Small batch, big impact: Moonshiners Institute

Congratulations on the opening of Moonshiners Institute! What inspired you to open your own distillery?

Luke:

I started home brewing beer when I was a teenager, a love of brewing passed on to me by my grandad, Joe, who worked at the Newcastle Brown Ale Brewery.

I was curious and this eventually evolved into distilling and making spirits.

I managed to turn this hobby into a profession.

My jobs in breweries and distilleries kept me wanting to exercise my creativity more and more and the only way to truly do that was to start the journey from scratch, just us.

Grace:

Having both been integral parts of other distilling businesses, it became clear we wanted to have more control over our own destiny in terms of the business direction and the style of business operations.

In the wise words of comedian and activist Joe Lycett: “Sometimes if you want something to exist you have to make it yourself”.

So that’s what we’ve done.

We’re adventurous spirit makers – a multi-spirit micro-batch distillery with a focus on quality and experimenting.

We don’t believe anything like this exists in the UK right now and we’re incredible excited for people to discover Moonshiners Institute.

You’ve had impressive careers in hospitality. How has your experience attributed to where you are today?

Luke:

I certainly learned a lot from my previous workplaces, with huge variances in scale, the spirits being produced and equipment come different challenges.

Being able to solve them alongside some other talented folk, I think, is the best way to learn.

There have been certain instances where I have been somewhat launched in at the deep end – when that happens it’s sink or swim.

I like to think that this has taught me to push myself, not just stay within the lines but always strive to learn more, be creative and do better.

Grace:

When I first entered hospitality, I thought it would be quite glamourous but that often couldn’t be further from the truth.

It is all about mucking in and doing whatever is required to give the customer the best experience.

I loved the autonomy this gave me, really impacting the end result.

It’s a great feeling to curate a memorable experience for people to enjoy and that really makes the graft worthwhile.

It made me understand that you need to wear whatever hat is required to get that job done, it’s all part of the fun and really rewarding.

What can customers expect when they visit Moonshiners Institute?

Luke:

Our passion is creating seriously delectable spirits and being able to constantly make new things.

We’re not sticking to any one spirit category, we’re starting with whisky, rum, gin and will be delving further.

Just as you can use the same kitchen to make any style of cuisine, our little distillery can make spirits from all over the world.

The plan isn’t hugely to be a massive commercial distillery, our scale means we can hone in and innovate.

We’ll be keeping to a fairly small scale and building relationships with a customer base of real enthusiasts.

Grace:

What we lack in scale we make up for in true insight.

We’re very much into the idea of de-mystifying spirit distillation; not just spouting about the finest ingredients, but really explaining how you arrive at the spirit.

Learning what makes it taste how it does will help drinkers to understand their own preferences more and they’ll hopefully drink better drinks as a result.

Other artisan food and drink producers have given insight into their craft and consumers appreciate their work and products even more.

We think it’s high time for spirits to pull back the curtain.

You’ve launched the ‘Bootleggers Club’, can you explain what that is and how people can get involved?

Grace:

We’re totally independent and people supporting our business to launch and grow, is massive – these folk deserve some special treatment.

We’re currently pre-selling our spirits and make-your-own-spirit academy places at mates-rates for early adopters.

Purchasing one of these packages signs you up to our ‘Bootleggers Club’ which is essentially our distillery VIPs.

Our Bootleggers get first batch bottles and academy places before anyone else.

They also receive life-long perks, such as invites to exclusive events at the distillery and early access to our latest bottle releases.

There are a limited number of packages available from our website.

With customer-facing experiences launching later this year, what can visitors expect from your make-your-own spirit academies?

Luke:

Academy visitors get to play distiller and make their very own batch of spirit; whisky, rum or gin.

Over the course of a few hours, they’ll learn about spirit making in a very hands-on way.

They’ll pick their ingredients, do a distillation on their own ministill and collect the best parts to take home.

The experience is peppered with samples and drinks from our onsite bar throughout.

It’s ideal for parties while offering a great insight for those serious about spirits and keen to learn more.

Guests will leave with their very own spirit, fit for their top shelf.

What sets Newcastle apart as a location for launching your distillery?

Grace:

We’re both North East born and bred and we love the city.

There’s a reason it holds the reputation of being a great place to go out and people visit from all over the country – it’s got a fantastic hospitality scene.

Not to mention the people – whether they’re from round the doors or come to settle here, the people of Newcastle generally just have this salt of the earth quality with good craic and a genuine neighbourly feel that give the city such a rich soul.

We couldn’t imagine doing this anywhere else.

Luke:

Newcastle is the home of my passion.

I grew up hearing stories about my family drinking ‘Broon’ Ale straight from the tanks at Scottish & Newcastle during parties 50 years ago.

Now, I have my own place, half a mile down the road from where that brewery stood, in a very similar trade to my grandad, albeit on a much smaller scale.

Newcastle is the only place we could do this.

 

Moonshiners Institute is located on Blandford Street in Newcastle, just off St James’ Boulevard and behind Lane 7.

www.moonshiners.co.uk