Sinestesia Distillery Interview
By Adam Janicsak
Where have you started your distilling journey? Tell us a bit about your background before iStill!
It sort of started together with iStill. I mean, first I spent a few weeks in different distilleries in the UK, while I was living in London for 8 years. First, I did the IBD (Institute of Brewing & Distilling) Certificate in Scotland in 2017. When we were planning to move back to Argentina - where I am originally from - to start a distillery, I was looking for different options for which still to use and a distiller from Hawkridge brought iStill to my attention. After that I enrolled to the practical course that was held in February, 2018 at your premises and became a customer.
So your first experiences of producing your own alcohol were on an iStill machine basically?
Exactly. When I was there, I bought a Mini on the spot, then came back and started experimenting at home, while we were setting up the distillery. Later on we bought a manual 100 liter still from you and that is the one we are operating with at the moment.
What product(s) are you making with it?
Currently only gin, but we are experimenting with other stuff involving the Extractor to create something new. We have a couple of gins, for example a London Dry, which is our signature and from which we sell the most. We also released a barrel aged gin last year. Our operation is not huge and time is precious, therefore we don't always have the time to experiment and focus on new things. Argentina has been a tricky market too in the last few years. There are some circumstances, like inflation, financial instability, that makes it risky to release something new.
Yes, I totally understand. What is the amount you produce per month? A total of all your products.
Between 600 and 1000 bottles, depending on how well the sales are going. This is the gin that we produce with the iStill equipment, but we have a side operation as well with another machine.
Who are you selling these bottles to? Do you have a webshop or are you working together with other businesses?
We have different channels. You need to get creative here, so we sell directly at retail price and we work with wine shops, bottle shops, bars, clubs, restaurants and distributors. We are trying to cover the whole spectrum to maximize our businesses’ potential. This year we have exported our first pallet to Europe as well, to Switzerland and Italy. Currently, I would say 90% of our sales is in Argentina, while 10% is from the European market.
So there is no export to other countries in South America? Only the domestic market?
We are starting to open in Uruguay, which is just next to us, but that’s about it for now. There is a lot of competition happening on the market, but we are exploring new opportunities. Things here usually explode 5-6 years after they do in Europe. It happened with craft breweries and nowadays with craft distilling as well, which is at the peak at the moment.
I see. How well known is your brand in Argentina? What would you say, out of 10 people how many have at least heard about Sinestesia?
Well, it depends where in the country. We are based in Buenos Aires, which is the capital city, so we are more known here than anywhere else in the country, but we do sell everywhere though. We are only a 3 years old brand and we are continuously growing. Out of 10 people I think 4 would know us, but we are aiming to grow further obviously. It is not easy, as after a certain point you need a lot of press and marketing, which requires investment to fight big brands, but we are getting there.
That’s great! We are hoping for your success as well. Let’s switch the conversation to iStill now. What are your thoughts on our equipment? How is the iStill experience working out for you? I guess you cannot really compare it to traditional stills, as you don’t have much experience elsewhere, but…
No, I do! I love iStill, the best thing about it - besides the software - is the output and the flavour of that output. That would be the number 1 reason for me to only use iStill for my own products. The versatility of the still is also great, as I can make gin, vodka, whiskey, rum, brandy and almost anything. In comparison, in our side business that is making gin for other brands, we have a traditional plated still that is my associate’s, which I do not like. It can be tricky to work with, as frequent adjustments are required, which can take up time and energy, whereas with iStill the whole process is really simple. You distill, then clean it in 2 seconds and it is almost ready for use again. It’s great! Especially for operations, like mine, where we are relatively big, but not a huge organization, and time is really precious. If you spend a few minutes with maintenance compared to an hour, that makes a big difference.
Of course! As you mentioned, it is possible to make a lot of different spirits with the iStill. Are you planning to diversify your portfolio later on?
Yeah, whiskey is my goal, that’s what I like the most and know the most of. Ideally, we would evolve into at least producing a barrel a month, just to have stock for the future. Hopefully we can start doing that in the near future.
Have you experimented with whiskey already? Maybe made small batches with the Mini to see how the process goes?
Yes, but really on the small scale, just to see the output, where to make the cuts, check the temperature and alcohol percentage to have an idea about how to scale it up to the 100.
I see. Any feedback you want to give us? Maybe something to improve on or a configuration that you would like to see in a future still?
To be honest, I have no complaints. The output has been great. The only thing is that my 100 is manual and doesn’t have a power manager for the heating, which would be a nice addition, but it is only because it is an older model. As I know, the new ones do have this, so it is maybe irrelevant. I only mention it as a remark for the time when I bought it.
Are there any achievements that you are proud of? I saw that you won quite a few awards already, so congratulations! Is there anything you would like to highlight?
Medals are great, because they validate your work in a way, but they are more of a marketing tool than anything else really. It is a thing that customers are looking for when buying your product. I am a judge in different gin competitions and distiller competitions here, so I know how it works from the inside. What I am more proud of is that they like my product, and it comes from an iStill! I tried making my recipe on a different still, on the plated still we have here and it is not producing the same results.
It is a great compliment for us as well and verifies that what we are doing here is worth pursuing. So is this winning recipe 100% your creation? Or did someone help with tweaking it?
No, it is my own.
How did you come up with it?
After I did the distilling course in Scotland, then the one at iStill in 2018, I went back to the UK with the Mini I bought and started experimenting right away. Basically I did tryouts for a year with different botanicals. The tricky thing in the UK was that you couldn’t get GNS if you didn't have a license, so I was essentially rectifying vodka to make gin.
There is always a way to work around. Any future plans that you want to share? Do you see a potential to grow for the company?
Yeah, definitely! I would like to grow faster, but the circumstances of the country are making it difficult. The inflation is almost 200% each year, so it is not like I can make a 5 year plan and follow certain guidelines or make little adjustments depending on how sales go. That’s not how it works here. The economy is fluctuating a lot, so it is even difficult to plan 3 months ahead. Fortunately, we are still growing slowly and hopefully this will continue onwards, then we can buy a bigger still to match the increasing demand. I would like to experiment with whiskey and other spirits to have other exciting products as well, which is the fun part of the business.
Definitely! Also, involving the Extractor you already have can contribute with new amazing flavours to your gin recipe. I am out of questions to ask, is there anything you would like to add?
Hmmm I don’t know… I 100% recommend iStill, it is a great tool to work with. I know it is more complex than a tool, but you get what I mean. The output is great and I am really happy with it.
It is always a pleasure to hear satisfied customers. Thank you for the kind words and for the interview!
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