Black Bridge Distillery
Black Bridge Distillery, named from a bridge which once stood in the village of Wheathampstead in 1897. It is now part of the old gravel pits to west of the village popular with walkers and country cycle enthusiasts. Although the distillery has since moved from Wheathampstead to the Luton Hoo Country Estate a few miles away, we still maintain strong links with the village as the family still live, and are active members of the local community. Black Bridge distillery was officially formed in 2017 by two friends Ash & Luke, with one shared passion, Moonshine.
Having over a decade in the moonshine scene, Ash was persuaded to take the recipes, flavours and unique approach to distillates into the commercial sphere where immediately the products started winning awards.
The business officially ran its first bottles of moonshine off the still in April 2017 to great success and our Still ‘Katherine’, continues to produce an array of spirits for the Black Bridge Distillery and the people of Hertfordshire.
Ash's Story
The dream of opening a distillery and making spirits had been my dream for over 15 years. Initially life within the Royal Navy Submarine Service prevented such a dream been establishing as I was never here in the UK long enough to start a business.
Having saved for over ten years, met my Fiancée and had our son, it became clear that if we were to pursue this dream we needed to stop dreaming and start working! I got to work and designed a 350 ltr Stainless Steel and Copper Still with the aim of creating a modular system capable of being modified very easily dependent upon the type of spirit wanted. I contracted an associate for the build and testing and within 3 months we had our still ‘Katherine’. Now operating from the newly refurbished facility at the Luton Hoo Country Estate we produce literally thousands of bottles a week for lots of different clients and brands, chances are you've already tried our gin and never knew ;)
Rosetta
Rosetta goes everywhere with us and is a crucial member of our team. She allows us to test out new formulas and mixes until we perfect the recipes and find that unique feature or taste we are looking for and our customers love. In between sampling and mixing she likes to take a small break while Kathrine does her thing, you can sometimes find Rosetta as part of our displays at events and shows. Look out for her at future shows and events as she sometimes has a unique discount code with her that can be used on the site to grab a bargain whilst you're grabbing your favorite beverage.
Thumpy
Finally meet our latest addition to the distillery equipment setup! Our custom made 75 liter THUMP KEG! Designed to attach to the main still, the thump keg provides a unique way to infuse and double distil with fruit infusions!. Custom made with 32oz of copper and a range of features to give us phenomenal flexibility to create some of the most delicious drinks imaginable.