Shed One - Micro Distillery and Online Spirit Shop in Cumbria

Shed One - Micro Distillery and Online Spirit Shop in Cumbria.

People ask us what is the definition of a micro-distillery and are we one? It's an interesting question. Simply put, yes we are. However, the definition is more complex!

America

We were reading an American article the other day and it stated that “Maximum production for a ‘craft’ or ‘artisan’ distiller should not exceed 50,000 proof gallons per year. How much is 50,000 proof gallons/year? A little more than 25,000 9-Liter cases of spirit bottled at 40% abv. To put this in perspective a craft distillery would max out production at about 68½ 9-Liter cases a day."

Our eyes didn't half widen at those numbers! The reason for the above is to do with taxes. Once a distillery produces more than that amount, it falls into a different, higher, tax bracket. The positive bit is that the US government does differentiate between large and small producers.

It's not the same here in the UK. Whether you distil 6 bottles or 60,000 bottles per day you are liable for the same duty (taxes). However, small-scale brewers in the UK are charged a lower rate of duty than their big brothers. Why the discrepancy between micro brewers and micro distilleries...we don't know!

Provenance

If the amount of alcohol you are distilling doesn't distinguish whether a distillery is micro/small or not, what should you look out for?

Many micro distilleries include a batch date and number. It's important for quality control reasons. Plus, it lets the customer know how many bottles were produced in each batch.

Checking provenance. Is it clearly stated that it's produced in-house? What about ingredients?
Many traditional botanicals have to come from abroad due to the nature of herbs and spices; however, does the distillery have a local connection? For example, the chillies in our Chilli Fest Gin are locally grown. Our local Ford Park has given us an open pass to use what grows in their walled garden. Plus, as Ford Park is a charity, we donate money from our Quince Botanical Spirit. All the ingredients in our Quince Botanical Spirit grow in the garden.
Our Ulverston Gin is produced using only foraged ingredients (except the juniper) from around our beautiful town.
Heritage apples and autumn fruits for our Festive Bramble Gin Elixir, are grown in an orchard just a stone's throw from Shed One Distillery.

Is there a story behind the spirit? Many of the micro-distilleries have an interesting tale to tell about how they started!

Is Shed One a micro-distillery?

Since moving to The Old Calf Shed in 2019 we produce 110, 70cl bottles per batch. That's 3 times more than when we were in our 7x7 foot garden shed!
If you want to see where we started, click here for a video of when we were on BBC North West.
We use locally produced ingredients when we can.
We also bottle and label by hand!

There's room for everyone in the world of spirits and we're very happy to be a micro part of it.