Looking for distillery design? If you’re looking for help with your distillery systems and processes, you have come to the right place. From the initial intake to the final disgorging, we bring unparalleled knowledge and expertise to every stage of the distillation process. Let us guide you through the art and science of crafting exceptional spirits – Whisky, Gin, Vodka and Rum.
Our team of experts specialise in providing comprehensive design and engineering services tailored to meet the unique needs of distillery operators. From process engineering to compliance with safety regulations, we’re here to guide you through every step of the design journey, ensuring excellence from concept to completion.
Designing a distillery is a blend of art and science; every detail contributes to creating exceptional spirits. At IDEA, we redefine distillery excellence by combining tradition with innovation and craftsmanship with technology. Our team of experts is dedicated to ensuring every aspect of your distillery operation is optimised for success, from systems design to process refinement.
Our solutions go beyond traditional approaches, incorporating cutting-edge technologies like Mechanical Vapour Recompression (MVR), Thermal Vapour Recompression (TVR), heat pumps and innovative methodologies to revolutionise distillery processes. Through meticulous analysis of workflow inefficiencies and bottlenecks, we identify opportunities for optimisation and enhancement. By implementing streamlined workflows and automating repetitive tasks, we eliminate unnecessary steps and reduce cycle times, ultimately improving overall efficiency.
Our distillery solutions encompass a comprehensive approach to every facet of the distillation process, ensuring excellence from start to finish:
Harnessing our distillery process expertise, we provide tailored solutions designed to elevate the quality and consistency of your spirits. We design storage and transfer solutions consisting of storage silos, bins, screws, conveyors and elevators with explosion protection to ensure different grains like wheat, malted barley, corn and maize are handled effectively. Through precision milling techniques depending on the type of grain, we ensure that the right type of mill is selected and specified (roller, hammer) along with all the auxiliaries such as destoner, weigher, dust extraction, unlocking its full potential and guaranteeing consistency and quality in every batch.
Our solutions for mashing and fermentation empower distilleries to oversee each phase of the process with precision, allowing for the nuanced flavours and aromas to develop harmoniously. With advancements in mashing and fermentation technologies (full lauter tun, semi lauter tun, filtration, fermenters/ washbacks with wort cooling through temperature control), you can confidently navigate the complexities of the distillation process, ensuring that your spirits stand out for their exceptional quality and taste.
Experience the pinnacle of distillation with our state-of-the-art solutions, where science and artistry converge to produce spirits of unparalleled purity and character. Utilising cutting-edge distillation equipment and techniques, we ensure optimal extraction and refinement, allowing your spirits to shine with exceptional clarity and flavour. With our expertise guiding the process, you can trust that every drop distilled is imbued with the essence of excellence, setting your spirits apart in quality and distinction.
Batch Distillation – Batch distillation, traditionally carried out in pot stills, is synonymous with the production of malt whisky and is often preferred for grains such as malted barley. This method involves distilling the wash in batches, where each cycle is run separately. The key components of this process include:
Pot Stills: Characterized by their copper construction and unique shapes, which influence the flavour and purity of the distillate. The pot still consists of a pot where the wash is heated, a neck that collects and guides the vapours, and a condenser that cools the vapours back into liquid form.
Condensers: These cool the vapour produced in the pot still back into liquid form. Traditional condensers are typically shell and tube type.
Spirit Safe: A locked, glass-walled container where the distillate’s strength and quality are monitored before it’s directed to the correct receiver.
Batch distillation allows for greater control over the distillation process, with the ability to make cut points between the heads, hearts, and tails based on taste and aroma. This method is renowned for producing spirits with complex flavours and a deeper character.
Continuous Distillation – Continuous, or Coffey distillation, named after Aeneas Coffey, employs column stills and is primarily used for grains like wheat, corn, and maize. This process allows for the continuous feeding of wash and the simultaneous collection of distilled spirits, making it highly efficient for large-scale production. The key components include:
Analyzer Column: Where the wash is pre-heated by rising vapours and partially distilled as it descends, interacting with the vapor.
Rectifier Column: Receives the alcoholic vapours from the analyser, further purifies them, and allows for the collection of distilled spirits at different strengths.
Continuous distillation is favoured for its efficiency and consistency, producing a cleaner, lighter spirit that serves as an excellent base for a wide range of blended and grain whiskies.
At IDEA, we understand the intricacies of both batch and continuous distillation processes and the crucial role they play in whisky production. Our expertise enables us to offer tailored solutions that optimize these processes, including design and optimisation, energy integration, waste and water management, utilities and Clean In Place (CIP) design.
By leveraging our comprehensive process design capabilities, IDEA helps distilleries enhance their operational efficiency, product quality, and sustainability. Whether it’s refining traditional batch distillation techniques or innovating within continuous distillation frameworks, IDEA stands at the forefront of process design, ensuring our clients not only meet but exceed industry standards and consumer expectations.
Our process design ensures that each spirit attains its fullest potential, resulting in distinctive flavours that captivate the senses. Meanwhile, master the delicate art of blending, where skill and intuition meet to harmonise spirits of diverse ages and profiles. Our solutions empower distilleries to craft blends that strike the perfect balance, delivering complexity and depth to discerning palates. With our expertise guiding the way, your spirits will be celebrated for their exceptional quality and character.
Embark on the final leg of the distillation journey with our meticulous solutions for cask filling and disgorging. Experience the culmination of craftsmanship as spirits are delicately filled into casks, ready to undergo the transformative process of maturation. Our unwavering attention to detail ensures that each spirit is handled with care and precision, preserving its integrity and character. When the time comes for disgorging, our expert techniques guarantee that spirits are released at the peak of perfection, ready to be savoured by connoisseurs worldwide.
We excel in the process engineering design of full distilleries, meticulously crafting each element to optimise efficiency and quality. This includes fine-tuning energy and mass balances to ensure optimal resource utilisation and minimal waste. Our team also focuses on creating detailed P&IDs (Piping and Instrumentation Diagrams) that provide a comprehensive overview of the distillation process, allowing for precise monitoring and control.
Through meticulous planning and optimisation, we ensure efficiency and quality at every stage of the distillation process.
We prioritise both process design and safety in distillery operations. Our meticulous planning and optimisation of the distillation process guarantee efficiency and quality at every stage. Additionally, our expertise in process safety ensures that all operations strictly adhere to rigorous safety standards, effectively mitigating risks and creating a safe working environment for all personnel involved.
Our mechanical and piping systems prioritise robustness, efficiency, and seamless integration into existing distillery infrastructure. By ensuring the reliability and efficiency of mechanical and piping systems, we contribute to the overall success and productivity of distillery operations.
We specialise in advanced control and instrumentation systems tailored for distilleries. With our expertise, we ensure the seamless monitoring and regulation of various processes, enhancing precision and efficiency throughout the distillation journey. Our solutions empower distilleries to maintain optimal control over operations, resulting in consistent quality and improved productivity.
Energy assessments play a crucial role in identifying opportunities for energy optimisation and efficiency improvements within distilleries. By thoroughly analysing energy usage and processes, we offer tailored solutions to help reduce costs and minimise environmental impact, ensuring sustainable operations for the future.
At IDEA, we are more than just consultants; we are partners in your journey towards distillery excellence. With our comprehensive expertise in distillery systems and processes, we offer unparalleled support to both established distilleries and those venturing into the industry.
From concept development to operational efficiency, we collaborate closely with our clients to bring their vision to fruition, ensuring that every aspect of their distillery embodies quality, innovation, and craftsmanship. Trust us to be your guiding hand in achieving distillery excellence, where tradition meets innovation and every drop tells a story of passion and dedication.
Compliance with the Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations (DSEAR) is paramount in distillery operations to ensure the safety of workers and the public. At IDEA, we recognise the significance of adhering to DSEAR regulations and offer comprehensive support in hazardous area classification, risk assessments, equipment selection, and engineering solutions. By providing expertise in these areas, we help distilleries mitigate potential hazards, minimise risks, and ensure compliance with regulatory standards, safeguarding both personnel and assets.
In 2022, the industrial sector accounted for 14% of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions. As the UK has committed to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050, with Scotland aiming for 2045, achieving these ambitious targets necessitates a comprehensive transformation across all sectors of the economy and society. The Scotch Whisky Association is spearheading efforts to decarbonise the sector by 2040 and reach net zero by 2045. Remarkably, some of our clients in the spirits sector have set even more stringent goals, with some as early as 2026.
At IDEA, we are dedicated to assisting our clients in developing effective pathways to achieve this and recognise effective planning is critical to achieving these goals.
Our process engineers utilise our energy assessments to identify opportunities that will reduce Scope 1 emissions. Our methodology follows the energy efficiency hierarchy, prioritising actions from most to least preferred:
🚫 Prevent: Avoid the use of energy through process modifications or new designs.
⬇️ Reduce: Optimise processes to use less energy, such as heat integration using pinch analysis.
🔁 Reuse: Capture and repurpose energy within the system, for example by creating hot water for other uses.
♻️ Recycle: Convert waste energy into usable form, for example using heat pumps.
🔃 Recover: Generate energy from waste materials using methods like anaerobic digestors.
🚮 Dispose: Energy disposal into environment, for instance into air through cooling towers.
Each level of the energy efficiency hierarchy requires different levels of expertise.
If you are at the start of your journey or looking for support on new and existing projects, reach out to our expert team.
Let’s collaborate to make your project a success and contribute to the UK’s ambitious net zero targets.
Ready to elevate your distillery to new heights of excellence? Contact us today to discover how our tailored solutions can optimise your operations, enhance product quality, and drive success in the spirited distilling industry.
Distillation is the process of heating the fermented wash to separate alcohol from water and other impurities through evaporation and condensation. This results in the production of a higher-proof alcohol known as “new make spirit,” which forms the basis for maturation and blending.
Blending is the art of combining different spirits of varying ages and characteristics to achieve a desired flavour profile and consistency. It allows distillers to create well-balanced and complex spirits by marrying complementary flavours and aromas from different batches.
Yes, we understand that every distillery has unique requirements and challenges. That’s why we offer customisable solutions tailored to your specific needs, whether it’s optimising existing processes, implementing new technologies, or addressing specific pain points in your operation.
Our solutions are developed in accordance with industry regulations and standards to ensure compliance with safety, environmental, and quality requirements. We work closely with regulatory bodies to stay up-to-date on the latest guidelines and implement best practices in our solutions.
