Overview
3-Day Course
Start Up Distilling is a three-day theory-based course providing a comprehensive introduction to the distilling industry and requirements of a commercial venture. The course delivers an overview of the distilling process alongside distillery start up and legal considerations.
It is suitable for those considering distilling as a possible career change or business opportunity. By the end of the course, you would be aware of the realities of running a distillery business and be able to make informed decisions.
No background knowledge of brewing is required for the course.
Students are given the opportunity to learn about the stages of distilling and discuss start up issues including finance and regulations with working distillers and commercial specialists. Parts of the theory are brought to life through demonstrations on our small scale develop kits at Brewlab.
The course is tutored by industry specialists who have a vast wealth of expertise and experience in their fields.
We include a trip a successful local distillery to see a commercial operation in practice and to hear about their processes and journey.
There are additional Practical Distilling Workshops that follow the course if you would like to add a practical experience. They can be booked at a discounted rate when attended with the Start Up Distilling course.
The course fee is £715.
A £100 non-refundable deposit is required to secure a booking. The balance has to be paid six weeks prior to the course start date. Price includes VAT.
Payment plans can be arranged on request.
Accommodation is not included in the course.
All prices include VAT where applicable.
Outcomes
At the end of the course, you will have a sound understanding of:
- The underlying theory relevant to each stage of the distilling process.
- An introduction to distilled product assessment with fault and flavour recognition.
- Procedures for duty payments to HM Revenue & Customs.
- Quality assurance techniques.
- Commercial distillery layout and operations.
- Marketing and sales strategies for contemporary distilleries with exposure to business start-up ideas.
You will have observed:
- Production of standard mashes and extracts on a commercial plant and have
- A full-scale commercial distillery, discussing layout and operations with production staff.
- Demonstrations of quality control procedures including laboratory analysis and tasting.
You will have had the opportunity to:
- Gain experience with example recipe formulation techniques for different distilled products.
- Discuss options on distillation equipment with consultants experienced in designing distilleries and in co-ordinating installation and commissioning.
- Discuss mashes and extracts on a commercial plant with reference to different ingredients for different distilled products.
You will also be given access to our on-line resources for future support and reference.
Topics
At the end of the course, you will have covered:
- Introduction and overview of the distilling process.
- Ingredients: simple sugar sources, starch, and inulin.
- Producing fermentable extracts.
- Fermentation and distillation.
- Post-distillation elaboration and botanicals.
- Business start-up tutorial.
- Marketing and sales.
- Tax and Excise requirements.
- Distilling equipment, requirements, and costs.
- Sensory evaluation.
- Quality assurance procedures.
