Innovative spirits in the pipeline excite Hinch distiller Emma Millar

Talented distiller Emma Millar of Hinch Distillery, located near Ballynahinch in Co Down, is looking forward to new products due for release soon by the multi-award winning company which currently exports Hinch Irish whiskey and Ninth Wave Irish Gin to more than 30 countries across the world.

Emma (27) explains: “We are running a peated single malt now, and we plan to run some pot still later this year, as well as continue our flagship Hinch triple distilled single malt. There are some new products due for release very soon. And we have some very exciting projects in the pipeline over the coming years in which I’ve been lucky enough to be involved.”

Originally from a farming community in Stranocum, near Ballymoney in Co Antrim, Emma currently commutes daily from her home in Belfast to the distillery complex, now a major and striking attraction for events and visitors on the main road to Newcastle. She joined Hinch in September 2020 with significant experience in distilling gin and whiskey in in the Scottish borders.

“Hinch was the perfect opportunity to grow and develop my distilling expertise and work with a young, innovative and dynamic team that’s enjoying great success in global markets,” Emma continues.

“Hinch is the best of both worlds; I get to distil both Hinch Irish Whiskey and Ninth Wave Irish Gin. We are also known as a ‘grain to glass’ distillery, meaning we do everything from malt intake right through to casking, warehousing, disgorging and finally - bottling. I love the idea of seeing what we have produced as a team come to fruition as a drink that anyone and everyone can enjoy here and across the world.”

Emma spent almost two years working in Scotland in a gin distillery that was “much smaller than Hinch but still a fantastic experience and a step into the distilling industry”, she says.

She is the most recent addition to the growing number of women holding key positions in distilling here. She follows Alex Thomas, master blender at the iconic Old Bushmills in Co Antrim and The Sexton, also based in Bushmills, and Fiona Boyd Armstrong, the joint founder and managing director of Rademon Estate Distillery in Crossgar, Co Down, the producer of the award winning Shortcross Gin and single malt whiskeys.

A graduate in Food Design, Manufacture and Nutrition at the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE), Emma studied both brewing and distilling in her final year at college at Loughry, near Cookstown, and is now a creative hub for the local food and drink industry.

“After my undergraduate degree, I took this passion forward and completed a Master of Science (MSc) in Brewing at Heriot Watt University in Edinburgh, graduating in 2018,” she says. “Shortly after that I applied for the role as a distiller in a Scottish Borders Gin Distillery,” adds Emma, who retains her farming connections through membership of her local Young Farmers’ Club, participating in various competitions throughout the year.

What Emma loves about her highly responsible and inspirational role at Hinch is that “no two days are the same”. “We could be doing anything from mashing and distilling, to casking and warehousing,” continues Emma. “I also deal with HM Revenue and Customs and plan upcoming bottlings to meet sales orders.”

Her favourite part of the job is “having the freedom to create new products”.

“Since joining the team, we have launched the Ninth Wave Export gin and our own Distillery Exclusive Navy Strength (only available at the distillery). I also look forward to blending and learning more about cask selection and wood variations. I have an incredible role model in our head distiller, William Stafford, who I am keen to work alongside and learn from over the coming years.”

He’s part of an “amazing team at the distillery and is responsible for the careful selection of casks in which the spirits, especially, the whiskeys, are matured and finished”.

“I also appreciate the opportunity of running a new distillery and being allowed the creative freedom to produce a fantastic liquid. I love what I do.”

Founded by successful Belfast businessman Terry Cross, the company chairman and driving force, the Hinch Distillery is taken from Ballynahinch, meaning ‘town of the island’ in Gaelic. Hinch represents an investment of over £15 million and now includes a stylish brasserie, function rooms and an impressive visitor centre about the business and the local area.

Hinch has won a host of international awards for its premium products. Its Ninth Wave gin is among the most internationally successful gins in prestigious competitions. It has also received awards for its distinctive Irish whiskey range.