BrewDog debuts ‘pure bloodline’ spirits range
Scottish brewer BrewDog has debuted the inaugural spirits range from its Lone Wolf Distillery alongside a complementary tonic and soda.
Lone Wolf Distillery, based inside BrewDog’s Ellon brewhouse, features what is said to be the world’s only triple bubble still and the tallest rectification column of any craft distiller in Europe, at 18 metres tall. Head distiller Steven Kersley collaborated with German engineering company Arnold Holstein to build the equipment, with an aim to create the “most versatile distillery in the UK”. BrewDog first revealed plans to build a craft distillery in Scotland in 2015, and has expressed an ambition to “redefine an entire industry and establish a new standard for spirits production”. Lone Wolf Distillery manages every aspect of production on-site, distilling its grain-based spirits from scratch without the use of NGS. Now, the company has unveiled its inaugural vodka and gin products. Lone Wolf Vodka is distilled four times and “lightly filtered” only once to allow the grain character to “shine through”, while Lone Wolf Gin is unfiltered, allowing “all the flavour and spirit complexity to remain”. According to Kersley, it took 192 unique distillations to finalise the recipe for Lone Wolf Gin, which contains 14 botanicals. He said of his decision to filter Lone Wolf Vodka just once: “For too long consumers have been told that vodka that has been filtered multiple times is a sign of quality. Filtering is not distilling, it’s just a lazy way of making a characterless spirit.” Lone Wolf will release whiskies and “other spirits” in the future. In December last year, BrewDog launched Uncle Duke’s – a three-year-old single grain Scotch whisky that is “hell-bent on being a Bourbon" – as separate project to Lone Wolf. “Our new purpose-built facility takes craft distillation to new levels,” said Doug Bairner, managing director of Lone Wolf. “The huge amount of copper contact that our stills and columns give to our spirit delivers unparalleled quality. “To create a spirit that is pure of bloodline, you need to truly start from scratch, so Lone Wolf Vodka and Lone Wolf Gin is created entirely under one roof. Every stage is owned and crafted in our Scottish distillery. “It is commonplace for spirit brands to bulk-buy their base alcohol from a supplier and redistill with their own botanicals. We are custodians of our liquid at every stage of its creation and believe that our exacting processes give the best possible spirit.” Lone Wolf is also taking the “unprecedented step” of releasing its own line of tonic and soda alongside its spirits range. Lone Wolf Tonic has been formulated to mix with its gin, and Lone Wolf Mint Soda has been created for pairing with its vodka. “When three-quarters of the most popular pour for gin and vodka is made up of tonic, we can’t understand why no other spirits brands have developed dedicated mixers,” added Bairner. “Our mixers accentuate the unique flavour profile of our spirits – allowing us another dimension of control to deliver the best possible drinking experience."
