Moonshiners Institute has unveiled its first batches of five spirits produced in the heart of Newcastle.
The new multi-spirit distillery has created a gin, a white and a dark rum, and two American-inspired spirits – White Dog and Not-Bourbon, an alternative to bourbon whiskey.
The business has been created by husband-and-wife team Luke Smith and Grace Noon, who intend to produce spirits on a very small scale – with their still producing just 100 litres.
“With our tiny scale, we can home in and make spirits that may not be viable at a larger scale”, said Luke, the former head distiller of Mason’s Yorkshire Gin. “White Dog, for instance, isn’t really that well known in the UK. We’re hoping to change that. It’s also known as moonshine which is, in effect, unaged bourbon-style whiskey. It’s just has a bad reputation because of its illicit history.
“Some might ask why would you want to drink whiskey before it has touched a cask, but in our opinion if it’s truly great whiskey – the new-make should be great too. We think it’s pretty special and it drinks superbly well in a margarita in place of tequila,” added Luke.
Luke and Grace also age this spirit, but do so quickly using small barrels so it takes just a few weeks, to achieve a similar flavour profile to a bourbon whiskey.
“We call it Not-Bourbon, because it isn’t one and doesn’t meet the criteria. We don’t distil it in America, and we don’t age it for the required two years, but we do use a high corn recipe and follow much of the typical Bourbon process that results in something not dissimilar. We reckon it offers most of the joy with less of the wait,” added Luke.
The launch range includes five products: Unrest – White Dog; Paradox – Baby Barrel Not-Bourbon; Vamp – London Dry Gin; Vagant – White Rum; and Noctivagant – Dark Rum.
“Choosing a distillery’s spirit specialism has roots in the availability of the base ingredients historically,” added Luke. “Getting hold of these ingredients isn’t an issue anymore but the bias remains. Tradition is a hard thing to shake! But a bakery, for example, can be known for making a range of baked goods, from croissants to sourdough to cakes. Similarly, we understand distilling in-depth so we can make all kinds of spirits – and we will be!”
Luke and Grace are also set to launch make-your-own-spirit experiences for whisk(e)y, rum and gin. “We call these events our academies,” added Luke. “You’ll use a mini-still to make booze and learn a lot about spirits and distilling in a short space of time and in a very hands-on way.” Prices for academies start from £99 per person, gift vouchers are available, and bookings will open this autumn.
For more information, visit www.moonshiners.co.uk
