Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

The Arbroath distillery that’s a ‘playground’ for aspiring drinks makers

CR0033984
 Distillutions distillery in Arbroath. 
Pic shows distiller Lewis Scothern 
....Pic Paul Reid
CR0033984 Distillutions distillery in Arbroath. Pic shows distiller Lewis Scothern ....Pic Paul Reid

A young craft distillery in Arbroath is planning to increase its workforce as it goes from strength to strength.

Distillutions was only started in January 2018 by Lewis Scothern, with the assistance of his parents and wife.

He said: “In the early days, it was ‘all hands on deck’ for all tasks concerning the start up and running of the company.

“My father, Paul, in particular played a big part.

“Coming from an engineering background, he was able to help with the set-up of the stills and relevant equipment required.

“He is still trying to retire, but is often called in for help and advice.”

Before Distillutions came about, Lewis already had a background in the drinks industry.

In 2011, he graduated from Heriot-Watt University with a BSc (Hons) in brewing and distilling.

During his studies, Lewis began working for a craft brewery in Edinburgh. There his passion for creating small-batch, high-quality products began

His subsequent career took him to becoming head brewer at one of the leading craft brewers in Scotland.

‘A playground for aspiring distillers’

He then spotted a gap in the market and decided to start up his own company.

Lewis added: “I had identified the need for a distillery which would develop and create products for individuals and companies who wanted to produce their own craft drink.

“In particular, gin was becoming very popular.

“I realised there was a demand for a qualified distiller who could offer his services to those who wanted to enter this arena.

“There were many distilleries already, but they mostly had their own product.

“They were not keen to spend their time and expertise on producing for others.

“We have created a playground for aspiring distillers to craft their spirit.”

Lewis set up Arbroath distillery Distillutions after spotting a gap in the market.

Lewis explained that Distillutions had started off with a few core customers and has since gone from strength to strength.

He said: “This growth is mostly through word of mouth.

“My reputation in developing a range of gins, rums and vodkas has become widely known in the distilling world.

“We are proud to have twice won the Scottish Gin of the Year, to name just one successful awards competition.

Distillutions boss proud of local jobs

The customer base ranges from individuals creating a drinks range in addition to holding down another career to fully-fledged and successful businesses selling their wares both locally and internationally.

Lewis added: “One of the main aims at the start was to be able to offer employment to at least one local person.

“We are proud to now have a further three employees on our books.

“Our hope in the next year or so is to employ two more staff, with the aim to train them up to become distillers.”

Turnover from year one to the current year has more than doubled, showing the progress the firm has made.

Lewis Scothern has been pleased with the performance of the Arbroath distillery.

It has come despite the challenges of Covid-19 and Britain’s exit from the EU.

But Lewis said the negative results of Brexit are being felt more now.

He added: “The cost and complication of import and export are having a large effect on our purchases of packaging, bottles and botanicals, as well as the export of clients’ goods.”