Investment To Be Enjoyed
Time, that most valuable of commodities, is crucial for David Moore, who has set up an exclusive distillery to make artisanal whisky
‘From grain to glass’ – a simple ethos that distiller David Moore is passionate about. His aim, however, is far from simple. He has high hopes that his whisky will soon compete on the world stage in terms of taste, investment and enjoyment.
While Pendle Witch Distillery is an artisan set-up, David’s ambitions are huge when it comes to using the most refined techniques, the best grain, expertly-chosen barrels and that most valuable of commodities – time.
“There are so may aspects of distilling that it has been very much a project involving experimentation, trial and error,” says David, who set up the distillery in 2020.
Timewise, it will be years until David sees the fruits of what has been a labour of love: “The ingredients we use, the experimentation and the love we put into our whisky, will we hope, eventually pay off. We are seeing some of our whiskies improving way beyond what we had hoped,” adds David, who is keen to point out that the distillery is very much a tribute and legacy to his late father.
“It was always a dream of ours to set up a distillery together,” recalls David, who made his first still in 2016 – the year his father died.
“He had given up drinking way before then, but we always said we would have a go at making our own whisky, so I set about making my own still,” he says, pointing to a small copper still that remains framed in a stone-surround at Backridge at Waddington, which now houses Pendle Witch Distillery.
Just a few yards away is a brand new, gleaming copper still – huge by comparison – that today, does most of the work. Designed by David with its distinctive copper ‘witches hat’ turrets, the still processes different types of grain and water: “We source different types of barley from sustainable sources across the UK – everything we use in all the processes, from the grain, the water and the barrels, is a trade secret!”
After four days or slightly longer, the distilling process produces a ‘low wine’ the name given to what is a clear spirit after the first distillation. But, it is the next crucial step that adds the distinct whisky flavour: “Our pre-aged barrels are sourced from Scotland and the US,” explains David. “This is what we call the ‘first fill’ and it is the different types of oak and tannins in the barrel that makes a big difference to the flavour. American oak barrels that have been used for bourbon, tend to produce a sweeter flavour to the Scottish ones, which are smoother.”
To be officially called whisky, the spirit has to be aged in casks for at least three years and one day – a super slow-turnaround when considering the return on investment (ROI) in a business keen to flourish: “I always knew it would be a slow process,” says David, who to keep momentum going in the interim, makes Genvieve Gin along with fast-aged honey and orange ‘new make’ whisky Moonshine.
The distillery’s Backridge Genevieve Gin (made from the same first clear distillation in the whisky process) won silver at this year’s Global Gin Masters 2024 Awards: “Gin became popular in the 1600s around the time of the Pendle witch trials, so it seemed very fitting with us being Pendle Witch Distillery. We researched it very carefully and we replicated a recipe from the 16th century.
“Back then they didn’t have the capacity or knowledge to produce a truly neutral spirit so they used a whisky spirit – so we use our clear spirit from the first distillation and add the botanicals to that. It gives it a real depth of flavour.”
Again, recipes for their Genevieve gin are a closely guarded secret although it goes without saying that among the hard botanicals is juniper, while soft botanicals are citrus-based.
Returning to the subject of whisky, David points out that while the pleasure of drinking a great artisanal whisky known no bounds, from an investment point of view it is currently racing against gold in terms of in-demand commodities: “There is a global shortage of good whisky so we are seeing a growth rate of between eight per cent and 24 per cent. Also, in terms of an investment view it’s free of Capital Gains Tax (CGT).”
The slow process of producing artisanal whisky has never deterred David, who looks to the future when the distillery will be producing small batches – each batch with a slightly different flavour: “You have to be in it for the long term and look ahead three, four, five even 10 years down the line,” concludes David, who as an accomplished fisherman, has honed his patience on the rivers of South America and Russia.
“The distillery produces a high-end product, which might not sit well in the current economic climate but, you only have to look at other countries to see what is happening. With our whisky we are playing the long game.”
If you would like to know more about investing in whisky, or would like a tasting tour of Pendle Witch Distillery, tours are available to book Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday.