintel, said it was no surprise that Beam Suntory had bought Sipsmith as the major spirits producers recognised they faced a challenge from fast-growing

1639), were written in two different codes.

craft brands.

Even with her Masters in History at

“Millennial consumers, in particular, really

Oxford and a second in paleography

SELLING-UP OR SELLING-OUT

value small-batch heritage spirit brands rather than big brands with a more

and cryptography, it took Miller a year to decipher, thanks in no part to someone

In talking with Logan Plant, founder

mainstream audience.

translating it in 1667 and getting it wrong.

of Beavertown Brewery in London, he

“It is a lot like the craft beer where we’ve

explains it as simply of this. Beavertown

seen big brands say ‘it’s time we bought

One of the recipes has juniper berries,

could continue on as it was and in a good

these brands before they become big

lemon peels, orange peels, and spice

few years, he’d have enough revenue to

competition’.”

supported. As Brown says, it’s practically

finally do with it what he always dreamed

The outcome? In an informal survey,

modern London Dry Gin except after

– creating a new brewery and visitor

Distillers Journal could find no long-time

distillation, it was rested on raspberries

centre in the form of Beaverworld. Or,

fans of Sipsmith who noticed anything

and strawberries and sweeten a touch.

he could bring in Heineken as a minority

different over the years except that it

partner and the dream could happen

maybe got better. And, it’s a lot easier to

now.

find Sipsmith elsewhere in the world.

gin came to England via English sailors

As logical as that decision was, some

“I think a lot of credit goes down to the

serving on Dutch ships during the Thirty

beer fans called the brewery a sell-

founders of the business,” says Hunter.

Years War. Sipsmith has followed this

out and some bottle shops made the

“There were a lot of people interested in

recipe and created a pink gin that had a

decision to not stock Beavertown beer

buying Sipsmith at the time I think every

What Brown finds exciting about this recipe is that it predates the idea that

distillersjournal.info

SUMMER 2021

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35

major spirits company was interested in

Sipsmith could have making 9,000 liter

“They’re looking for different things,

or they expressed an interest at some

batches but they choose to make only

but what they’re looking for more than

point or another.

300 liters.

anything else is the quality of the spirit

In the 1870s, Brown says that distillers

that they’re drinking to be as good as it

“But what the guys did was that they

worked out how they could be making

possibly can be and they’re prepared to

picked a partner [Beam Suntory] that

more money, cranking out the 9,000 liter

pay a premium for that.

they felt would allow them to have a level

batches at the expense of quality.

of autonomy. And the important thing

“If you’d have told me, as someone who

about Sipsmith is, Sipsmith is run as an

“But we stuck with what they had settled

worked at brewery 15 years ago, that

autonomous business unit. It has its own

into in the 1850s, which to me is when gin

someone will walk into a pub in London

board.

was perfected, when gin hit that pinnacle

and pay 10 pounds for a pint, I would

“The reporting structure is still the

of quality that we aspire to,” he says.

have laughed at you.

the managing director or CEO, and Sam

Although Prudence has been joined

“But the reality is, that is the case. And

is the chairman. Jared is still very, very

by two other ‘sister’ stills to increase

gin is no different. People will pay an

much on board from a liquid perspective

production, there has still been days

appropriate price for a very, very good

and being really one of the major faces of

where they can’t produce enough gin to

liquid.”

the brand.”

meet demand.

founders. One of our founders, Fairfax, is

Considering that you find Sipsmith on “They allow us to run the model as we

the top row of shops, with a price tag to

wish to…if anything, they encouraged us

match, this says a lot to how gin drinkers

to keep doing what we’re doing,” he says.

perceive Sipsmith.

CRAFT OR MAINSTAY

According to Hunter, spirit consumers are

LISTEN TO THE FULL INTERVIEW:

much more discernible today. Looking If you ask Jared Brown if Sipsmith is still a

back at the gin range from 20-years-ago,

craft gin or become mainstay, you should

gin was pretty bland, the same as with

go to the toilet first, pour yourself a coffee

beer.

– or gin – and get comfortable because you’re in for a long answer.

“What we’ve seen now is that [the industry] has exploded, and that’s a good

However, it can be summed up in this.

thing because consumers have choice,”

From the beginning with Prudence,

says Hunter.

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SUMMER 2021

DISTILLERS JOURNAL

THE NATURAL CHOICE

CONSUMERS ARE MAKING CRITICAL CHOICES IN GOING TOWARDS “NATURAL INGREDIENTS” IN THE FOOD & DRINK THEY CONSUME. WITH THAT, THERE HAS BEEN A HUGE RISE IN NEW PRODUCTS BEING INTRODUCED TO THE MARKET, EXPLAINS NATURAL INGREDIENTS SUPPLIER KANEGRADE.

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Pigments are extracted and standardised

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|

SUMMER 2021

alternative to titanium dioxide.

DISTILLERS JOURNAL

FLAVOURS: LIQUID OR POWDER Almond

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SUMMER 2021

|

39

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MEET THE DISTILLER

BUILT ON SOLID FOUNDATIONS

S

ome things are just meant

Attempts to procure more of the

to be.

spirit online failed so, in a throwaway

For some of us, our journey

comment to his friend and former

in rum starts and ends with

colleague, Noyce suggested the duo

something like Barcadi. Or

started a rum club for fellow fans.

maybe we’ve dabbled with the beverage known as Navy rum, the blend that

“We started it as a hobby back in 2015

traditionally features rums from places

but it gave us a real insight into the rum

such as Jamaica, Barbados and Trinidad.

scene, both here and overseas,” Noyce says. “It was never going to set the world

What we drink is our prerogative, of

alight but the knowledge we absorbed

course. But it also makes complete

by doing it was invaluable.”

sense that two former members of the navy, boasting more than 60 years’

Talk of selling other people’s rums,

experience between them, would end

eventually, turned to the faint possibility

up starting their own distillery.

of giving it a go themselves.

Where else? In a fort surrounded by the

“We both had a few drinks and I think we

sea and centuries of naval history, of

were maybe semi-serious at best,” he

course. And as seasoned advocates of

recalls. “But then I was made redundant

great rum, they want to show consumers

in August 2017. I told Giles that if we

just how good UK-made rum can be.

were going to do it, now was the time.

Otherwise I’d get another job and we’d

“Both Giles and I coincidentally left the

WHAT DO YOU GET IF YOU COMBINE TWO FORMER MEMBERS OF THE ROYAL NAVY AND A SEASONED PRO FROM THE WORLD OF WINE AND SPIRITS? THE PORTSMOUTH DISTILLERY, THAT’S WHAT. AND ALTHOUGH RUM IS THEIR CORE PASSION, THAT HASN’T STOPPED THEM BECOMING AN AWARD-WINNING GIN PRODUCER, TOO distillersjournal.info

never do it. This was our chance.”

Navy back in 2012. He would set up his own business and I went off to work for

So they took a deep breath and one year

the Geest Line,” recalls Vince Noyce,

later, The Portsmouth Distillery was born.

operations director at The Portsmouth Distillery.

While Noyce had remained in the maritime world after leaving the Navy,

As the premier shipping line to the East

Collighan entered the business world.

Caribbean, Noyce would frequently find

A slight change from the years spent

himself back in the Caribbean handling

together serving on Type 42 destroyer

the import of bananas.

vessels.

“I was already a big fan of rum but

“It’s interesting because both Vince

spending regular time in the Caribbean

and I had the same experiences during

allowed me to reimmerse myself in it,”

our time in the Navy. But when that

Vince Noyce, The Portsmouth Distillery

came to an end, I took out a franchise with a finance company where I spent

“Literally!” smiles Giles Collighan, the

time speaking to the financial directors

distillery’s finance director.

at businesses, discussing how they could save money, effectively, he says.

With a working pattern of eight weeks

“It allowed me to grow my financial

on, eight weeks off, Noyce found himself

background quite quickly and when it

back in the UK and regrettably, at the

came to starting a distillery, dovetailed

bottom of one of his favourite rums -

nicely with Vince’s knowledge of rum.

English Harbour from Antigua Distillery.

We’re a good fit.”

SUMMER 2021

|

41

When it came to opening a distillery,

William Augustus, the 2nd son of George

Collighan and Noyce had two factors

II and Duke of Cumberland.

Above: Giles Collighan, finance director and far right, operations director Vince Noyce

that were non-negotiable. The distillery had to be located on Portsea Island and

He, therefore, undertook a review of the

secondly, it was to be housed in a historic

nation’s defences and the first proper fort

building.

was built on Eastney Point.

however work was very slow and costly

Construction began in 1747 under the

with the fort taking some 29 years to

“We started our search and were put in

watchful eye of Ordnance Engineer

complete in 1812.

touch with the City Council,” says Noyce.

and designer John Desmaretz. The first

“Mark Pembleton, their economic growth

fort was star-shaped in plan and was

The second Fort, and the one which

manager, had been in dialogue with

constructed with rubble stone revetting.

remains on the site to this very day, was

Historic England about the ways Fort

Gun embrasures for the larger guns were

a pentagonal fort in plan with projecting

Cumberland could be redeveloped with

concentrated to the south and south-

defensive earthworks (bastions) at the

local companies.”

east on the seaward side of the fort.

end of each length of curtain wall, and

Fort Cumberland is located on the

Each point of the five-pointed star

southeastern corner of Portsea Island on

allowed defensive fire in all directions,

the shingle spit known as Eastney Point.

leaving no blind spots where attackers

Construction of the new fort was

It was built to control the entrance to

could hide.

hampered by shortages of raw materials

Langstone Harbour to the east, and to

Following the War of American

and the lack of labour. The labour used

improve the defences of Portsmouth

Independence and the deteriorating

was a mixture of contract and convict.

Dockyard to the west.

political relations in England, a review

These convicts were housed in prison

of Portsmouth’s defences was carried

hulks which were moored in Langstone

The significance of Eastney Point as a

out by Charles Lennox, the Duke of

Harbour.

defensive outpost was well recognised as

Richmond.

early as 1716 when an earthwork battery

In this review he recommended that Fort

The fort has vaulted casemates within

was built on the site to defend Langstone

Cumberland should be rebuilt.

the curtain wall; these were incorporated

was built mainly of brick and Portland limestone.

to counter the advances in artillery which

Harbour. In the mid 1740s, following the Jacobite rebellion, the threat of a French

Plans for the new fort were submitted

meant these buildings were vulnerable

invasion was very much in the mind of

in 1782, and works commenced in 1783,

to shelling.

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SUMMER 2021

DISTILLERS JOURNAL

These casemates housed the men,

running, which is handy because when

stores and powder magazines in the

the distillery’s Fort Gin launched in

relative safety of the curtain wall.

November 2018, the only way was up.

Life in these brick barrel-vaulted rooms

Formulating the recipe for the

would have been very unpleasant and

Portsmouth dry gin, three ingredients

crowded, with as many as 30 men to a

that would play a key role grew at the fort

casemate.

itself. These locally-foraged botanicals

It is in two such casemates that the

include Elderflower, Gorse Flowers and

Portsmouth Distillery made its home, a

Sea Radish.

number that has grown to seven since starting out.

“I hadn’t made gin before so I just started

Dich Oatley is the distillery’s sales

to play around with the process,” says

director. Having spent many years in

Noyce. “But one thing was certain, and

the wine and spirits industry working for

that is I wanted to create a spirit that

specialist importers and in interactive

could be enjoyed neat.”

corporate events, Oatley bumped into

He adds: “My view about spirits is very

Collingham and Noyce by chance at the

simple and that is you need to try it neat

Portsmouth Seafood Festival in 2017.

the first time you drink it.

“Rum is our reason for being,” Vince Noyce, The Portsmouth Distillery

“If it’s not palatable neat then you have “It was chance meeting, but it was clear

to ask yourself the very basic question of

early on that we were all on the same

what the bloody hell you are doing in the

page,” he says. “I had been thinking of

first place. You shouldn’t have to disguise

maybe starting something on Hayling

the flavour with something sticky.”

Island, where I live, but it’s not quite as interesting as Portsea Island. So I think it

After months of research, Noyce felt that

worked out really well.”

he had achieved his eureka moment and was eager to share it with others.

Oatley would formally come on board the following year and hit the ground

distillersjournal.info

“Everyone in the office tried the gin and

SUMMER 2021

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43

we all thought it was fantastic. But we

“The reason that we make the gin is

“I opted for Jim Beam because I wanted

would, because it was our baby, and

because we’d be foolish not to. It’s a

to impart that lighter bourbon flavour.

everybody loves their own baby, don’t

way of creating revenue while we’re

Not something that would smack the

they?” he explains.

letting our rum age. But we approach

rum in the face. I wanted something to

the production of each with the same

complement the spirit where they would

The team would undertake broader

mentality. You will never see any old spirit

grow together as they age.”

market research to validate their views on

coming out of this distillery.”

And be it gin or rum, the distillery

the inaugural spirit.

He adds: “We like to try and do things as

is proud to call Portsmouth home.

“We ended up with around 38 people

they should be done, or at least the way

Something they’ve actively conveyed

taking part in a blind tasting,” he says.

we understand they should be done.”

through their branding since day one.

palates and from sampling nine gins, Fort

The team are particularly proud of

“When we first started looking at our

came top. Not just top, but by 98 points

1968, their unaged white rum made

business plan, it was to start organically

clear. I couldn’t believe it.”

from sugar cane . It’s a deliberate mix of

within Portsmouth and to really try and

different types and styles of rum, using

get local consumers to buy into us, and

Further research was carried out and

fine sugar cane from Central America,

what we’re doing,” says Collighan. “If

more positive feedback was received.

instead of molasses, to produce a sweet,

we could become sustainable thanks

“Pretty much all of these were industry

flavoursome spirit.

to local support, we would then have a

“So we decided to quit while we’re ahead

But they’re even more enthused by

platform to build on.”

and stick with the recipe,” says Noyce.

release of their three-year-old rum,

“With that, Fort Gin was born.”

which they anticipate should be ready

He adds: “We want people to know who

in approximately 12 months time. Until

we are, what we’re producing and where

One year later, Fort Gin was awarded

then, its ageing in 200 litre ex-Jim Beam

we’re making it. We are proud of our story

a IWSC Bronze Medal for Gin in the

bourbon barrels. And it’s a process Noyce

and want to share it with others.”

contemporary styles category. But

has enjoyed being part of.

For Noyce, it’s a pertinent point,

despite being a dab hand in gin production, the distillery’s operations

“The classic ageing process for rum takes

especially when other companies can

director’s passion remains firmly in rum.

place in ex-bourbon barrels. And there’s a

opt to be “liberal” with the truth.

plethora of them available because in the “Rum is our reason for being,” Noyce

US, you can only use each barrel once

“Let’s be honest, there’s a lot of

exclaims.

when producing bourbon,” he says.

deception in the distilling world,” he says.

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DISTILLERS JOURNAL

“If we could become sustainable thanks to local support, we would then have a platform to build on,” Giles Collighan The Portsmouth Distillery”

Right: Dich Oatley, sales director at The Portsmouth Distillery

“You can call yourself after a location and have production take place hundreds of miles away. I think it’s important to be honest and genuine when dealing with others.

“I think we all get a little miffed on occasion when we see others being economic with the truth, because people can get sucked in by it.”

But going forward, the team are confident in their approach. While online sales have helped counter the drop-off in custom elsewhere, a promising new listing at a major supermarket promises to be a highlight in the early part of 2021.

“We’ve seen sales from Portsmouth right up to the Highlands of Scotland, which is very rewarding,” says Oatley. “The key going forward is to retain and build upon that loyal business we’ve received in the last year.”

Collighan adds: “Pre-pandemic we were welcoming more than 120 people on distillery tours. It’s not just the revenue

distillersjournal.info

SUMMER 2021

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45

Fort Cumberland: The home of The Portsmouth Distillery

brought in from tours, but the secondary

But achieving the listing was also the

sales you get with people buying drinks

result of a lot of hard work, and the best

to take away.

part of 18 months in the planning.

“So it’s a case of doing our best to maintain the business we’ve created

“We held a tasting, which went well

during these last months when our

but following that it has been more

normal channels hopefully return. But it’s

than a year and a half banging on the

an exciting time.”

door to get to where we are now,” says Collingham.

Which is especially true with the distillery’s gin being stocked at some

Noyce adds: “It’s funny how these things

local Waitrose stores from April onwards.

work out. We have our gin going on the shelf, which is great. But the real goal

“Our mission in the last 12 months has

is the be the artisan white rum on the

been to ensure we are still on people’s

shelves of places such as Waitrose.

minds. With the new ways pubs and bars operate, customers have been unable to

“It’s the product we want to be

visit the bar and pick out a drink in that

recognised for, and I truly believe there

fashion, especially with the prevalence

is space for a product like ours. We have

of table service,” says Oatley. “So the

a great deal of faith in the quality of what

chance to stock our gin in somewhere

we distil here in Portsmouth and look

like Waitrose is a great opportunity for the

forward to sharing it with others, too.”

business and a positive start to the year.”

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SUMMER 2021

DISTILLERS JOURNAL

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town of St Andrews, the renowned home

the beer filler monobloc. Bottle cleaning

of golf, but Eden Mill were the first to

on the rotary rinser carousel uses neutral

make spirits in the region for 150 years.

spirit in recirculation with filters for due

As Scotland’s first single-site distillery

diligence.

and brewery, making gin, whisky and beer, Eden Mill spirit is created in

The capping turret can handle both “T”

Portuguese ‘Hoga’ copper pot-stills and

shaped corks along with GPI screw caps

exhibits a wide range of flavours from

for maximum flexibility on the different

botanicals sourced from the local area,

product lines.

as well as from around the world.

The unit can also fill miniatures in the future making for a very versatile and

As creators of craft gin, whisky and

flexible unit.

beers, their team of distillers have the

The new bespoke crystal cut Love Gin

opportunity to marry the best practices

bottle has a very distinctive finish with a

from all these disciplines.

precise label panel that required accurate orientation for application.

Few distilleries are as fortunate as them,

Enterprise Tondelli supplied a rotary self-

with the paradise of the Eden Estuary

adhesive labeller capable of accurate

on their doorstep they source botanicals

base notch spotting using servo motors

from the local fields, forests and coasts to

for more flexibility.

represent the best of Scotland.

In 2015, the team launched their Golf Gin

The labeller supplied from BRB in Italy

in homage to a taste of St Andrews.

is just one of the wide range of labellers

Eden Mill’s Original Gin is a twist on

that Enterprise supply from BRB Globus

the classic London Dry using Fife’s sea

based in Mantova. This was the same

buckthorn berries, a superfood which

supplied for the original beer bottling line.

grows within walking distance of the St

To further dress the bottles, and as a

Andrews distillery.

tamper evidence, heat shrink capsules

Their pioneering spirit is evident in

are automatically applied as part of the

the constant range of innovative new

project. The bottle conveyor system

products from the master distillers.

was manufactured by Eurosistemi who are specialist in this field and have been

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From their famous Love Gin, one of the

working with Enterprise Tondelli since the

first ever pink gins to their quality RTD

early 1980’s. Extra stations were included

gin cocktails, single malt scotch whisky,

for hand finish of premium products for

flavoured gins and seasonal expressions,

short batch runs.

their goal is to capture the spirit and

Jason Hill, project manager at Eden Mill,

provenance of St Andrews in every bottle.

said “We have used Enterprise before

Eden Mill already had a craft bottling

and appreciated their support in the past.

line for their range of beers supplied by

“This project had some additional

Enterprise Tondelli a few years ago.

challenges due to the flexibility required

When the decision was made to increase

and bottle decoration but Enterprise have

capacity of their spirit bottling operation

worked tirelessly to follow our needs.”

DISTILLERS JOURNAL

The new bespoke crystal cut Love Gin bottle has a very distinctive finish.

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49

REALISE A VISION WHEN JACKTON, SCOTLAND-BASED RAER BUILT THEIR IMPRESSIVE DISTILLERY AND BREWHOUSE, THEY INVESTED IN EQUIPMENT ACROSS THE BOARD TO MEET THEIR AMBITIOUS EXPANSION PLANS.

R

aer Scotch Whisky Limited

sophisticated solutions for their business

is an independent family-

needs.

owned distillery and

This incorporates bulk malt handling, a

brewhouse in the small

fully functional brewhouse, two (5000L

village of Jackton, near

& 2000L) stills along with a 10L R&D

Glasgow.

While the family dream was always to

still, CIP tank system, chiller, spent grain removal system and all the required finishing and holding tanks.

set up a distillery and produce whisky, support for the community and its

Ryebeck’s in-depth knowledge and

resources remains central to their vision.

experience of brewing and distilling have

They are committed to using local

provided Raer with a unique operation.

ingredients where possible, including

The malt handling system delivers the

having their own water source at the

benefits of higher extract and enhanced

distillery and growing their own grain.

control achieved from milling their own malt.

Also, during the pandemic, Raer has worked with local businesses and

The brewery has brought together some

charities to distribute free hand sanitiser

of the highest levels of automation

to some of the most vulnerable people

installed in the UK. Similarly, the distillery

within their community.

set-up enables a near continuous operation of the wash and spirit stills.

Operations Director Max McAneny explains: “Using the highest quality raw

Commenting on Ryebeck’s involvement,

ingredients and having sustainable

McAneny adds: “After meeting Tim Prime

production is key to success.

[managing director], we felt that his

“We currently use Scottish barley which

attitude and responses to our questions

is malted locally. We also grow barley

were excellent and that we could de-

ourselves in the neighbouring field and

velop a good relationship.

the traceability that this will afford us is

“Their lead-in times for equipment

fantastic.”

were much better than others and communication between us has been

A maltings facility is currently being built

great. Even when we have technical

and they are now bringing production

questions, they are able to supply the

of neutral grain spirit in-house too. Once

answers within a reasonable response

complete, Raer will have a true grain-to-

time.”

glass operation with full traceability.

The company launched Raer Blended Additionally, Raer’s spent barley is used

Scotch Whisky at the end of 2020. This

to feed the cows on the neighbouring

expert blend of malt and grain whiskies

farm. They have recyclable packaging

offers new and experienced whisky fans

for their products and an application has

a smoother, naturally sweeter, entry-level

been made for wind turbines on the farm

whisky for sipping over ice or in a whisky

where the distillery is located. This will

cocktail.

add to their already impressive green credentials.

Additionally, last year on 12th February, Raer Whisky filled its first cask and has

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SUMMER 2021

Ryebeck has been Raer’s equipment

since laid down a stunning selection of

supplier of choice, providing

what will become their malt whiskies.

DISTILLERS JOURNAL

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51

Our spirit, which is currently maturing, will become the start of a continuous supply of new and exciting malt whiskies.”

Sales and marketing director, Katie

which a selection will be made for future

O’Brien comments: “Raer cask finishes

production. The distillery also intends

include port, sherry, rum, Madeira,

to open a shop on-site and extend its

Sauternes, Rioja, Bourbon and more.

branded merchandise.

“Our spirit, which is currently maturing, will become the start of a continuous

The success of Raer’s ambitious

supply of new and exciting malt whiskies

projects has been possible through an

from Valentine’s Day 2023.”

innovative business model incorporating high quality, bespoke, technologically

Raer has just released Jackton Gin,

advanced machinery.

working with Craig Law, Ryebeck’s Master Distiller. Initially using a small

Ryebeck’s expertise has been essential in

test still, Law helped with perfecting the

scoping the project, sourcing, supplying

recipe, fine-tuning the mix of botanicals,

and fitting the equipment and providing

before upscaling production to a much

technical advice.

larger 2000L spirit still.

As a result, the Scottish distillery has The result is a juniper-led gin offering

already established an important

the perfect balance of classic and exotic

presence in its local area with a vision

botanicals.

to become known and renowned throughout the country and beyond.

Raer has exciting plans to grow the business further. The team is already working on a vodka and pink gin and has developed 11 different beers from

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DISTILLERS JOURNAL

024 76 581197

info@staegerclear.co.uk

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Bruni Erben is a leading supplier of glass, closures and machinery for the spirits, beverage, wine, food and home fragrance markets.

Founded in 1951, the company has developed & diversified and today offers an extensive catalogue of stock items, a design team which delivers extraordinary results on bespoke products, and industry leading technical support. www.BruniErben.co.uk • +44 (0)1473 823011

MEET THE DISTILLER

NO STANDING STILL YOU CAN MAKE YOUR WAY IN THIS INDUSTRY WITH GREAT SPIRITS BUT WITH THAT, YOU NEED TO BE GENUINE IN YOUR APPROACH. CREATE THE DRINKS YOU TRULY WANT TO MAKE AND PEOPLE WILL REACT IN KIND. AND THAT’S EXACTLY THE ATTITUDE SEB HEELEY AND JEN WIGGINS INSTIL IN EVERYTHING THEY PRODUCE AT THE SPIRIT OF MANCHESTER DISTILLERY 54

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SUMMER 2021

C

racking open a beer, or pouring yourself a drink while chatting on Zoom, it’s just not the same is it?”

Seb Heeley is, it’s safe to

say, ready for hospitality to reopen.

After all, if it wasn’t for pubs, bars and restaurants, and the joy that they bring, he wouldn’t have met his partner Jen Wiggins. And for fans of great gin and

DISTILLERS JOURNAL

The great thing about gin is that you can actually taste what’s in the glass,” Seb Heeley, Manchester Gin other fine spirits then that would have

Fast forward and the couple ended up

look at reviews that mention all manner

been a travesty on a whole different level

producing 25,000 bottles from home,

of flavour and aromas that are difficult to

because there would be no Manchester

winning a raft of awards along the way.

pick up. But with gin, you can pick out

Gin, either.

And with their new impressive Spirit of

the citrus, the fennel, for instance. You

Manchester distillery, which opened in

understand what you’re drinking.”

For back in February 2013, Heeley and

2019, things have moved up a whole

Wiggins would meet and bond over a

other level.

Wiggins adds: “Whether you have some nice gins at home, or you’re drinking in

passion for a great G&T. And while they enjoy creating a myriad

a bar, it’s easier to pick out flavour notes

Several years later, they took this love of

of different spirits, gin remains that core

and because of that, you can feel that

this spirit into their own hands. Starting

passion for Heeley and Wiggins. They still

you have a real level of understanding of

production from their Chorlton dining

enjoy drinking it just as they do making it.

what’s in the glass.

would go on to grow wildly beyond their

“The great thing about gin is that you can

“I feel that you are empowered to try

expectations, with the duo selling close

actually taste what’s in the glass,” says

different types of gin because there’s less

to 700 bottles a week by the end of 2016.

Heeley. “When it comes to wine, you

uncertainty about what you’re drinking,

room, an initial run of just 100 bottles

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55

and I think that’s a great thing.”

can always sit back and say we’re proud

Manchester; the team took out the citrus

of it regardless.

and sweeter notes from their Signature

In addition to gin, the company has

gin and instead used sage, thyme, orris,

produced vodka and absinthe, among

“And I think that’s got to be the starting

others. For Heeley, whose second

point for us. We would never release

favourite spirit is rum, the last year

something just because we think

Elsewhere there is Overboard, the team’s

presented a great opportunity to innovate

there’s a gap in the market. Instead,

take on Navy Strength Gin which is a

in this space.

it’s something we’ve always wanted to

more intense version of the Signature

do and I look forward to sharing it with

blend. Cut at an impressive 57%, this is a

everyone.”

delicious and vibrant gin, full of flavour

“We knew there was space in our portfolio so we took the decision to

lemon balm and silver birch.

and character. The higher ABV amplifies

produce a botanical rum, which we’ll

While rum represents a new product line

the citrus and intensifies the aromatic

launch soon,” he explains. “There is

for the Spirit of Manchester team, the

juniper.

obviously a purist route where the liquid

approach to drinks development remains

has been stilled and put into barrels, but I

constant. And that’s to make something

“Gin is the first thing Jen and I ever spoke

feel that there is a new wave, too.”

the team enjoy.

about. It’s the thing we fell in love with and the first product we ever made,”

Heeley adds: “We’re on a constant

says Heeley. “And we’re making a rum

journey learning which flavours work

because we want to make a rum. Yes

best together, and it’s a reason why gin is

there’s talk of rum being the next big

so hugely popular because people love

thing but it’s not going to be, it’s going to

distilling with these combinations and

be nowhere as big as gin.”

people enjoy drinking them.

“By adopting this approach to rum, we’ve taken everything we’ve learned about dealing with different botanicals and used that to enhance the the natural flavours of rum.”

So the consumer can soon enjoy a beautiful rum boasting flavours of fresh

There’s great joy to be had from experimentation,” Jen Wiggins, Manchester Gin

vanilla and fresh cacao.

Wiggins adds: “Gin will always be at the forefront of our business, but there’s no point having these lovely shiny stills, these fantastic botanicals and this wealth of knowledge if you’re not going to do different things with it. There’s great joy to be had from experimentation.”

And that experimentation extends further than the upcoming foray into rum. The team previously produced a very small

“It’ll almost be a new type of category

batch of Scandinavian spirit aquavit to

for rum but at the same time, we’re not

“What we always say is to make

be used as an in-house component for

going to be selling these for hundreds

something we love, and that’s ultimately

cocktails served at the distillery bar and

of pounds because they’ve not spent 20

how we started with gin,” explains

restaurant, Three Little Words.

years in a barrel. They’ve had barrel time

Wiggins. “Our first product, Signature,

but we’d be looking at retailing these

was born out of the gins Seb and I love.

Sticking on the cocktail front, Heeley’s

more in the range of £26 or so,” he says.

So we spent three months creating

personal favourite is Corpse Reviver.

“Caribbean rum will always be the most

a recipe, tasting all of the products

Created with gin, absinthe, vermouth and

prestigious because they have the right

we enjoyed. In doing so, we could

lemon juice, the drink also requires the

climate for its production. But in the UK,

understand the type of flavour profile

addition of triple sec. Considering they’ve

we have a huge distilling background to

behind our perfect gin.”

already produced most of those, what

bring to the table, too”.

better reason to produce your own Triple Signature Gin has become one of the

Sec?

Heeley explains: “So we’re focusing on

most awarded gins in the country;

what the UK does well. We have no

made with local dandelion and burdock

“You just need to start growing your own

qualms about not being a Caribbean

root and ten other specially sourced

lemons, now!” laughs Wiggins.

rum, so instead we are calling this a

botanicals including orange, lemon,

British botanical rum.

liquorice and ground almond.

“It’s a case of being honest with ourselves

It complements other releases such as

Heeley and Wiggins are looking forward

and producing a spirit that we’re proud of.

Wild Spirit, a creamy, savoury gin with

to welcoming visitors back to their

If it flies and succeeds then we’ll be really

complex herbaceous notes. Inspired

Manchester distillery once more.

pleased. But at the end of the day, you

by walks through the woodlands of

And calling the city home is an important

While the global pandemic has impacted the business, like so many others,

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DISTILLERS JOURNAL

Jen Wiggins and Seb Heeley: “We would never release something just because we think there’s a gap in the market.”

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57

part of their identity.

“I think people in Manchester aren’t afraid to experiment,” says Heeley. “Look at the music scene, and as the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution, you always think you can go out there and do something.

“We both like to eat and drink, and because the weather is often so bad, it makes sense to be creative indoors!

There is a willingness and a passion from the people of Manchester to embrace the local. And that’s a great thing.”

But just because a product is local, doesn’t mean it suddenly flies off the shelves, either.

Heeley explains: “I think you get stocked the first time because you’re local, but you don’t get a second chance unless the flavour and quality is there.

“Our policy is promoting ‘Liquid to lips’ and we can only hope to achieve that if the drinks we are making are good enough for people to want them more than once.”

“A couple of years ago there was a huge uprising in gin where it was almost novel to have people making it in their bedroom or dining room,” adds Wiggins.

“I feel that this has almost faded away a little and now quality is the overriding expectation from the consumer and that’s only right. And it’s our responsibility to meet those expectations.”

Manchester Gin Signature has become of the most awarded gins in the country

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DISTILLERS JOURNAL

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OVERCOME THE CHALLENGE

D

espite the unprecedented

a vessel known as a mash or lauter tun,

impact on the UK’s

where the starch is converted into sugar.

hospitality sector as a

Traditionally, the grain is cracked and

result of the COVID-19

stored in a grist case and then gravity-fed

pandemic, our appetite

into a ‘masher’, where it is mixed with hot

for beer and spirits remains strong.

water prior to entering the mash tun.

For breweries, this has been driven in

However, in newer or smaller breweries,

part by consumer taste for craft beers;

the grist case often sits below the mash

while in the distilling sector, there has

tun, with a conveyor system transferring

been an increased demand for authentic

the grist to the masher.

and flavoured products such as artisan

This not only involves high incremental

gin.

costs but can also add complexity to

But while brewing and distilling

the conveying system, leading to mixing

operations of all sizes – from artisan

problems; water is often added unevenly,

craft to large and highly automated –

resulting in a mix that is not homogenous

remain popular, ring fencing already tight

and reduces the yield.

profit margins is critical if producers are to shoulder the economic burdens of

An ideal alternative to complex conveyor

COVID-19.

systems are PC pumps in Seepex’s BT range. These offer installation and

BY OPTIMISING THEIR ENTIRE OPERATION AND INCREASING THEIR PLANT’S OVERALL EFFICIENCY, PC PUMPS ARE HELPING BREWERS AND DISTILLERS TO REMAIN PROFITABLE DESPITE THE PANDEMIC PRESSURES, EXPLAINS PETER MCGARIAN, MANAGING DIRECTOR AT SEEPEX UK

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SUMMER 2021

The many challenges faced throughout

mashing-in flexibility, allowing the grist

the brewing or distilling process can

to be mixed with hot water and then

be divided into three major areas: raw

pumped into the mash tun.

materials handling, production, and waste handling.

Comprising a feed hopper and an auger

In each of these, accurate control of

feed screw, the pitch and diameter of

product flow is essential to ensure the

the auger can be adjusted for optimal

final product quality is consistently high.

product feed, ensuring a homogenous mix and a stable yield.

Pumps are therefore integral to brewing and distilling operations. However, not all

One producer who is already enjoying

pumps are created equal.

the benefits is Ringwood Brewery in Dorset. Thanks to the installation of a

Here, we demonstrate how switching to a

Seepex BT pump underneath the grist

progressive cavity (PC) pump can deliver

case, its grist is now carried safely,

efficiency, productivity and energy gains

effectively and consistently to the mash

to help brewers and distillers thrive, not

tun.

just survive, throughout the pandemic and beyond.

The time taken for transfer has been cut in half, improving production and

GRIST MIXING & TRANSFER

almost doubling mashing capacity. In addition, the pump system has been

The brewing or distilling process starts

fitted with Smart Conveying Technology

by mixing milled grain (grist) with water in

(SCT); an innovation from Seepex that

DISTILLERS JOURNAL

FLAVOUR & COLOUR DOSING

enables rapid dismantling and cleaning,

This is because PC pumps move the

increasing pump stator life by up to 200%

product through the pump in a series

and reducing maintenance time by up to

of cavities, which prevents slip from the

The addition of flavours and colours

85%.

discharge back through the pump.

into beers and spirits must be done

Slip creates shear, so compared to other

accurately and constantly to ensure

pump designs which have clearances

even distribution and a consistent final

between the lobes, screws or gears, PC

product, with any additives metered in a

pumps have a very low shear action.

non-pulsating manner.

yeast is added to the wort to convert

They are also good at handling entrained

sometimes used but their pulsating

simple sugars into alcohol.

air and foam; important for brewers and

action means that once they have

Yeast is shear-sensitive so requires very

distillers as the yeast can gain a foamy

dispensed a product, there is a pause

gentle and hygienic handling to avoid

consistency at this stage.

before they can dispense again. This

YEAST HANDLING A critical process for any brewery or

Positive displacement pumps are

distillery is the fermentation stage; when

results in a gap in the process, which can

damaging it, which would ultimately have a detrimental effect on the taste of the

At the end of the fermentation process,

beer or spirit. Choosing the right yeast

yeast can also be recovered for re-use

pump is therefore crucial.

(known as harvesting) by discharging

In contrast, Seepex’s PC dosing pumps

from the conical base of closed vessels

(D range) are virtually pulsation-free

Peristaltic pumps are sometimes used at

(bottom cropping) or skimming from the

and their output is directly proportional

this stage, but their pulsating action can

surface of open vessels (top cropping). In

to the rotational speed of the pumping

have a negative effect on the quality of

either case, the low shear characteristics

elements. This linear accuracy, varied

shear-sensitive products like yeast.

of the BCF range offer advantages

using the pump speed, enables easy

By contrast, Seepex’s BCF range of PC

over alternative pumped methods or

calibration and control.

pumps offers more gentle and hygienic

inefficient manual procedures.

cause uneven distribution of ingredients.

handling, better preserving the yeast

Their ability to meter very low flow rates

quality for fermentation.

means that colours, flavours and portions

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61

A flexible alternative to expeller units, Seepex open hopper pumps are used for spent grain handling as well as grist mixing and transfer

are all consistent, and they can also

technology is also ideal for this

reduce air consumption by ~90% for the

accurately meter a wide range of product

application. SAI can efficiently convey

mash tun discharge of spent grain into

consistencies – from thin to highly

15-40% dry solids (ds) spent grains, draff

the bulk storage, and by ~80% for the

viscous, abrasive to sticky.

and hops in plugs of 20-30m length,

hops discharge.

over distances of up to several hundred

SPENT GRAINS, DRAFF, HOPS

metres using controlled air pulses.

By-products of beer and spirit production

SAI combines progressive cavity

handling methods towards innovative,

include spent grains, draff and hops. At

pumping with pneumatic dense-phase

problem-solving PC pump solutions,

the end of the mashing process, they

conveying to increase process efficiency

brewers and distillers can maintain

need to be transferred rapidly to storage

and productivity, as well as reducing

their product quality, reduce their

tanks or silos to enable production to

energy consumption.

energy consumption and increase their

In conclusion, by moving away from traditional and inefficient product

production capacity.

continue.

They are then further transported for use

In a spent grain handling test at a UK

By optimising their entire operation and

as animal feed, as additives in bakery

brewery, conveying efficiency using

increasing their plant’s overall efficiency,

products, for energy generation in biogas

SAI was evaluated to assess the air

PC pumps are helping brewers and

plants or to produce biofuel.

consumption savings compared to the

distillers to remain profitable despite the

existing pneumatic expeller.

pandemic pressures.

The methods of removing spent grain

The test demonstrated the potential to

or draff vary according to the size of the brewery. Small breweries favour manual removal, whilst larger breweries or distilleries tend to use compressed air units (also known as pneumatic expeller

Seepex BCF progressive cavity pumps are ideal for gentle and hygienic handling of shear sensitive products like yeast

units).

However, brewers and distillers can significantly reduce their costs by pumping these residual materials instead.

Open hopper PC pumps with auger feed systems can transport the spent grain or draff within a closed pipe system over hundreds of metres. And as expeller units account for one of the highest utility costs in the industry, this has the additional advantage of reducing energy consumption.

Seepex’s Smart Air Injection (SAI)

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DISTILLERS JOURNAL

Variety is the spice of life With so much choice, how do we make consumers into fans, making the decision to buy so much easier?

We know it takes building a story to elevate and position you, the craft of design and some strategic thinking!

We’re driven by working with brave clients who share our ambitious mindset and hunger to build unstoppable brands.

Let’s work together…

United by Design Brand and design agency Building brands together hello@unitedbydesign.co unitedbydesign.co

Distillers Journal half page March 2021 AW.indd 1

26/03/2021 08:23

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OPTIMISE THE INLINE BLENDING PROCESS IN THIS PIECE, LEICESTER-BASED OEM AUTOMATIC SHOWCASE THE BENEFITS A IRM-11 REFRACTOMETER CAN PLAY IN THE BLENDING PROCESS

I

n many applications, the inline

samples or a complete filling batch can

Brix analysis of products enables

be affected and must be disposed of.

automated and highly accurate process control and quality

THE SOLUTION

monitoring.

The IRM-11 refractometer is integrated

Especially when blending and filling

into the process and continuously

juices, syrups, nectars, soft drinks, and

measures the Brix value, which is the

other beverages, the refractometer IRM-

concentration of dissolved substances

11 from Anderson-Negele can:

in the products such as sugar, with high

u Measure and monitor the quality of the

accuracy.

components with high precision u Control the dosage during the

This allows the user to differentiate each

blending of the products with high

component or product. Three essential

precision

features of the IRM-11 are the basis for its

u Ensure during filling that the correct

highly efficient process analysis:

product with the correct quality is in the

u The measurement is inline,

process

temperature compensated, and continuous (measuring interval

THE APPLICATION

adjustable from 2 s). This saves labor costs for manual sampling and ensures

In beverage production, syrups, juice

correct measurement results in real-time.

concentrates, or other components are

u When measuring manually, the entire

usually blended with water according to

manufactured product between two

specified recipes, then stored in stacking

measurements can be defective. IRM-11

tanks, and finally filled into bottles or

can avoid these product losses due to its

containers, which are often product-

permanent measuring method

specific.

u The compact, all stainless-

If a preliminary component, e.g., a juice

steel design, and the simple, flush

concentrate, does not precisely meet the

installation without bypass ensure

specifications or if the blending process

maximum operation dependability in all

itself is incorrect, e.g., caused by a wrong

applications.

valve switching, the entire product may be defective. It is also possible that the wrong product is bottled due to incorrect phase transition. If this is only detected during the final quality control, a complete production batch may have to be disposed of.

The IRM-11 refractometer is integrated into the process

With a refractometer, each process step can be controlled by measuring the dissolved sugar in the liquid. If this Brixcontrol is made with manual samples and hand refractometers, this requires a very high workload for the personnel, e.g., every 20 minutes. In addition, an error can only be detected afterward, so that the production quantity between two

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DISTILLERS JOURNAL

y b e R

DISTILLERS J O U R N A L

P O D C A S T

Listen online at distillersjournal.info On Spotify - Stitcher - Apple Podcasts - Google Podcasts Podcast Addict - Acast - or wherever great podcasts live

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SCIENCE

IT WILL ALL COME OUT IN THE WASH

IN THIS PIECE ADAM JOHNSON, EUROPEAN TECHNICAL SALES AT MURPHY & SON, LOOKS AT ENZYMES AND THEIR ROLE IN THE DISTILLING PROCESS.

M

alt is a fantastic

of fermentable extract whilst retaining

thing. The maltster

the flavour and aroma characteristics

has prepared for

essential to malt whisk(e)y {1}.

the distiller a self-

This author does not want to get into

disassembling starch

spelling debates, but will use whisky for

package, where the package even

everything for the remainder of this piece.

assists in producing wort for fermentation

Pale ale brewing malt and pot still malt

by forming the filter bed.

may have some nuanced differences, but

The enzymes included in the grain are

they are both essentially well-modified,

capable of completely degrading the

plump & pale malts.

starch at ambient temperatures {1}.

This may be the case but in distilling,

For Scottish grain distilling, high Diastatic

a compromise is always found during

Power malts are used. This is because

processing as you are trying to meet

other unmalted grains are used to

various and sometimes conflicting goals.

provide the majority of the starch.

Before looking at exogenous enzymes it is worth looking at what is already

They lack the required enzymatic

available from malted barley.

activities & without external assistance they will not be able to convert this starch

As the barley grain is coaxed into

to fermentable substrate.

germination through the malting process the starchy endosperm degrading

High DP malt enables the distiller to

enzymes are produced: αalpha-

convert this whilst remaining compliant

amylase, endo-betaβ-1,3:1,4 glucanases,

to the Scotch Whisky Act.

limitdextrinases, endoproteases &

One of the key distinguishing features

Xylanases. (F.G Priest, GG Stewart

between wort and wash production vs

Handbook of Brewing). Unmalted barley

wort and beer production is the wort boil

contains βbeta-amylase and peptidase

& lack of it in distilling.

enzymes.

From an enzymatic point of view this

distillersjournal.info

Malting barley for distilling is a balancing

has a dramatic effect on the wash

act of trying to achieve maximum levels

composition as enzymes remain active

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67

throughout fermentation.

Although a range of mashing regimes are used, at typical mashing temperatures starch granules gelatinize, dissolve and endogenous enzymes rapidly degrade this starch to glucose, maltose, maltotriose and dextrins ranging in length.

Wort boiling fixes this wort composition by denaturing the malt enzymes.

Primarily brewers are concerned with αalpha-amylase & βbeta-amylase activity to produce the required liquefaction and saccharification, distillers squeeze extra fermentability out of the wort due to preserved activity of limit dextrinase in combination with the pH drop during fermentation {1}.

At Herriot-Watt University malting professor James Bryce named limit dextrinase as his favourite enzyme and from a scotch whisky distillers’ perspective it makes sense.

Even with this activity not all limit dextrins are rendered fermentable in scotch whisky production. Some Scotch distillers use commercial enzymes in the lab Scotch whisky producers are much like the brewers in Germany and have gone to some extreme measures to make a great product despite being constrained by legislation

to benchmark against their process, ensuring they are pushing the boundaries of what is possible without exogenous additions.

With malt being such an amazing raw material, it does pose the question why would you need to add non-malt

TABLE ONE: RULE OF THUMB GELATINISATION TEMPS Cereal

Typical temperature range for Gelatinisation °C

Maize

62-80

Sorghum

69-75

Barley

Small Granules 51-92 Large Granules 60-65

Barley Malt

64-67

Wheat

52-66

Rye

49-70

Oats

52-64

Rice

61-82

Potato

56-71

(Adapted from Brewing Science and Practice DE Briggs) {2} Due to the cellular structure “Cook temps” for the cereals in bold are higher than the reported gelatinisation temps

enzymes to the distilling process?

The simple answer is that a distiller does not need to, but the many benefits mean many want to.

Malting is an energy and water intensive industry plus barley is around half the price of malt. When approached like this, the economic, agronomic and sustainability arguments become strong for non-malted adjunct use.

It is a mistake to over-engineer just for the sake of it. Simplifying equipment and processing is a rewarding exercise.

Exogenous enzymes are very useful tools that can be utilised to fulfil specific tasks or benefits.

This is especially relevant when adjuncts

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DISTILLERS JOURNAL

Water Raw materials Carbohydrates: Ground grain/corn Starch Glucose Sugar

Sterilisation

Seed fermenter

Cooling water

Proteins: Soy bean meal Gluten Corn steep liquor Salts: Phosphates Sulphates Ammonium salts

Mixing of nutrient medium

Inoculation Flask Air Figure one: The enzyme production process

and unmalted cereals are desired for the process. They are also simple to ship, store, dose and use. Dose rates can be incredibly low considering the benefits.

Pump

TABLE TWO: A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE DISTILLERS ENZYMATIC TOOLBOX Enzyme Alpha Amylases

Rule of thumb gelatinisation temps (Adapted from Brewing Science and Practice DE Briggs) {2}

Sterile filter

Fermented broth for recovery of enzyme

Exogenous forms have many different temperature and pH optima

Function Starch Liquefaction, viscosity reduction By random hydrolysis of starch

Notes u Allows for use of non-malted adjuncts #* u Better suited to certain adjuncts e.g. higher gelatinisation temps u Potential savings for money, energy and emissions u More Flexibility

Enzymes are biomolecules that catalyse reactions, lowering activation energies and speeding up the rate of reaction.

Beta-Glucanses, Xylanases, Cellulases & Hemi Cellulases

Viscosity reduction

u Allows for use of non-malted adjuncts#* u Potential savings for money, energy and emissions

Glucoamylases

Saccharification

u Higher Fermentability u Higher Alcohol yield u Efficiency savings

Proteases

Readily available nitrogen for the yeast

u Higher alcohol yield u Quality and efficiency benefits

As biomolecules there is nothing “unnatural” about them in fact the opposite is true. Nature has developed them, and they are essential to nature.

Mankind simply utilises them as a tool.

It is true that modern biotechnology has allowed for genetic manipulation but as the drinks industry has for the most part resisted GMO technologies, we will not go down that rabbit hole in this article.

Typically, enzymes will be manufactured in a way that would be very familiar to

# Due to its low levels of essential enzymes (-amylase, proteases and Beta- glucanases) together with a relatively inaccessible starchy endosperm, high inclusions of unmalted barley (>20%) in the mash (without the aid of commercial enzymes) can lead to problems such as low extract yields, high wort viscosities, decreased rate of lautering & fermentation problems {3} * The major difficulties in wort production with high levels of wheat include an increase in viscosity, slower wort separation {3}

brewers & distillers: Utilising raw materials -> →Mixing to an aqueous form -> →Utilizing microorganisms, engineering equipment & heating and cooling functions -> → Packaging Final product

distillersjournal.info

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Figure two: Differences of amylose and amylopectin

R1

R2

R3

R4

NH2 – CH – CO – NH – CH – CO – NH – CH – CO – NH – CH – COOH Amino-acid

Amino-acid

Endoprotease

Aminopeptidase

Carboxypeptidase Exoproteases

Figure three: Proteases enzymes

The distilling process is a great area for

enzymes to improve product and/or

For example, Trizyme is a blend of alpha

the application of accumulated marginal

process.

amylase, Beta-glucanase and protease

gains. In a grain distillery increasing ABV from 9.6% to 11% results in and increase of

activities. Distillers can use this with

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

alcohol yield from 370-385L/t Grain.

significant non malted barley & adjunct usage and measure results compared to

Murphy and Son is not an enzyme

separate additions.

The processing can be broken down and

manufacturer, but we have found

examined and areas can be looked at for

success as an enzyme supplier as

As a single product to purchase, store

improvement. E.g. Is spirit yield & energy

we can partner with a wide range of

and apply to the process there are

consumption good? Can it be better? Are

manufacturers who offer the best

operational benefits. We can even tailor

raw material costs good? Can they be

solutions & as qualified brewers and

formulations for their specific process.

better?

distillers we can work with the customers

Therefore, many distillers use exogenous

to get great results.

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SUMMER 2021

As I mentioned we have a slightly

DISTILLERS JOURNAL

different perspective than many distillers

We would love to work with some

& we have some slightly alternative ideas

distillers with a curious mind in these

we would like to investigate with distillers

projects or others that you think

working from grain to glass.

will spark our curiosity. Connect via

“Burtonised” Ready Hardened Malt-

my Linkedin profile: https://www.

With our expertise in water treatment

linkedin.com/in/adam-johnson-

for the brewing industry spanning over

65827595/?originalSubdomain=de

130 years we are developing malt with

Cheers to all the distillery workers

an increased acidification potential and

keeping our spirits up during a very

higher calcium levels. We believe this will

difficult time!

produce benefits to the mashing process.

We would also like to work with some

REFERENCES

distillers to tailor our existing treatments to producers who are not constrained by

1. A review of malting and malt

Scotch whisky.

processing for whisky distillation George N. Bathgate* https://doi.org/10.1002/

We are also fortunate to have access

jib.332

to a wide selection of farmhouse yeast

2. Brewing Science and Practice, DE

strains, if you have come across “Kviek

Briggs, CA Boulton, PA Brookes & R

“strains before you will have noted they

Stevens.

have extremely interesting fermentation

3. Brewing New Technologies CW

profiles as they are much more tolerant

Bamforth

to high temperatures they can therefore

4. 125th Anniversary Review:

ferment even faster than typical wash

Developments in brewing and distilling

fermentations 24 hours is common for

yeast strains Graham G. Stewart Annie E.

farmhouse brewers (Historical brewing

Hill Inge Russell https://doi.org/10.1002/

techniques LM Garshol)

jib.104

distillersjournal.info

Article author Adam Johnson and his sister (left) on their very first visit to a distillery

SUMMER 2021

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71

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THE PAY-OFFS OF HUMIDITY MANAGEMENT CONTROLLING HUMIDITY LEVELS IS ONE OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANTLY OVERLOOKED ISSUES IN MODERN INDUSTRIAL ACTIVITY, BUT HUMIDITY CONTROL TECHNOLOGY IS THE MOST COSTEFFECTIVE AND ENVIRONMENTALLY RESPONSIBLE WAY TO TACKLE MANY PROBLEMS WIDESPREAD THROUGHOUT THE PRODUCTION INDUSTRY, EXPLAINS LINDSEY HENDERSON SALES DIRECTOR AT HUMIDITY SOLUTIONS

T

he ability to control levels of

over years. Controlling variables such as

humidity is one of the most

humidity must be a concern across all

significantly overlooked

steps of the production operation.

issues in modern industrial activity. Most people don’t

A good example of this is how a lack of

notice humidity to anywhere near the

humidity control in a whisky distillery was

same degree that they are aware of other

causing large losses due to evaporation.

equally basic phenomena, such as heat,

In this particular application the whisky

cold and draughts.

was being matured in oak casks over years to get its unique flavour and colour.

Humidity can have a profound influence

These wooden casks equalise with the

on materials, on production costs, on

surrounding air, which means liquid

service and maintenance expenditure

transforms outwards when the air

and on asset durability, as well as

humidity in the storage areas is too low,

energy consumption and the resultant

this means great volumes of loss of

environmental impact. This applies to

whisky and of course loss of income.

virtually all sectors of both manufacturing and service industry.

This ‘angels’ share’ that occurs in the maturing process is now controlled by

Uncontrolled Humidity makes nasty

installing an Adiabatic humidification

things happen:

system which uses a high pressure

Condensation Condensation is the result

pump station and controls several zones

of the fact that the air, which inevitably

independently using nozzles mounted

contains a certain level of moisture, has a

on heads that distribute the moisture in a

different temperature from the surfaces

controlled manner.

with which it comes into contact.

Humidifying to the correct level and

Corrosion & rust The combination of

stabilizing the humidity in the storage

humidity and oxygen makes metals

areas have ensured losses are at an

corrode, significantly affecting both

absolute minimum and profit margins are

strength and durability. Iron and steel rust

no longer affected.

and lose structural integrity, copper is plagued by verdigris, affecting electronics

Similarly, as too little humidity can cause

and electrical equipment.

issues, there are also many problems

Clumping & blockages Powders and

associated with too much humidity as

granulate absorb humidity particularly

stated above, whilst we may know of

easily. They then clump together,

these problems the important thing is

affecting quality and causing blockages

how they are dealt with.

in processing equipment, as well as

The layman’s idea about dealing with

providing a fertile breeding ground for

humidity and condensation problems is

bacteria.

simply to turn up the heating, However,

Inconsistent Product Conditions

turning up the heating has only very

Seasonal fluctuations in humidity result

limited effects on humidity.

in inconsistent production conditions that can affect product quality, energy

Heating does not alter the absolute level

consumption and profit margins.

of humidity present in the air – it only increases the overall temperature.

distillersjournal.info

Today’s operations strive for consistency

The relationship between the heat

and conformity across production and

content and the water vapour content of

SUMMER 2021

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73

air is relatively complicated and non-

The entire process is cyclic, making the

Humidity control technology is the most

linear, and temperature isn’t as important

system largely self-reliant, with no need

cost-effective and environmentally

as air humidity, because of the dew point.

for manual intervention and very little

responsible way to tackle many problems

This usually results in excessive energy

need for maintenance.

widespread throughout the production

costs to very little effect, because it takes

Controlling humidity is ultimately a

industry. It’s an easy, inexpensive way to

much more energy to heat moisture-

question of establishing – and keeping

implement pro-active measures that help

laden air than to heat dry air.

– control over parameters that can have

make sure you can maintain the value of

And it does not provide a year-round

big effects on efficiency, reliability and

key structures, processes and other high-

solution. In virtually all cases, removing

profitability.

value assets.

moisture from the air using adsorption

Effective humidity management gives

As all buildings are different, and owners

dehumidification technology is

you:

have their own unique requirements, it

significantly more effective, and makes

u Better control of parameters that

is wise to get specialist advice to ensure

it possible to work with consistent levels

affect your raw materials, production

the most appropriate solution.

of effectiveness regardless of season or

processes, manufacturing installations

weather.

and fixed assets

Lindsey Henderson is sales director

u Lower costs for service, maintenance

and Dehumidification Specialist at

The heart of this process is a slowly

and refurbishment

Humidity Solutions, with over thirty

turning rotor coated with silica gel, which

u Lower energy costs and reduced

years’ experience in the humidity control

absorbs the water molecules present in

environmental impact

industry. Humidity Solutions is the

the air passing through it.

u Longer service life for buildings and

UK’s leading independent specialist

In a designated regeneration zone,

equipment

in humidification and dehumidification

the saturated rotor is then dried with a

u A way to actively prevent detrimental

systems for a wide variety of industrial,

separate flow of heated air.

processes such as rust and corrosion,

commercial and residential applications.

mould and rot, condensation, electrical

The team at Humidity Solutions will

faults, and spoilt materials and products.

design, install, service and maintain

The warm, humid regeneration air is then

bespoke systems to suit each unique

led away, and the rotor is once again ready to absorb water.

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SUMMER 2021

And better control is good business.

requirement.

DISTILLERS JOURNAL

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