My first day at Ellers Farm and how I got here…

When you leave a job on 6th December, with the knowledge that you start your new job on 3rd January, a plethora of thoughts run through your mind. It starts with sheer joy and excitement at the prospect of 4 weeks off work for Christmas. But this also leaves a lot of spare time and dog walks with your thoughts. Thoughts about moving from the comfort of a fantastic group of people around you to a team you don't know, especially one with such an impeccable pedigree in this industry.

We all know how quickly Christmas seems to come and go, and before I had the chance to notice, it was Monday, 2nd January, and I was getting prepared to start my new role as On-trade manager at Ellers Farm Distillery. I climb into bed at 9pm, the earliest for the past 4 weeks. The dog couldn't understand why we were in bed so early instead of curling up on the sofa, binge-watching episodes of Yellowstone whilst sipping cocktails and creating reels for Instagram.

The day arrives, Tuesday 3rd January - my first day - and upon arriving at Ellers Farm Distillery, the nervousness soon wears off as I walk through the door. I chat with Nick, Mia and Jamie about their Christmas, and I immediately feel the warmth and welcomeness of the team. From that moment, with the log-burning stove in the background, I knew I'd made a great decision to join this team.

Back in the day, my mother had a house in Tomintoul, a village in Speyside, Scotland: whisky country. We visited the house regularly, and from a young age, we were shown around various distilleries, some of the best in the world, in fact, Glenfiddich, Glen Grant, Strathisla etc. I obviously developed a passion for said spirit, and little did I know I would end up working in that industry.

10 years ago, whilst I was serving in the British Army, if you'd told me I would be the On-Trade manager at a distillery, I'd have spat my ration pack out. You see, I always thought I was a "lifer", someone that would spend 22 years in the military. But in April 2016, I was medically discharged, and I didn't have a clue what I would do in civilian life. What job should I get? What path should I take in life?

And before I had the chance to think about that, I was back working in a management role behind a bar. 

I brought in a specialist to run a Gin night and then a Whisky night to entertain the regulars during this time - I was in awe watching him speak so eloquently and passionately about his job. I knew from that moment that I wanted to be involved in the spirits industry. 

So, where do you start? How do you get into such a prestigious industry? I began by setting up my own business, running Whisky nights around the country, and sometimes in the junior ranks mess on army camps for my old pals. During my tastings, I soon noticed that a heavily intoxicated person would always ask me to start doing gin nights (at least, I think that's what they were saying).

So, I spoke with two local distilleries; Durham Distillery and Yorkshire Dales Distillery. I owe a lot to both; they showed me the ropes and shared their passion for creating gin. Before I knew it, I was working at Yorkshire Dales Distillery as their sales account manager, a company run by a veteran, which suited me perfectly at the time, as I was beginning to miss the military a lot. 

A year later, I found myself working for Masons of Yorkshire as a Regional Development Manager, working my way up to Key Account manager. I began to notice the camaraderie between other sales reps in this industry. This was the key thing I was missing from the military; I had found it again.

During my 3 years at Masons, I learnt a lot from some of the best people, some of whom I can call friends for life. Now here I am, starting a new job at Ellers Farm Distillery, surrounded by people I can learn from even more extensively, and applying the knowledge I have learnt from the military and previous roles in the spirits industry. But more importantly, being surrounded by people that share my passion. 

So as I write this, 2 weeks into my new role, I'm proud of what I have achieved. I have found a company with people that share my passion and commitment, and with that, I know this distillery will be a highly successful force to be reckoned with. 

"Take the leap; you'll figure it out along the way."