Whitby Distillery
Luke Pentith and Jessica Slater are the proud founders and owners of Whitby Distillery based in the grounds of the historic Whitby Abbey on the North-East coast of England. They wanted to expand their successful White Gin operation, but finding a still supplier wasn’t straightforward, but reading the story of Jarrolds Gin convinced Luke to contact Ryebeck. “We looked around the market at different options“, remembers Luke, “but finding a person to speak to is another challenge! We were aware of Tim from posts on LinkedIn about UK-based installations with similar equipment. So, in 2018 we got some quotes from him.“
Whitby Abbey
Ground for a ground breaking gin
In April 2019, they noticed that a couple of derelict barns on the grounds of Whitby Abbey were up for sale. Therefore, they submitted a proposal to English Heritage and applied for local planning permission. On 11th September this year, they finally received the go-ahead from the council and so the next phase in their expansion plans could then begin.
Introducing
Dora Grace
With Ryebeck’s help, Luke and Jess decided on a 300L handmade German copper pot still. It met their growing needs. Ryebeck was sure to visit on site to understand their needs and also a visit to the 200 year old factory in Germany sealed the deal.
“The Still’s name is a tribute to Dora Walker, who was the only female skipper in the North Sea during World War II. She would pilot vessels through local waters to avoid mines. Later in life, she supported local crews by buying their catch, sometimes at a loss when selling it on, to help them out. She was an unsung hero of Whitby, so we wanted to recognise her. Grace was a family friend of Jess. She was like a grandmother, a big and bubbly character, so appropriate for naming a still!“
Prefesionalism
and expert help
Ryebeck installed and commissioned the new still in May/June this year. Luke is keen to point out the help he received from Ryebeck in choosing this particular still. “They gave us clear quotes, a clear explanation of the service they could provide and confidence that they could deliver it as well.“
They were quick to act with changes to the still specification or a quote for a new piece of equipment. There’s no messing about with them!