Tell us a little about your background and journey into distilling.

Graduation in technology for the food industry, 2 years as a brewer in a small craft brewery in Italy; 4 distilleries in 8 years as a distiller.

Your current role and how does your day look like?

Production manager, distiller, and r&d at Distilleria Bordiga. Schedule of the production, making of spirits and infusion, blending and quality control, r&d on new products.

What inspired you to become a distiller?

My passion for this business, especially for the Italian flag spirit: grappa.

What are some of the most important skills for a distiller?

Knowledge and mind flexibility.

How do you think a distiller can help in driving marketing and sales personally?

A lot of brands on the market are just brands without a distillery or a distiller in their background. Having a distiller on the side of the sales force is a big plus. 

Define a good distiller.

A person focused on the quality of raw materials.

Image: Checking abv the old way

What is the hardest part of a distiller's job?

Blending to maintain the standards.

What's your elevator pitch to a bartender when pitching your brand?

I produce all my intermediates from raw materials without aromas or products bought from other producers. 

What are the current challenges the spirits industry is facing according to you?

The capacity of small craft distilleries to face the market.

What is your idea of a good life?

Good balance between work and private life.

[[relatedPurchasesItems-63]]

Which is your go-to drink and what is the perfect setting you enjoy it in?

bitter and tonic on the banks of a river or on a shore. 

Your favourite 2-3 distilling or spirits books?

L'industria dell'alcole Vol. 1-2-3

How do you take care of production waste?

We use them as a source instead of as waste.

Image: Distiller and Blender Andrea Del Gaudio

How do you create complexity in the fermentation stage?

With different raw materials, yeasts and controlling the fermentation (T° and pH).

What steps do you take to become more sustainable?

We are working with Strathclyde University and Innovate UK on a Knowledge Transfer Project to decarbonise our distillery. This is looking at everything from creating hydrogen as a potential fuel source from our by-products to removing the use of fossil fuels from our process.

What trends do you anticipate in the beverage industry in the coming months? Or Where do you see the domestic craft distilling scene going? What's next for the industry?

RTD