Interested in whisky, enjoy drinking whisky, but have always wanted to learn more about the process itself? Have that special someone who's looking for a unique and immersive experience? You can now purchase this experience in the form of a voucher! The voucher will be emailed to you so please provide the name of the recipient of the voucher. Instructions on how to redeem the voucher will be on the email voucher.
Whittaker's Distillery is now offering a half day whisky making experience. Work side by side with our distillers, and learn what it takes to turn three basic ingredients, water, barley and yeast, into what will eventually become a fantastic single malt whisky. The experience primarily involves the first phase of making whisky, completing what many in the industry believe is the most important part of the whisky making experience, the mash.
As part of the experience, you'll be involved in all aspects of this important first phase of whisky making:
- Adding the malted and milled grain into the mash tun.
- Control all aspects of the "mashing in", to include temperature, rake speed, settling the bed, etc along with the impacts that each has on the final product
- Pumping out and cooling the wort and filling the fermentation tank
- Activating and pitching the yeast into the wort
- Taking the requisite readings to validate the yield and learning what these all mean and why they are important to the distiller
- Cleaning out the spent grain from the mash tun and preparing for the following mash
*In some cases, you may get the chance to fill a barrel with new make spirit
PLEASE WEAR APPROPRIATE CLOTHING AND FOOT WARE AS THIS IS A MESSY CARRY ON WITH LOTS OF WATER AND IN THE WINTER, IT GETS VERY COLD.
The team will take you into the barrel warehouse to discuss the various methods of barrel storage, ageing and cask repair, along with an overview of the importance of the cask itself and the influence it has on the final product.
The team will discuss both the wash and spirit distillation process to give you the full end to end process of whisky making.
You'll also be given a full tour of the facility which includes an overview of the gin and vodka distillation as well as the bottling, and labelling that is also done on site.
At the end of what we know will be a memorable experience, enjoy a complimentary sample of one of our award winning gins or vodka and get to know the distillers and ask any further questions. In addition, you'll be presented with a certificate denoting you as an honorary distiller that is not only hand signed by one of our distilling team but will also include the cask number of the cask that will contain the new make spirit that is distilled from your mash.
PLEASE NOTE SMOKING IS NOT PERMITTED ANYWHERE ON THE PREMISES EVEN IN THE CAR PARK.
