Trainee Distiller

We are looking for a Trainee Distiller to join our busy team at our Gransha Road (Kircubbin) site. The ideal candidate will be required to work various shift patterns to ensure the efficient running of our distillery, paying rigorous attention to detail in terms of Health & Safety while operating plant to deliver truly excellent quality. The appointed person will receive focused training internally and externally to ensure personal development and will play a key role in the development, improvement and creation of our world class spirits helping to ensure that we remain as our customers first choice. Purpose of the role Distillery Operations In-take of malted barley, green barley and grain, performing necessary quality checks. Setting up and monitoring the milling process. Safe, manual operation of the mashing process, ensuring critical parameters are adhered to and optimum yields are achieved. Setting washbacks to enable a successful fermentation, consistently monitoring quality and performance. Manual operation of pot stills, gin stills, column stills and Research & Development plant to ensure high quality new make spirt is produced. Disgorge and carry out blending as per product formulations. Provide liquid (as directed) for the Bottling Team, on time and in full. Store & Warehousing Operations Safe and careful filling of palletised casks using filling equipment. Ensuring all liquid is fully accounted. Applying the correct and safe method of handling casks. Safely loading/unloading of full/empty wooden casks. There may be a requirement to attend external warehouses to load/unload casks and retrieve samples as required. Other Responsibilities Health & Safety of self and others and adherence to company H&S policy and procedures as well as statutory H&S legislation. Compliance with all relevant HMRC requirements. Contribute to the process of New Product Development (NPD). Contribute to a culture of continuous improvement and actively bring improvements to the management team that will help improve efficiency or increase output. Participate in Root Cause Analysis process. Recording the use of raw materials and chemical supply and participate in stock take and material ordering. Recording all necessary process steps and reporting any discrepancy. Use of Forklift Completion of clean-in-place (CIP) of vessels as necessary. Operation of steam generation and associated processes. Performance of asset care checks and proactive maintenance on equipment. Willing to be flexible and take on other tasks deemed reasonable or necessary by management. Reports to: Successful candidate will report to the Head Distiller / Blender Essential Criteria: A keen interest in the spirit industry with a clear desire to develop in the industry. Willing to continue further education to attain distilling expertise through recognised industry bodies or education authorities. High attention to detail. Experience with spreadsheets or other Microsoft applications. Full valid Driving License. Willing to drive forklifts. (license and training will be provided). Desirable Criteria Experience of distilling or brewing within the alcohol industry. Experience in a food or drink manufacturing business. Experience in using ERP software in a food or drink manufacturing business. Experience in automatic or semi-automatic packing operations is desirable. Experience in the manual operation of column stills. Closing date:Sunday 26 January 2025