Still Smarter

Just wondering today if there have been many from the forum have managed to take their hobby to commercial status, either through a rectifiers licence or full distillers licence with a bonded warehouse etc??
I understand the rectifiers licence is quite a competitive sector with everyone who could do it, having a stab at it because it is relatively simple to do…
And on the other hand the full hog distillers licence is so expensive and difficult to obtain, it puts most out of reach.
But I just was wondering if anyone had done it on here or attempted even?
Thanks POITÍN

A local distillery in the making near to me has been at application for a year and has spent £100,000 with no licence yet granted. Just sayin !

Have a look here https://stillsmarter.co.uk/forum/viewt ... 0af#p22778

Moss wrote: Fri Jan 12, 2024 8:22 pm Have a look here https://stillsmarter.co.uk/forum/viewt ... 0af#p22778

Fair play to BlindXX, that took some serious effort, didn’t it. Just shows how small you can actually start and still produce some seriously good spirit

Salar6 wrote: Fri Jan 12, 2024 8:18 pm A local distillery in the making near to me has been at application for a year and has spent £100,000 with no licence yet granted. Just sayin !

Salar6 that’s the worry isn’t it… and there’s still no guarantee of getting it likely.. massive investment, hopefully it works out for them. Are they going down the whiskey route do you know?

Yes whiskey is what they want to produce locally, revive an old brand name. Presently making elsewhere I think but trying to get their own premises.

https://www.limavady.com/
LIMAVADY SINGLE MALT IRISH WHISKEY
£ 42.95

Limavady | ABV 46%

This single malt, single cask Irish Whiskey is the creation of former Bushmills and Dublin Liberties Distillery master distiller Darryl McNally, who wants to revive his own family’s heritage of making whiskey in Northern Ireland’s County Antrim and owned the old Limavady distillery before Prohibition. It’s bottled and distributed in a partnership with Vermont’s WhistlePig Farm, and uses sourced whiskey from an undisclosed Irish distillery matured in a combination of ex-Bourbon and Pedro Ximenez Sherry casks.

The nose is fruity and floral with touches of orange marmalade, honey, vanilla, dried flowers, butterscotch, and a nice maltiness. The taste is fruity, sweet, and well-balanced with orange marmalade, fresh berries, hints of ginger and allspice, honey, and butterscotch notes. The finish is long and fruity with lingering spices and a slight tartness

Salar6 wrote: Sat Jan 13, 2024 12:08 am Yes whiskey is what they want to produce locally, revive an old brand name. Presently making elsewhere I think but trying to get their own premises.

https://www.limavady.com/
LIMAVADY SINGLE MALT IRISH WHISKEY
£ 42.95

Ohh, interesting, I didn’t know there was a distillery trying to get off the ground in Limavady.
Once I was in Australia and I was at a vineyard and they had ‘Limb Of Addy’ wine. It was an outfit who had moved from Limavady to Australia and started a vineyard and producing wine, but called themselves Limb Of Addy Wine which I thought was interesting.

Back to McNally though, he’s spent a lot of money if the licence doesn’t come through. I sometimes think it’s mad how a whiskey can be aged in the cask paying warehouse fees for ten years plus and a bottle is £40 and a gin that was made last week can sell for around £30 or more…
Whiskey is a funny game that you need to get right if you’re to survive by the looks of it.

Where abouts are you from Salar6, if Limavady is local to you?

Hi Poitin I have my rectifiers license. Too about 5 months to get it from HMRC. However the next step to full distillers license is monumental.
Regards
RM

Runningman wrote: Sat Jan 13, 2024 4:40 pm Hi Poitin I have my rectifiers license. Too about 5 months to get it from HMRC. However the next step to full distillers license is monumental.
Regards
RM

Hi Runningman,
Great to chat to someone with one! Was it a difficult thing to obtain? Did they come out and inspect your premises? Also, quick question, can you technically distill Poitin from grain neutral spirit? Or must you distill it from a wash of some kind?
My wondering was if you added unmalted barley to the GNS and distilled it for flavour? Or is that something else?? Not gin because no juniper, but it has a designation of something else, not Poitin??
And a final question for you would be, have you sold any spirit you’ve rectified? Do you have a gin you sell or just for your own personal use?
Many thanks, POITÍN

Poitin the company is at Magilligan near Limavady. An application has been made for a whiskey barrel storage warehouse on the outskirts of Limavady at Aghnaloo according to Radio Foyle my local radio station. A little video for those interested in the mountain dew !
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fT4kyO0FH9Q

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4TM8Mxyui0
Some more of the operation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_dHFWUOVzw
sorry wrong link last time !

Him Poitin loads of paperwork to fill in and in my case a 5 month wait to get the license. There were no visits. As far as Im aware as long as you use duty paid spirit (NGS) you can rectify it in any way you want whether it be, gin, rum, whisky, vodka, brandy and the like. Unfortunately at this point you cannot sell it as you will require further licensing. I make spirits for personal, family and friends use. Hope this clarifies.
Regards
RM

Salar6 wrote: Sun Jan 14, 2024 8:57 am https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_dHFWUOVzw
sorry wrong link last time !

Watch this video on Facebook https://fb.watch/pzvhtIP6tN/?
Here’s the full dvd, I would love to get the hard copy of it sometime.
Absolutely brilliant documentary on the history of Poitín and whisky making in Ireland

Runningman wrote: Sun Jan 14, 2024 11:13 am Him Poitin loads of paperwork to fill in and in my case a 5 month wait to get the license. There were no visits. As far as Im aware as long as you use duty paid spirit (NGS) you can rectify it in any way you want whether it be, gin, rum, whisky, vodka, brandy and the like. Unfortunately at this point you cannot sell it as you will require further licensing. I make spirits for personal, family and friends use. Hope this clarifies.
Regards
RM

Amazing info thanks RM…
I take it you need a bonded warehouse if you were to buy non duty paid spirit to rectify.
Then that would be a real pain with paperwork and regulations.
Probably best to leave it to something a bit simpler

Hi Poitin no bonded warehouse required if you purchase duty paid spirit as the tax has already been paid on it. GNS 69.9% (Grain Neutral Spirit) costs approx. £150 for 5 ltrs. from New Age Spirits sales@newagespirits.co.uk thats if you want to do it totally legal. However you can distill your own neutral spirit but you will be doing it illegally. Wink, Wink.
Regards
RM

I’ve no problem doing it under the table, but if you were to go semi legit with a rectifiers licence that’s the only way to get it.
I’m just wondering if you can buy GNS without a bonded warehouse? Or is a bonded warehouse easy to get. Then you only pay duty when it leaves your shed.
I have a shed here would be ideal
Thanks POITÍN

Poitin could you post the DVD link again(Facebook?) as I cant get it to work. A sucker for history me lol

Salar6 wrote: Sun Jan 14, 2024 11:42 pm Poitin could you post the DVD link again(Facebook?) as I cant get it to work. A sucker for history me lol

https://m.facebook.com/MVNaomhEanna/vid ... 826248536/

That should be it there Salar6 or also I’ll post another link too.

Watch this video on Facebook https://fb.watch/pAcRFHt14m/?

Let me know if they don’t work, I’ll try something else

Excellent video really enjoyed it thanks.

Mash wrote: Mon Jan 15, 2024 12:11 pm Excellent video really enjoyed it thanks.

You’re more than welcome sir, if I find anything of similar quality I’ll post it too

I don't do Facebook. I would like to view information, is there an alternative?

The me doesn't exist you see.

WelshGin, that dvd was released a long time ago and has since gone out of production.
I’ll see if I can record it some way and send it to you.

Runningman wrote: Sun Jan 14, 2024 5:04 pm GNS 69.9% (Grain Neutral Spirit) costs approx. £150 for 5 ltrs. from New Age Spirits sales@newagespirits.co.uk thats if you want to do it totally legal. However you can distill your own neutral spirit but you will be doing it illegally. Wink, Wink.
Regards
RM

Wow! That's a lot

Hi Jennysgin it sure is a lot but considering the government take £28.60 I think for every litre for tax. Thats how it is so expensive. And that is why we make it ourselves.
Regards
RM