Meet the Maker: Psychopomp Microdistillery

In the first of our Meet the Maker series, we talked to Liam Hirt, Director of Psychopomp. Read about how they were the first distillery in the world to produce hand sanitiser at the start of the Coronavirus pandemic, their unique fermenting process, and what Liam’s been drinking lately.

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Psychopomp started off as a side hobby in 2007, when Liam was making stills in the basement of his house, playing around distilling different botanicals. In around 2013 an independent retailer in Bristol got hold of a bottle of his gin and asked to buy some. Psychopomp was formed as a company a year later, and moved out of the basement into its first permanent premises.

Fast forward to 2020, and Psychopomp run two distilleries, both based in Bristol; Psychopomp Microdistillery on St Michael’s Hill, and a newer distillery, Circumstance, in Whitehall.

Psychopomp focusses on gin, while Circumstance is much bigger, and produces whisky and rum.

“Bristol is our home, of which we are proud. It has an ethos of sustainability, supporting independent businesses and inclusivity. We try to embody all of those things and hope that Bristol is also proud of us!”

What makes Psychopomp so special?

“With the whisky and rum from Circumstance that's a very easy answer - our ferments. To make the wash for the whisky we use 100% certified organic British grain. We use non-traditional yeasts mostly found in brewing rather than distilling, and we allow the ferments to continue for around 14 days. Normally, in whisky production, the fermentation lasts 24hrs. The extra time allows infection by wild yeast and for the flavours to build. We refine those flavours when we distil it into whisky.

“When it comes to gin, it seems that everything that could be done to gin, has been done; including quite a few things that really shouldn't have! There are now a lot of pink and cordial gins. None of that ever interested us. We make variations of classic gins in small copper pot stills. We care about quality rather than trying too hard to do something different and stand out. We do very little in the way of marketing - we let the liquid speak for itself.”

Going green

“Sustainability is one of our major driving forces. It is a genuine annoyance to all of us that our business has an effect on the planet, and we work hard to mitigate that. We’re proud to be certified by the Soil Association as an organic producer. The certification took a lot of time and commitment, so our customers can be confident in our practises and products. We hate plastics, so our latest push has been to remove as much plastic from our production and products as possible.”

Coping with COVID

Psychopomp were the first distillery in the world to turn a proportion of production over to making hand sanitiser from their high grade alcohol. “It was a crazy time during the shortage. We had ambulances and fire trucks pulling up at the distillery for supplies whilst I desperately negotiated the red tape. Thankfully, the demand has slowed as supplies from abroad have increased, but we still sell sanitiser to businesses who prefer to use our refillable glass bottles than the plastic ones. Our sanitiser is also made from organic British grain which is a bonus.”

Liam’s favourite tipples

“Choosing a favourite drink is like choosing a favourite child! We are blessed with many, many excellent breweries in Bristol, so I do tend to drink quite a lot of craft beer. I also drink a fair bit of wine; my current favourites are natural, orange wines.”

What’s next for Psychopomp?

Psychopomp have just released an organic vodka to add to their range of spirits, which includes an absinthe, akvavit, and coffee digestif. Up next? Bottles of whisky to buy as they age in cask. “It's like buying a cask and watching it age, but you don't need to buy the whole thing; it's much more affordable. You can also sell or gift the whisky before it comes out of cask. Hopefully the service will be launched by this Christmas, so keep your eyes peeled!” Check out the process at: www.stillincask.com.

Get involved

Have a go at being your own distiller with the popular ‘Distil Your Own Gin’ classes, where the experts teach you how to make your own gin on small copper stills, and you get to take home your own personal bottle. Or sign up for a ‘Gin Experience’, which involves a discussion around the making of gin and a tutored tasting. All experiences are socially distanced in small groups.

Head over to the Psychopomp website to find out more about their products, and order them online: https://microdistillery.co.uk/

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