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Chippy_Tea

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Ulverston Cumbria.
Ulverston gin-maker has recipe for success.

WATCHING his huge 6ft-plus figure tower over a table of ingredients, it is difficult to imagine how Andrew Arnold-Bennett would fit in the tiny shed at the back of his house, let alone run a business empire from it.

His head skims the ceiling of the diminutive outbuilding which has become his laboratory-cum-distillery-cum-factory and he can almost reach both sides, simply by outstretching his arms.

But thatââ¬â¢s sort of the point of Shed 1 Distillery Ltd, Ulverston. The philosophy behind the actorââ¬â¢s foray into the world of gin-making is small batch, big flavour.

And this thespian certainly has the recipe for success.

Since launching in October, this most homemade of brands has proved a huge hit with drinkers. It is now stocked in a string of hotels, restaurants, bars and shops in Cumbria. Bottles are flying off the virtual shelves of its website.

Lancashire-born Andrew, 50, said: ââ¬ÅI had no idea what to expect when we started, but it has been brilliant.ââ¬Â

Wife Zoe Arnold-Bennett had always been a fan of motherââ¬â¢s ruin, but Andrew was always more of a beer and whiskey man.

ââ¬ÅA few years ago I had a G and T for the first time in a long time and I just thought ââ¬Ëwow, this is quite nice thing to drinkââ¬â¢,ââ¬Â he said.

His newfound appreciation came at a time when Britain was beginning a "re-gin-eration". In recent years, the spirit has enjoyed a revival driven by premium brands made in the UK, capitalising on an increasing appetite for homegrown produce.

According to HM Revenue and Customs, there were only 116 distilleries in the UK in 2010, but about 100 have opened in the past two years alone. Industry experts predict that demand will outstrip that for Scottish whisky by 2020.

Today, the kitchen table of his home in Sunderland Terrace is scattered with Kilner jars filled with rose petals, cardamom and, of course, juniper berries - just a selection of the ingredients he packs into the brandââ¬â¢s three blends.

Andrew said: ââ¬ÅYou can spend months thinking about things and what might work. I knew we were stopping our festive one and I wanted to have something ready, we really had to think about the type of gin we were going for and make sure it complemented the other two.ââ¬Â

ââ¬ÅHe has an amazing nose for botanicals, weââ¬â¢ve not had one disaster,ââ¬Â added Zoe.

Friends have been used as makeshift focus groups, testing flavours and providing feedback.

Latest to roll off the production line is Fancy Frolic, a potent mix of three types of lime, ginger and strawberries which captures the spirit of summer in a sip.

You donââ¬â¢t even have to taste it to get the ingredients, a sniff is all it takes.

ââ¬ÅI always just recommend drinking it straight or with a clean tonic and garnish of choice,ââ¬Â said Andrew.

The process of gin-making involves buying base alcohol from a wholesaler, adding the exotic blends of herbs, fruits and spices, as well as key ingredient juniper. Hours are spent allowing the liquid to soak up the ingredients.

This forms a compound gin, resembling cider in colour, which is added to his 25-litre copper distiller. Itââ¬â¢s another five-plus hours distilling, requiring close watch, which spells long shifts in the shed.

When you consider that busy periods demand production 36 bottles a week, it is little wonder why Andrew has applied for a licence for a bigger, 40-litre distiller.

The couple have also had to take a unit at Ulverston Auction Mart in North Lonsdale Road, and expansion is on the cards.

Andrew said: ââ¬ÅWhen we started, we thought weââ¬â¢d see how it went for 12 or 18 months and see what happened, but due to demand weââ¬â¢re looking at moving somewhere within Ulverston to have everything in one place.ââ¬Â

But it is the shed where the magic happens, and Andrew insists it always will.

ââ¬ÅThe shed will always be headquarters for development,ââ¬Â he said.
 
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It's not really a distillery if it's buying base gin from a wholesaler though. Is it?

It's a bit like buying in a premade stout and adding flavours, repackaging and saying you're a brewer?

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The quote below says he is distilling.


The process of gin-making involves buying base alcohol from a wholesaler, adding the exotic blends of herbs, fruits and spices, as well as key ingredient juniper. Hours are spent allowing the liquid to soak up the ingredients.

This forms a compound gin, resembling cider in colour, which is added to his 25-litre copper distiller. It’s another five-plus hours distilling, requiring close watch, which spells long shifts in the shed.

When you consider that busy periods demand production 36 bottles a week, it is little wonder why Andrew has applied for a licence for a bigger, 40-litre distiller.

The couple have also had to take a unit at Ulverston Auction Mart in North Lonsdale Road, and expansion is on the cards.
 
It's not really a distillery if it's buying base gin from a wholesaler though. Is it?

It's a bit like buying in a premade stout and adding flavours, repackaging and saying you're a brewer?

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

It's a base alcohol (essentially vodka) that is redistilled with his botannicals added in to turn it into gin. I would guess that it's too time consuming to ferment the quantities needed to make a spirit and therefore cheaper to buy the base wholesale.
 
Looks like the only reason he distills it a second time is to get the colour right. Apart from that I've always thought that gin is gin really. Raw alcohol with some herbs added then bottled with no maturation, no oak, nothing to enhance it. Not that I have a problem with that, I drink the stuff without complaint.
 
It is extremely difficult to get a license to distill alcohol from scratch however a lot of people are buying in the raw alcohol and redistilling with spices, botanicals etc. not sure how it works with HMRC but would imagine the duty is paid on the Raw alcohol when released from the original producer and as long as there is no change in the ABV then no further duty should be payable however the rules on compound products are difficult to understand.
(NB this is just my thoughts don't take it as correct)
 
Hi. The gin produced is distilled gin.
Although I don't hold a distillers licence I am allowed to distill the compound gins produced due to my compounders and rectifiers licences. The distillers licence is only needed if you are producing the base alcohol. The distilling of the compound allows me to fine tune the taste profile, taking cuts at certain temperatures and abv's. The duty is paid on the base spirit so a change in abv from base to finished product doesn't incur any further charges. To make sure I don't pore money down the drain all waste cuts and the tail end of the run are collected and put through a stripping run, the alcohol from which can then be reused.
Hope this helps.
Shed 1
 
Hi. The gin produced is distilled gin.
Although I don't hold a distillers licence I am allowed to distil the compound gins produced due to my compounders and rectifiers licences.

More on Rectifier and Compounded licence.


Redistilled or mixed spirits

If you redistil spirits or compound spirits by using a still, you must have a rectifier’s licence.

If you mix spirits with anything apart from water, but don’t use a still to do so, you must have a compounder’s licence.

Rectifier’s licence


You must apply for a rectifier’s licence using form L5.

If you don’t operate from an excise warehouse, you must also complete an excise entry and have it approved by HMRC before you begin rectifying. You do this using either:

form EX103 if you’re a private trader (ie sole proprietor)
form EX103A if you’re an incorporated company
Read more on applying for a rectifier’s licence.

Compounder’s licence

If you distinctly alter the character or flavour of a spirit with another substance, other than water, but don’t use a still to do so, you need a compounder’s licence.

This doesn’t include mixed drinks solely for consumption on the premises, for example, cocktails.

You must apply for a compounder’s licence using form L5.

If you don’t operate from an excise warehouse, you must also complete an excise entry and have it approved by HMRC before you begin compounding. You do this using either:

form EX103 if you’re a private trader (ie sole proprietor)
form EX103A if you’re an incorporated company
Read more on applying for a compounder’s licence.

Responsibilities of licensed spirits producers
If you’re licensed by HMRC as a distiller, you must:

secure your premises and the spirits you produce
keep accurate records and accounts, and make accurate returns on time
take appropriate measures to prevent any losses
promptly examine any losses and identify the causes
investigate any irregularities

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/spirits-duty
 
Thanks, makes sense. 😎👌

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Welcome to the forum! I went on a tour of Pickering's Gin in Edinburgh in the summer and it's exactly the process they used. Buy in base ethanol from Indonesia then infuse before distilling and diluting.

Their gin is excellent and being from the South Lakes area originally I'd love to try Shed1. Where do you sell it Andrew?
 
Hi. The gin produced is distilled gin.

Although I don't hold a distillers licence I am allowed to distill the compound gins produced due to my compounders and rectifiers licences. The distillers licence is only needed if you are producing the base alcohol. The distilling of the compound allows me to fine tune the taste profile, taking cuts at certain temperatures and abv's. The duty is paid on the base spirit so a change in abv from base to finished product doesn't incur any further charges. To make sure I don't pore money down the drain all waste cuts and the tail end of the run are collected and put through a stripping run, the alcohol from which can then be reused.

Hope this helps.

Shed 1



Awesome enterprise - impressive [emoji106]


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