Sebastian Barnick started in the military, travelling 70 countries the world over as an intelligence officer in the Navy. "Not like James Bond, much more desk-based and brain-related rather than..." He spent a period seconded to the French Navy, and this took him to even more varied places.
It was during this time in the Navy that Seb took an interest and started studying different types of alcohol, progressing to WSET Level 3 in wine and spirits. "What I found enjoyable about the drinks element was it's bringing people together, wherever you are, it breaks down inhibitions and is a great leveller. Even in places where it's now illegal due to prohibition, people always find a way to indulge. Everywhere you go, there is some sort of local tipple, from beer, Grand Vin de Bordeaux, all the way through to coconut wine in the Seychelles; arak, palinkas in Hungary, and whisk(e)y."
In 2015, after 25 years of service, Seb was medically discharged. "I had no idea what I wanted to do. I had no sense of purpose. I thought it was all over, and life was at an end, but I started out in wine. " Seb started working at Liberty Wines on their apprenticeship scheme and was sent all over the world, to learn about winemaking and every aspect of the wine trade. "Unfortunately for them, I fell in love with spirits."
While at Liberty, he worked in South Africa, where he learnt distilling with Johann Monik, head distiller at Wilderer. They made South Africa's equivalent to grappa and brandy from different grape varieties, so experiencing the differences between shiraz and pinot grape brandies and numerous other varieties. They used German-made stills and aged in French oak ex-wine barrels, plentiful due to the country's established wine trade.
In South Africa, there is a strong tradition for two types of traditional spirits: Witblits (a.k.a. White Lightning), which is generally grain spirit; and Mampoer, made from excess fruit production. Seb and Johann distilled eaux-de-vie from quince and peaches.
Johann had a passion for the craft, and this inspired Seb, who was gradually drawn away from wine due to distilling offering levels of creativity at every step, from fermentation through distillation to maturation. On top of that, whether in a bar or at home, people layer more on top of spirits, producing mixed drinks and cocktails that suit their occasion or needs. Seb says, "At its best, distilling has all the intrigue of wine, but then there's all this creativity on top. Which you don't just get in wine."
Seb returned from South Africa and, seeking a move into the world of spirits, took a job with Axium, a UK spirits distributor. Here, he "got to see the sales pointy end of it looking after the prestige and luxury on-trade and independent off-trade."
Seb's passion was always in production and moving into production, and while at Axium, he studied through the Institute of Brewers and Distillers. Then, a customer of Axium wanted to build a rum distillery and was looking for a distiller. Seb, who had recently achieved his IBD qualifications, put himself forward as the man for the job, and he was hired. Despite buy stills, the distillery was never built, but while at the company, he did get to produce some award-winning gins.
His next move was driven by his father, who asked him if he'd like to start a family business. He invested, and they established Pleasant Lands Distillery.
Seb says, " There are three pillars of what we do: environmental responsibility, industry excellence, and doing things properly. When we chat with people, they ask how much if your stuff is made of what you say it's made of. The answer is 100%. It may be slightly uncompromising, but this is how we do it. We have carved a name out for ourselves in the contract world by making things that most people don't know how to make.
Not being disparaging, but there are plenty of distillers who have not been formally trained in distilling that have bought a gin still as making gin at the lowest end is certainly not that hard. Then, when gin failed to kick off for them, they turned to contract distilling. There are loads of those around, but very few who do fermentation, distillation and maturation under contract." This is the area Pleasant Lands specialises in.
With Seb's combined experiences and a talented team headed by master distiller Joe (a chemistry graduate, Harriet Watt graduate, and former distillery manager), Pleasant Lands has the skill set and equipment to make a wide range of products, ranging from liqueurs to gin, whiskey, and eaux-de-vie.
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