Swaegh Distillery

Back to the original purpose of the distiller’s craft.

From age 16 until now, I have worked in IT. When you have about 20 to 25 years of work ahead of you, it makes you think. During that time, are you still going to deal with bits and bytes, or are you going to actually make something, something you can physically hold? And that question was the beginning of a hobby that has since grown out of control.

In 2022, I started training as a distiller and began “apprenticing” at a distillery friend. This is how I learned what is involved in making liquor. What to do and what not to do, and how to realize the best products from the best raw materials. What choices you should or should not make. And as my teacher used to say, “everything has influence.”

However, what I also discovered is that there are still very few true distillers active in the market who produce their own product from start to finish. Not only is it difficult in terms of regulations, but the economic and commercial aspects also make it difficult: competition is fierce and a few hefty players dominate the market. What I find particularly unfortunate in this is that as a result, the true craft of distiller seems to be disappearing. Knowledge accumulated over thousands of years is being forgotten.

So I took the plunge. In addition to my IT business, I started my own distillery in 2023. To facilitate that process, I distill and produce independently at the same befriended distillery where I did my internship: from start to finish, I want to keep getting my hands dirty making high-quality drinks. To keep the craft alive. To make something you can be proud of when you hold it in your hand. And more importantly, to make products that people also enjoy, to the last drop.