Craft distillery using locally-sourced grains to open

The Copper Rivet Distillery will use locally-sourced grains to produce its spirits. It will be responsible for the milling, brewing, fermenting, distilling, bottling and packaging of its products. The distillery will then sell its high-end products at premium restaurants and shops.

One of the owners of the distillery, Stephen Russell, told FoodManufacture.co.uk: “The equipment going into our distillery is quite special. There is equipment in our craft distillery that you simply won’t find in other craft distilleries.”

‘How special it will be’

He added: “We hope to find a way to help people that buy the product to understand how special it will be.”

The distillery is co-owned by Russell’s father, Bob, and brother, Matthew. The business idea was initially discussed five years ago, and they are now awaiting a licence from HM Revenue & Customs to begin production in their new distillery. The Russell family hope to have their licence by the end of August.

They plan to allow six to eight weeks to test the equipment and product quality before stepping up to full-scale production.

Full-scale production

The craft distillery is located inside Pump House No. 5 at Chatham Maritime, Kent. The Victorian building was once used for pumping water out of the dry docks, but will soon be open to the public as a distillery.

Matthew Russell said: “Chatham Maritime and the dockyard has an incredible heritage of craftsmanship, industry and innovation. We’re hoping to replicate and reinvent this proud tradition by producing exceptional gins, whiskies and vodkas from scratch in bespoke stills, with the same skill that local craftsmen once fashioned world-class ships.”

Stephen Russell estimated that the distillery would provide work for at least 10 individuals – not including the three owners. That would include front-of-house staff and tour guides as the distillery opens to the public after a few months.

The scale of the investment in the project was not disclosed.