Bethany Squires’ Post

Zooming in on the Distillerie Poisson, started in 1860, the smallest of 5 located on the island of Marie Galante: Distillerie Poisson (Poisson = "fish" in French) makes the brand Pere Labat. The distillery was purchased in 2007 by J.C. Brot, who was born and raised in a family with a long history in Guadeloupe and Marie Galante proper. Culturally, on these islands, making rum is seen as a high achievement and JC always dreamed of being a rhum maker. The distillery employs 17 people and manages about 250 hectares of land, some of which is cultivated with cane that feeds the distillery, while much of the cane is bought from small planters to maintain good relationships with the local Planteurs. Being a French territory, working hours are highly regulated (35hr/week, 5 weeks off per year). The teams is working from 7am to 1pm Mondays to Fridays and 7am to noon on Saturdays. Distillation occurs from Feb to July. The facility is not large or glamorous; it's rusty, it's beat-up, it experiences a lot of daily operational challenges which causes frequent repairs and maintenance issues. Despite these conditions, the distillery continues to produce super high-quality booze, experimenting with aging in various types of casks, including ground cru white Burgundy and Mouton etc... The fermentation process lasts 72 hours and is inoculated. The 2 "Creoles" columns, one from 1955 the other from 1977 are all copper and consist of 15 plates - 11 stripping plates and four concentrating plates. White rhum flows out of the stills at 70.7% alcohol by volume and eventually entering casks at around 63%. The distillery makes about 1,500 liters of booze per day and sells about 40K cases a year (3/4 to the French market, the rest sold internationally). The distillery's operation is deeply intertwined with the local community; some planteurs have scheduled appointments to deliver their cane, other randomly show up. The unpredictable supply of sugar cane from the small local planteurs reflects the totally artisanal nature of its production. The island's hot (temp typically varies between 74 and 95 F) and humid conditions contribute to about 7+% annual evaporation in casks, more than twice the evaporation typical in the Cognac or Armagnac regions of mainland France.

Read my newest review of Savage & Cooke Distillery! Savage & Cooke

🥃 Seeking the recipe for success in the craft distillery world? Check out these game-changing tips to keep your spirits high and your business thriving! 🌟 Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/gufw2HeX #CraftDistillery #BusinessTips

🥃 Seeking the recipe for success in the craft distillery world? Check out these game-changing tips to keep your spirits high and your business thriving! 🌟 Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/gDJYmWuJ #CraftDistillery #BusinessTips

How To Start Your Own Whisky Distillery In Five Steps - by Annabel Thomas of Nc'nean When I reflect on what it took to get Nc’nean up and running as a functioning distillery, five key stages stand out. So, let’s break down the five stages that I went through when establishing Nc’nean Distillery. https://lnkd.in/ev-uPH_F

Check out our exclusive interview with LOO-BLAH-NAH, a cutting-edge #craft #brewery from Ljubljana, Slovenia, where we delve into the inner workings of the brewery business. Discover how they went from zero to producing 120,000 liters of #beer per year, and explore the latest market trends firsthand:

#1 Tip For How to Get Your Brewery or Distillery to Successfully Start a Smart Buying Program We want to help you get started with putting together your own craft 'buying playbook'. It doesn't happen overnight, but I would bet there isn't a process today in your brewery that didn't take a few attempts to get right. #smartbuying #craftbeer #distilling https://lnkd.in/gCGHKP8y

Craft Distilling Expo - Birmingham - Regional Conference Friday 22nd November 2024 10am-6pm The Bond,  Digbeth, B5 5SE Our exciting list of speakers are confirmed! Keynote Speaker Daniel Szor of Cotswolds Distillery The founder of Cotswolds Distillery reflects on his past decade in the business and potential thoughts on the future. The Future of Powering Stills Scott Allen of Allen Associates Evolving safety and environmental considerations may mean a rethink for direct-fire stills; what are the potential options for the future? From Brewery to Distillery: The Next Steps Matthew Servini of The Craft Distilling Business The lure of brewers distilling one delicious liquid to make another is enduring. Discover some of the practical implications of making the dream a reality. 5 Ways to Cut the Cost of Goods Rosie Milsom Production development and logistic specialist Rosie Milsom presents a quick guide to five potentially overlooked ways to cut the cost of goods without sacrificing quality. Duty and Legal Update Alan Powell from The British Distillers Alliance An update on duty and legal issues under the new government, as well as a look at the potential impact of October’s budget announcements. Buying a Distillery Joe Barber of Stargazey Spirits First-hand insights into buying and (by extension) selling a distillery, and the pitfalls and opportunities to look out for. Sustainability and Whisky: Hand-in-Hand Abbie and Chris of Cooper King Distillery Key considerations when incorporating sustainability into your whisky business, whether your distillery is large, small, or yet to start. Maintaining Distillery Character through Planned, Careful Maturation Abhishek Banik of Copper Rivet Distillery A look at establishing and maintaining a house character and style for your whisky through careful cask management.  

"Bridgeland is a young distillery, but that ethos could be a model for others looking to make distinctive spirits that belong to their place, made from raw materials that can be traced back to their sources" Don Tse, Author, Spirits & Distilling Click below to read how Don Tse described the ingenuity going on at Bridgeland Distillery!

My article on the use of ewes in the vineyard and 60 years of Berkmann Wine Cellars: