Karmelle’s Distillery Partners

At Karmelle, we’ve always served a range of market sectors – but, in recent years, our team have undertaken some particularly ambitious and successful automation projects for distilleries. Working with spirits presents a unique challenge, and many of our latest innovations – from the T Cork Capper, to the Mini Monoblock – came about as a direct result. And what better reason than World Gin Day to shout about our fantastic distillery clients? We’re consistently wowed by their commitment and enthusiasm – not to mention the quality of their products! Meet the spirits brands we’re proud to call customers… Masons Yorkshire Gin Earlier this year, the spirits industry was rocked by news that multi-award winning Yorkshire distillery (and Karmelle customer) Masons had lost everything in a fire at their Bedale facility. What the blaze didn’t destroy, however, was this remarkable brand’s Yorkshire spirit. Two months on, and Masons are producing their delicious gins at a temporary premises, with a view to opening a new distillery in the near future. Husband-and-wife Karl and Cathy Mason founded their eponymous brand in 2013. Today, the couple and their team use a traditional slow-distillation method to produce a range of hugely popular gins – from The Original, to special editions Tea, Lavender, Steve’s Apple, Peppered Pear and Sloe. This approach to distilling – innovative, but informed by traditional methods – has won Masons widespread acclaim, and a clutch of awards – including, most recently, 3 golds at The Stuttgart International Spirits Competition. Not that they’re about to rest on their laurels! The Masons events team are always looking for new ways to engage with customers, and recently opened a gin garden at the Birmingham Hippodrome, to celebrate the launch of its Calendar Girls production. To mark World Gin Day and their sixth birthday, the brand have also organised a special ‘Gin Trail’. Taking place in bars across York, Leeds, Sheffield and Teeside, it will run until Sunday 9th – so there’s still time to join the fun! Follow Masons’ progress on ‘The Masons Phoenix – A Journal’, and look out for its new book, The Little Book of Gin, which was launched in partnership with The Ice Company. Blackwater Distillery One of our first spirits clients, world-renowned Irish distillery Blackwater takes its name from the nearby Blackwater river. The brand was launched by Peter Mulryan and Kieran Curtin, former TV industry professionals with a passion for craft distilling. Using real botanicals, and inspired by the river’s history as a key channel for imported spices, Peter, Kieran and their team produce several small batch gins – including the multi-award-winning Blackwater No. 5. We were lucky enough to partner with Blackwater in 2016, designing and manufacturing a bespoke filling and labelling system for its Cappoquin distillery. Since then, the brand has continued to go from strength-to-strength, opening a new distillery in Ballyduff, and adding pot still Irish whisky to its product-range. Scroll through the blog, and you’ll soon realise that Blackwater is more than just a business; it’s a labour of love, headed-up by genuine and hugely knowledgeable enthusiasts. Blackwater Distillery’s Gin Garden And, when they’re not distilling, Peter, Kieran and the team are looking for new ways to bring ‘good gin’ to the masses. Most recently, this has involved a Blackwater Gin Garden at Bloom 2019. Designed by The Hairy Gardeners, the ‘little green oasis’ featured lush foliage, reclaimed materials, and plenty of space to enjoy some craft-distilled gin! Raisthorpe Manor Earlier this year, our team designed, manufactured and installed a Mini Monoblock bottling system for North Yorkshire distillery Raisthorpe Manor. You can read more about the project here. Launched in 2008, Raisthorpe are a family-affair; in fact, founders Julia and David Medforth began producing homemade liqueurs in the farmhouse kitchen of their country estate. Their raspberry gin (based on an old family recipe) proved such a hit with visitors to the Raisthorpe hunting lodge that soon, they were taking orders. More flavours followed – from an award-winning oak aged Yorkshire dry gin, to sloe, damson, rhubarb and blueberry editions. RDPE funding enabled Raisthorpe to move its operation to a brand new factory facility – and the rest in history! The North Yorkshire countryside remains at heart of this operation, with Julia, David, and their team making good use of locally grown fruit and water from nearby springs. The Medforths make a concerted effort to employ local people, and are familiar faces at shows and events throughout Yorkshire. Happy World Gin Day to all our distillery clients! The Karmelle team will be raising a glass to you this evening.

For more information on Karmelle’s Distillery Partners talk to Karmelle Ltd