Why I’m Keeping Vodka, and Saying Goodbye to Gin and Rum

In my previous posts, I shared the culmination of six years of experimentation: a clear vision for the future of Retribution whisky based on heritage/landrace barley, brewers’ yeast, direct fire and mindful smoke.

That focus feels right. It feels like the spirit I have been working towards from the beginning. But putting all of my energy, time and space into making the best whisky I can also means making some difficult decisions elsewhere. It means the end for Retribution Gin and Retribution Rum.

When I set out to build this distillery, one of my guiding ideas was Genius Loci, capturing the spirit of the place. For my whisky, I can source remarkable heritage barley from nearby Warminster Maltings, use applewood from Somerset orchards for smoke, and make a spirit shaped by this landscape, this kit and my own hands.

Gin and rum have taught me a huge amount about flavour. I am proud of them, especially of the way our rum has been received by the rum community. I want to sincerely thank everyone who has bought a bottle, shared one, recommended one, or supported these releases over the years. But the truth is that they no longer quite fit the stricter, more focused version of Retribution I am now building.

Gin depends on botanicals from far beyond our local landscape. Rum depends on molasses from thousands of miles away. There is nothing wrong with that, and I have loved making both spirits, but they do not sit naturally inside the hyper-local philosophy that now defines my flagship whisky.

So, what happens next? If you are a fan of our gin, this is your final warning. I have bottled 
enough to last a few more months, but once it is gone, it is gone forever.

The goodbye to our rum will be slower. We still have some fantastic casks maturing quietly in the warehouse, and these will be released gradually over time. Because I want to dedicate my warehouse space to whisky, I am also open to discussing bulk cask sales of our remaining rum stock with independent bottlers or rum clubs that might want to secure a unique cask.

Letting go of gin and rum is tough, but it is necessary. They belong to the era of learning in Retribution, and I am grateful for everything they taught me.

So why does the vodka stay? At first glance, keeping vodka might seem at odds with my “Flavour Over Everything” philosophy. But vodka has a very different role here. It is not a distraction from the whisky but actually part of the whisky-making loop.

To understand why, you have to understand a little about distillation. During whisky production, not every fraction of the distillation run is suitable for becoming single malt. Rather than treating recovered heads and tails as a disposal problem or buying mass-produced industrial alcohol for white spirits, I wanted to keep more of the value of our local grain inside the distillery.

That is why I designed and had a bespoke vodka column still built right alongside our direct-fired copper pot stills.

We take recovered spirit from our whisky production and redistill it through our custom column still, raising the ABV to 96.4%. This means more of the energy, effort, and character from our grain is retained within Retribution rather than being lost.

And the best part is that it turns out making vodka this way produces a spirit that is exceptionally characterful, creamy and frankly delicious.

So the vodka stays because it earns its place. It supports the environmental “payback” idea at the heart of Retribution. It allows us to make better use of our raw materials. It helps close the loop around whisky production. And it gives us a white spirit I am genuinely proud to put my name on.

This marks the end of my Declaration of Intent. Heritage barley. Brewers’ yeasts. Direct fire. 
Applewood smoke. Occasional one-off releases from the learning era. No more gin. No more rum. Vodka with a purpose. And whisky at the centre of everything.

Thank you to everyone who has followed, tasted, questioned, encouraged and supported 
Retribution so far. This next chapter feels like the clearest expression yet of what I came here to make, and I cannot wait to share it with you.

If you would like one of the final bottles of Retribution Gin, now is the time to buy. Remaining rum releases will appear gradually over time. If you are interested in a rum cask for an independent bottling, a club release, or a private group, please get in touch.

To follow the next whisky releases, including spirits from our learning era and the first steps into our new applewood-smoked future, sign up to the mailing list below.