Our still Ceridwen, named after the Welsh goddess of the cauldron, is where we make all our spirits.  The still is of a European style, with a rectification column which allows us to distil the spirit multiple times in one go.

We power Ceridwen exclusively with steam generated by wood that has been felled on our land. Whenever a tree falls, we plant a new one, thus creating an almost carbon-neutral way of heating our still.

The distillation process starts by filling the still with the specific alcohol for the spirit we’re producing. We then add any herbs/spices/flavourings (every one of our products has its own unique recipe) and leave it all to macerate overnight. The next morning the fire is lit, heating up the jacket around the still and starting the distillation process.

Alcohol vapour is the first to rise, filling up the dome at the top of the still and eventually creating enough pressure to push itself down and through the pipe into the rectification column. Each window you see in the column is like a separate still or distillation process, forcing the alcohol through water and defining how vigorously we distil the spirit. More refined spirits are ideal for vodka or gin bases, less refined spirits retain much of the original flavours and are ideal for oak-aging such as whisky, rum and brandy; these flavours once aged, are more deep, rich and hinting of umami. 

Once through the tower, the alcohol travels to the condenser where it is cooled and turns back into liquid, coming out of the spout, or parrot to give it its correct name, at a maximum of 94% and completely clear, whatever the spirit.

Throughout each distillation the still is run gently, allowing full extraction of flavour, resulting in the finest spirit possible.