Northumberland’s first commercial whisky distillery has pledged to support local farmers after announcing that all of its ingredients will come from within 10 miles of its base.
Ad Gefrin Whisky Distillery, part of the new £10.4m visitor centre in Wooler, will work with four local farmers to produce the estimated 400 tonnes of barley it needs each year. It has also partnered with Simpsons Malt, at nearby Berwick, for its main supplies.
The water needed for the whisky production will come from an on-site borehole that goes 200 metres underground to source water from the Cheviot Hills and energy will be sourced from Ad Gefrin’s rooftop solar panels, with the visitor centre keen to help the environment.
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Head distiller Ben Murphy said: “Ad Gefrin will be a Northumbrian Whisky, through and through, grown, distilled and nurtured in the shadow of the Cheviot Hills.”
He added: “It is so exciting to be able to produce a malt which will be grown by local farmers, and malted by Simpsons Malt, who are literally just up the road. The relationship with growers will be collaborative, as the barley is grown and malted specifically for us.”
The farmers chosen to supply the distillery’s barley are Tom Jackson of Northfield Farm in Lowick, George Farr of Pallinsburn, David Warcup of Letham Hill Farm in Etal and Cameron Shell of Brandon near Powburn.
Mr Jackson said: “It is really exciting to be part of such a major milestone for Wooler and north Northumberland. Normally our malting barley goes to Scotland, so we are pleased and proud to be part of this new enterprise to produce a genuinely local product.”
Tim McCreath, Simpsons Malt managing director, said: “It has been fantastic to work so closely with Ben as the exciting developments at Ad Gefrin have progressed over the past 12 months.
“The distillery’s high-quality Northumbrian spring barley has been sown at farms less than 10 miles from the site and we’re now counting down the days until harvest. From there, we will collect and store the barley before transporting it to our Tweed Valley Maltings for malting and subsequent delivery, passing a couple of the farms during the 17-mile journey.”
Ad Gefrin will open to the public this autumn of this year, creating around 50 jobs.
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