Distillers Journal Podcast

To celebrate his excellent keynote address at our Brewers Congress event in London earlier this week, we return to one of our most listened-to episodes.

David Gluckman was born in Port Elizabeth, South Africa on 1st November 1938, the day Sea Biscuit and War Admiral fought out the race of the century at Pimlico Park, Baltimore. Educated in Johannesburg, he joined a local advertising agency after university and soon fell in love with the business.

He made the pilgrimage to London in 1961 and worked as an account executive on Procter & Gamble, Kerrygold, Lyons teas and several Unilever accounts. Always a frustrated copywriter, he escaped into product development in 1969, met a man from IDV and his life changed forever.

The author of “That s*it will never sell!” David also helped create Bailey’s Irish Cream. During its time, it has sold billions of bottles across 160 countries with 220 million litres of fresh, Irish cream consumed annually.

You can read more about these in David Gluckman’s compelling autobiography – That Shit Will Never Sell – a book crammed with entertaining anecdotes drawn from over forty years of brand creation in and around the drinks business.

In this podcast, we recount some of those tales and speak to David about the early days of his career in advertising and his advice to keep the faith and how to earn valuable buy-in when doubters pour scorn on your creativity.

We also discuss when to push hard in a pitch and when to ease back and take a critique, why the best ideas are the most simple and obvious, and also his pride in helping create a beverage that is sold across 160 countries with more than 220 millions bottles consumed annually. 

Welcome to Gotland. The largest and most mythical island in the Baltic Sea. Famous for its cultural heritage, vast beaches, cobblestone streets, limestone quarries and ancient sea stacks.

With a brewing tradition going back to the Viking Age and the privilege of having the best soils in Sweden, a climate that is perfectly suited for agriculture and last but not least many years of experience in the field of sustainable and organic agriculture.

And since 2012, Gotland is also known for its very own whisky, the Isle of Lime, an organic single malt that has achieved great success among whisky lovers.

Back in 2004, in Roma Sockerbruk’s old industrial premises, a modern distillery was created, with specially designed machines, to be able to produce 60,000 liters of organic malt whisky per year. Eight years later, in 2012, the first drops were distilled and in 2016 the first edition was released.

So who better to tell us more about the distiller’s fascinating story to-date than Christer Roslund, chairman of the board at Gotland Whisky. In this episode, Christer tells us about the early days of the distillery, it’s importance to the people of Gotland, why he’s more enthused than ever about the liquid they are producing and of course, the road ahead.

How much do you know about the barrels you use and the impact these have on the drinks you produce? The answer, as we probably all know, is far-reaching. The type of wood, the barrel’s previous contents, the level of char and the time the liquid spends in the vessel are just some of factors in-play here. 

And during whisky aging, we can break the process down to the stages of extraction, oxidation, evaporation, filtration and maturation.

To learn more about this, and also the broader effects barrels can have on aging drinks such as beer, we recently invited two experts to speak on the matter. 

Since 2010, Proof Drinks has built an exceptional business model to ensure they’re always at the forefront of the industry. 

The company’s aim is develop brands using their expert knowledge of the on-trade, elevating them to be as exciting and appealing as possible. 

And one such business they work with is Heaven Hill, which owns the largest single site Bourbon distillery to still be family owned & operated. Chris Smith is a Heaven Hill brand ambassador and he has spent nearly a year living, breathing, and educating people about Bourbon, Rye, and Corn Whiskey. 

To mark the return of our Brewers Journal event next month, here we revisit a panel hosted by the award-winning Melissa Cole during our Brewers Congress event in London last year.

Chris was joined by Alex Lippens. Alex is the co-founder of Brouwerij ‘t Verzet based in Anzegem, Belgium. Together, they shared their expertise when it comes to working with barrels, experiences that can be creative, complex but always rewarding.

A wonderful Whisky is something to enjoy, to savour and to treasure.

So when a regarded and respected distillery proudly releases a single malt 50 years in the making, you know it’s going to be something special.

And last month, Loch Lomond Whiskies did just that by unveiling a new 50-year-old single malt, the latest addition to the brand’s premium portfolio. 

A whisky five decades in the making, Loch Lomond 50 Year Old is drawn from Loch Lomond Distillery’s oldest reserves and is exclusively limited to 100 individually-numbered bottles worldwide.  

Distilled in 1973 in the distillery’s unique straight neck pot stills, it uses 100% unpeated malted barley. It was then aged in a combination of refilled American oak casks, first fill bourbon casks and Oloroso sherry hogsheads. 

The maturation process was carefully managed by Loch Lomond Whiskies’ master blender, Michael Henry, who joined Loch Lomond Distillery in 2007. And the distillery’s oldest and rarest whisky casks remain exclusively under his personal care.

In this episode, Michael talks us through in his involvement in this special project, he talks us through his career to-date and also tells us what keeps him driven and inspired.

When you’ve worked with award-winning brands such as Highland Park Whisky delivering digital communication and paid media strategies, you’re likely to know a thing or two about the world of marketing.

And today’s guest, is just that.

Richard Wardrop is a marketing manager with more than a decade’s experience on both agency side and in-house.

In his career to-date he has received recognition for ‘Best Use of Social’ and ‘Best Low Budget Campaign’ at The Herald Digital Awards and UK Social Media Communications Awards.

Based in Scotland, he is currently part of the team at Vault City Brewing, the UK’s largest sour beer producer.

Here he is responsible for all elements of brand, NPD, marketing and comms. And while he is now part of the beer world, his career background and experiences means much of his expertise is transferable.

In this episode, recorded at our recent Lectures event in Edinburgh, Richard explains how brands can make an impact without a big budget, the free insights available to them, the importance of nurturing your community and why you should set goals, be realistic and do less but better. 

When it comes to licensing and your business, there is predictably much to consider.

So knowing where you stand in the current landscape and with what lies ahead is imperative. With that in mind, we recently invited Ewen Macgregor to speak at our Distillers Lectures.

Ewen is a solicitor advocate specialising in alcohol and gambling licensing and was voted Licensing Lawyer of the Year UK at the Lawyer Monthly Legal Awards 2017.

Working across England, Wales and Scotland, previous projects he has carried out include applying for and obtaining a premises licence to facilitate the holding of large scale concerts at Ashton Gate Stadium.

And working with Lion Brewery, he represented and advised the Australian brewery on their first application for a new premises licence in the UK, one that encompassed a microbrewery and bar.

​There’s a very strong chance you’ve sampled one of the many drinks that David Gluckman has helped produce. Failing that, it’s a near certainty you know someone that has.

Because in 1973 drinks entrepreneurs David Gluckman & Hugh Seymour-Davies first concocted Baileys Irish Cream in their tiny Soho office, and they were confident they had an original hit on their hands.

And David’s compelling autobiography “That s*it will never sell!” recounts the unexpected story of his rise from drinks dreamer to global drinks inventor.

Crammed with entertaining anecdotes drawn from over forty years of brand creation in and around the drinks business. He started in the 60s at the beginning of the ‘Mad Men’ era.

David was a guest on our podcast earlier this year but last month, we invited David to speak at our Distillers Lectures event in Bristol to look at some other aspects of his decorated career while sharing his expertise with drinks producers far and wide.

Having a great brand, and a great product, is imperative. But it’s only part of the battle. So knowing how to market what you have and ensure it has visibility in an often crowded field is all-important.

And, thankfully, Rachel Davey knows all about that. With nearly 15 years’ experience in PR, marketing and events, specialising in the drinks and gastronomy sector, Rachel has worked with a brands such as G.H.Mumm & Perrier-Jouët, Veuve Clicquot and Moët & Chandon to Dom Perignon, Weston’s Cider and Clouded Leopard Gin.

In her career, she has built excellent knowledge, industry insight and contacts within the drinks industry and lifestyle sector. So with that in mind, we recently invited her to speak at our Distillers Lectures in Bristol to share her expertise on how your distillery or spirits brand can master the art of public relations.

In five steps, she starts with the importance of defining your unique selling proposition and defining your message before emphasising the importance of engagement, generating a buzz through media relations and concluding with the benefits of collaborating and networking.

The UK spirits industry is in rude health.

According to national accountancy group UHY Hacker Young, 54 new distilleries opened in 2023.

England in particular has emerged as a hotbed for new independent spirits businesses, with 48 new distilleries registered last year – a 20% uptick from 40 registrations in 2022.

And Scotland, renowned for its whisky heritage, has also experienced a resurgence in distillery launches, with three new distilleries registered in 2023 and eight registrations in 2022.

But it’s not just new and exciting distilleries opening in the spirits world, either. We’re seeing new businesses that are aiming to improve the spirits sector for producers and consumers alike.

Last month, one such company – Proofworks –  launched a proprietary SaaS solution to digitalise the entire spirits supply chain, from production, maturation and bottling, to customer engagement and digital ownership.

It’s a key time for the spirits industry, with visibility of channel inventory becoming critical with category growth changes, and increasing costs and supply chain disruption driving the need for greater efficiency.

There is also changing consumer behaviours with an increased desire to connect in new, authentic and more meaningful ways.

According to the business, Proofworks is enabling the connectivity of distilleries and warehouses through technologies such as NFC, RFID, QR codes and smart sensors. All this data is stored securely on blockchain and made accessible via the Proofworks platform.

As well as this powerful data being used to inform and optimise production, meet emerging compliance requirements and achieve sustainability goals, it is also empowering the end consumer experience.

And with successful live deployments already in Scottish, Irish and American distilleries and warehouses, it was the perfect time to catch up with Proofworks’ CEO, Rob Hollands to learn more about the business, his background the importantly, the plans for the future.

Based in Henley on Thames, the town and civil parish on the River Thames in Oxfordshire, The Henley Distillery is housed in an 18th-century barn set in the Henley countryside and their passions is producing award-winning drinks made in 300l copper alembic stills.

The business is made up of a small team whose energy and passion are infectious. Each member brings their own strengths and they have built on the foundation of a family unit to form a supportive, solid structure of people who love what they do.

Master distiller Jacob has spent his career making a name for himself in the spirits industry. Since running pop-up bars at university, his thirst for knowledge has not yet been quenched and he has worked his way up the distilling ladder learning his trade at highly respected operations around the county.

And at Henley Distillery, Jacob has now funnelled his passion, refined his exquisite palate and harnessed his intricate experience and knowledge of the distilling process to go into partnership with his father and realise his dream of creating his own spirits, in his own distillery, doing it his own way.

We recently invited Jacob to speak at our Distillers Lectures event in London to tell us more about the distillery’s story, its broadening range of spirits that include Classic Dry Gin and Rhubarb & Orange Gin to Temple Island White Rum and a 42% Coffee Rum.

We also learn that copper vessels are not only the heart of the distilling process but stand proud at the heart of the distillery itself.