My Grandfather was a flight engineer in bomber command during World War Two. He mostly flew on Lancaster Bombers (on 32 missions in fact. If you know how high this number is, you know how lucky I am to even exist!). Built by Avro in their factory in Oldham in Lancashire (but not Lancaster itself, the aircraft was named after the region), it was the bomber equivalent of the spitfire – a marvel of engineering at the time and one of the many key components to allied success come 1945.
I’d never been to Lancaster before (I’m not sure my grandfather ever had either, having trained in Scotland and Sierra Leone, before being based out of East Anglia where he met my Grandmother – also luckily for me!) until last month when I was invited up to see the new distillery at Lancaster Brewery by recent hire Chris Pateman (formerly of Annandale Distillery and The Lakes). Based on a quasi industrial estate (there’s also a thriving cafe and short walks around the adjoining woodlands) on the outskirts of the City, the distillery is housed in the brewery & taproom complex which is a large black structure with ample outdoor seating. The site is identified not only by the defiant Lancastrian branding, but also by large, shiny grain hoppers outside the front, giving away the interior purpose.
THE TEAM
Distilling has only been taking place here since the early Summer under the current team (a few experiments took place before then, but it’s uncertain whether that product will ever see the light of day!), under the watchful eye of Distillery manager Joan Casals (previously of Halewood Artisanal Spirits and Wharf Distillery) and supported by Will Pammenter and his team in the brewhouse who produce the wash for distilling.
The distillery is an extension of the brewery and, in fact, owes its existence to the brewery making too much beer! I hear you cry “but there’s no such thing”, yet at full capacity the brewery entered a new tax threshold which made them less profitable. So, rather than reduce production and waste capacity, they cleverly pivoted to distilling the extra mashes to produce spirits, including whisky. Whilst they also produce white spirits, the aim is to be a whisky distillery first and foremost, as evidenced by the creation of their bespoke “Whisky Room” including the Wash still and impressive cask racks.
Will and the brew team are using interesting brewing malts, such as Flagon Malt, in the mash. This winter Barley varietal is rarely used to make whisky as it is a relatively inefficient, low yield barley – but Flagon Malt gives a depth of flavour & character to their spirit and (in my view) a nice link back to their roots as a brewery first and foremost. The remaining 3% of the mash is Chocolate malt, which adds richness and depth to the new make and is also common in beer mashbills.
THE PROCESS
Three Tonnes of Barley & 8000 litres of Water (drawn from their own borehole) is converted into 8000 litres of wash at 10% after 4-7 days of fermentation, which begins every Thursday before distilling takes place the following Monday. Fermentation lasts between 96-168 hours (4-7 days), generating the fruiter esters found in their spirit. The range is due to having a fermentation vessel larger than the wash still, so distilling begins on Monday, but doesn’t end until the Wednesday – thus the variation in fermentation length. Also uniquely, they’re using a Lancastrian Live Yeast Strand – a Brewers Yeast that has learnt to efficiently breakdown the natural sugars found in Flagon Malt.
THE SPIRIT
This process produces a new make spirit with rich notes of Manuka honey and black pepper, which promise interesting flavours to develop in cask – most of which will be ex-Bourbon, alongside some sherry and red wine barrels.
We sampled the new make spirit, along with a 20-day-old cask sample drawn from a shaved, toasted & re-charred wine cask (STR). This already had a pleasing golden hue to the colour, and some deeper notes of dark chocolate and red berries (lingonberry?) to accentuate the honey sweetness of the spirit. Impressive and exciting indeed. Whilst it is too early to tell how these liquids will turn out at 3+ years time, I for one am a sucker for sweeter, richer whiskies and I’m hopeful this will develop these notes further into a juicy, rich and unique dram down the line.
The distillery has also been set-up to comfortably house tours and tastings, so another great reason to swing by to experience the wonderful Lancastrian hospitality – try their white spirits (and the new make if you get a chance) and exit through the beer hall for a pint or some takeaway bottles of Lancaster’s finest. Check out the distillery website for both public & private tours, as well as unique experiences ranging from filling your own cask or even roll one across the distillery floor and draw your own samples.
IN CONCLUSION
I stepped away into the Autumn sunshine and headed to local Williamson Park to climb the iconic Aston Memorial and take in the vistas across Lancaster, down to Morecombe bay and leading to the the rising hills of the Lakes in the distance. As I stood there I couldn’t help but imagine my grandfather flying past in a formation of roaring noisy Lancasters and the pride this region must have felt at “doing their bit” to help the Allies win the war. Those campaigns were messy and not always something my grandfather was proud of being a part of – but he will forever be my hero for the risks he took – and the luck he exhibited – in his efforts during that time.
Lancaster brewery is a modern regional success story and another reason for the City and County to be proud of their contribution of the unwavering Lancastrian attitude. I don’t see any reason why the distillery, and especially their whisky project, won’t follow suit. All the ingredients are there, along with passion, ingenuity and dedication. I can’t wait for their first whisky to take flight and become it’s own roaring success in the not too distant future.
Cheers to Lancasters old and new.
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