WL Distillery to open in County Durham

An entrepreneur is set to launch a microdistillery in County Durham, England, after receiving support from the North East Business and Innovation Centre.

L-r: Scott Wilson-Laing of WL Distillery and business adviser Ron Anderson

Scott Wilson-Laing was inspired to launch WL Distillery after discovering a love for European and Mediterranean delicacies while volunteering as an archaeologist abroad.

He studied and travelled for three years across countries such as Italy, Cyprus, Turkey and Germany. After returning to the north east of England, Wilson-Laing decided to set up his own microdistillery.

“Wherever you go, there always seems to be a regional drink or spirit that represents that area and it’s nice to be able to experience the local delicacies whenever you visit somewhere new, it was what I loved most about being in different countries,” said Wilson-Laing.

“When I was in Malta, they made their own spirits from cactus plants. In Cyprus, I lived in a village where the local priest grew his own olives and made his own spirits, and I loved watching people make it.

“A Spanish wine that reminds you of a holiday or a raki that reminds you of Turkey, I want to create something that bottles up and gives people a real flavour of the north east, something that is reminiscent and evocative. That’s what inspired me to launch WL Distillery.”

WL Distillery’s inaugural expression will be a signature gin, which will be released early next year. The gin will take inspiration from the local area and the “great British garden”, using ingredients such as blackberries, pears and apples.

“Apples, pears, blackberries, raspberries – I want to produce something reminiscent of growing up in the north of England,” added Wilson-Laing. “There will be many others who spent their childhoods picking fruit and producing cakes, pies, even wines, with the fruits of their labour and I want to produce a spirit which carries on that tradition, giving people a real sample of what the north east is all about.”

The project has been supported by the North East Business and Innovation Centre, with Wilson-Laing attending a series of workshops and masterclasses including ‘financial planning’ and ‘an introduction to Instagram marketing’.