BrewDog finally launches Lone Wolf spirits
The Scottish company, which has recently been marred by controversy over copyright issues, has announced its triple-bubble still and rectification column – the largest of any craft distiller in Europe – are ready for action.
Lone Wolf will be managed as a separate entity and will recruit young, innovative distillers to make its spirits, which will be sold across BrewDog’s estate, through its online shop and in high-end spirits bars.
BrewDog’s vodka will be distilled four times and lightly filtered once to allow the grain character to “shine through”. The gin will be unfiltered, meaning all of the “flavour and complexity will remain”.
‘Apt name for a brand’
Doug Bairner, managing director of Lone Wolf Spirits, said: “Lone Wolf is an apt name for a brand that stands alone in the industry as a custodian of purist, truthful production methods.
“Our new purpose-built facility takes craft distillation to new levels. The huge amount of copper contact that our stills and columns give to our spirits delivers unparalleled quality.”
Head distiller Steven Kersley said: “It took 192 unique distillations to perfect the Lone Wolf gin, to deliver the perfect balance of base and 14 botanicals. The dedication and research that has gone into the development process is unrivalled.
“We started out with a blank sheet of paper, rewriting the rule book and forging our own path along the way.”
Craftmanship skills
In a bold statement, BrewDog claimed the brand would “put the craftsmanship back into spirits”, while Kersley lambasted the production methods of other vodka producers and claimed they were lazy.
“For too long consumers have been told that vodka that has been filtered multiple times is a sign of quality,” he added.
“Filtering is not distilling, it’s just a lazy way of making a characterless spirit. Also, a clarity of gin when poured over ice is not an indicator of quality.”
It is the ‘norm’ to maintain clarity at all costs, he added, “but that’s purely for aesthetic reasons and we’re not prepared to compromise on flavour, ever”.
