How did the Lancaster Spirits Company start? The company started off in the hospitality sector in 2001 when the business bought The Water Witch pub in Lancaster. By the time that pub won UK Pub of the Year in 2006 we already had two other pubs/restaurants and had established Lancaster Brewery. Since then we've developed and grown, now owning a variety of freehold sites in North Lancashire and South Cumbria. During that entire 22-year period we've adhered to the same standards - fantastic quality, fantastic choice and fantastic venues. What made you decide to create your distillery and , and what's the inspiration behind your gin? We've always worked on a set of core principles, which sounds like a cliche but is something that's ingrained in every member of staff and our management - to do things properly and fairly while offering the absolute best quality. In 2018 when we started exploring the opportunity of opening a distillery we applied the same principles and questioned why 95% of UK micro distilleries buy in their ethanol? We already had a brewery capable of producing exceptional quality wort, what we needed was to convert that wort (a base beer) into spirit. The inspiration was to create a true grain-to-glass distillery, making uncommon and remarkable spirits with genuine provenance. Our gins and vodkas are uniquely but subtly flavoursome, naturally eco-friendly, and different to any other product on the market currently.
What is the meaning and story behind your brand and name? The Lancaster Spirits Company was so-named as the entire business is designed to be a showcase for the city and county. Every element proudly shouts "Lancaster". We draw water from an ancient Bowland aquifer situated hundreds of feet below ground level via our artesian well, the production is powered by our bank of solar panels, the spirits are built from special brewing beer brewed in our adjoining brewery, we use locally foraged botanicals, and even the bottle is bespoke and based upon a 19th century local Lancaster brewery beer bottle. Our story, meaning and brand are simple in concept yet incredibly difficult and demanding in practicality. We don't do things by halves. Can you tell us more about your distillery and still? We've spent a lot of time, effort and money on our distillery and production. Firstly, we commissioned a bespoke, all-copper still with spirit columns designed to fit within our 5.5 metre building height. The 18 plate vodka column sneaks in at just over 5 metres tall. This beautiful still and its columns sit in pride of place within our Tap & Still bar, accessible and viewable by members of the public. The process of distilling is arduous and has taken years of trials and testing to get it to where we're happy.
Can you tell us more about your distillation process and base spirit? Because we wanted to be part of the 5% of micro-distilleries who don't utilise bought-in ethanol to produce its spirits, we had to design a wort (distilling beer) and distilling technique from scratch. Every still is unique and every beer is unique to a brewery - this process took nearly two years to perfect. Sometimes we distil the same spirit three times to achieve the right balance of flavours we're seeking. Add the other elements to the distillery process - the rectifying for the gins, the conditioning and the polishing - from brewing the beer to bottling the spirits we've got a 6-to-7-week process for every drop of our gins or vodkas. What can visitors experience if they visit the distillery for a tour/tasting? Our distillery tours showcase the highs and lows of our distillery journey. Thankfully, we’re now in a place where we can share a giggle with our visitors about the trials and tribulations we faced when developing the spirits. With our myriad of failed recipes came a quagmire of feedback at the taste test sessions – feel free to laugh at our expense. At least we now have unique spirits to enjoy while we share our story!
What is your ambition for Lancaster Spirits Company in the years to come?
We're not resting on our laurels. In the coming weeks we begin work on a large new distillery building which will house a large new wash still, conditioning tanks and (most importantly) a sizeable whisky warehouse. We're already producing whisky spirit, we have a number of whisky casks already in storage, but shortly we will have a specific whisky production area with lots of beautiful oak casks on display and available to purchase once they're carefully matured. It'll be a beautiful sight to behold! What are your favourite ways to drink your gin? Our first gin, Firecracker, is very front-footed and bold. With a combination of big, confident botanical flavours allied to a rich, velvety background spirit it really shines with certain fruit combinations. We find that a quality tonic, a good chunk of orange and a slice of cucumber works fabulously well. Desert Island Gins: Which 3 gins would you take with you and why?
Bring on the whisky! You Might Also Like...
Comments are closed.
|
RSS Feed
