FOOD + DRINK
insideTHE DISTILLERY
PLEASANT LAND
IT IS THE UNPREDICTABLE COURSE OF LIFE THAT OFTEN LEADS US TO OUR TRUE CALLING , AN UNEXPLORED PATH THAT COULD NEVER HAVE BEEN PLANNED EVEN IF WE TRIED - THIS WAS THE CASE FOR SEBASTIAN BARNICK , CO-FOUNDER OF KENT ’ S NEWEST PURVEYOR OF FINE SPIRITS , PLEASANT LAND DISTILLERY . BY OLIVIA RICCINI & SAMANTHA READY
© Ap-Art Photography
Medically discharged after travelling the world as an officer in the Navy , it was the fun , frivolity and blended cultures of 67 different foreign lands that ultimately inspired Seb to choose his path into the distilling industry . We met Seb on a cold and blustery day in January , at the Aldington premises of what is now the only sustainable contract distillery in the UK , a true trailblazer in the world of drinks . Although what was ultimately an idea born in the time of lockdown , Pleasant Land is far from a notion conceived on a whim . Years of industry experience in luxury drinks , distilling and wine have made up the layers of Seb ’ s portfolio which includes time buying craft brands , such as Whistle Pig for high end whiskey companies , and even designing entire distilleries for other luxury beverage brands . We listen with intrigue as Seb tells us his story , capturing our attention in a way that only someone truly passionate and full of ambition for their craft could .
It becomes immediately clear that it is this invaluable combination of passion , experience and skill that has pushed Seb and his company , co-founded with his father Charles , to where it is today and will continue to be the driving force pushing Pleasant Land into exciting new realms .
“ I was all set to go to Finland ,” Seb reveals , “ I had just been offered a job in their distilling industry , but it was at this point I took a step back and had to decide if it was really the route I wanted to take . Setting up a family business and running it with my Dad had always been on my mind , and with all the experience I had gained since leaving the Navy , I realised now was the time to take a risk at creating a legacy of our own .” Almost three years after that first seedling of an idea , Seb now tours us around the distillery , a large industrial affair set up in a corrugated former chicken shed , rented from a local farmer who shares his visionary sustainability ethos . A scene so wondrous it could be lifted from a Roald Dahl story , Seb takes us through the process of distilling , right through from the raw product itself , to bottling and product design , wafting aromas of distilling pears and apricots our way as he lifts the lids of giant pan-like machines and ingenious copper stills . A man that really knows his science , Seb explains everything , right down to his reasoning in choice of the metal work of the copper stills he has considerately opted for . However , it is not just the science and process that Seb has mastered , he is also the nose and creative eye behind each bottle produced at Pleasant Land too .
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