Ulrich brings science to the art of gin distilling in Moy

The company, formed in 2016 by Dr Ulrich Dyer, who has over 30 years’ experience as a chemist in the global pharmaceutical industry, has moved to the new distillery after outgrowing a converted garage at his home in Benburb in Tyrone.

Around £120,000 is being invested by Dr Dyer in the development of the distillery, warehousing, a gin school and visitor centre. The investment has already created three new jobs which have been supported by Invest Northern Ireland.

Outlining this important investment for the small batch distillery, Dr Dyer said: “We decided to develop a new distillery because we had outgrown our existing premises in Benburb and needed the new space to enable us to increase distilling and storage capacity in response to the growing success of our three gins, especially in the Northern Ireland marketplace.

“The new distillery gives us greater scope to develop our science-led development of spirits using our unique process which is based on cold distillation and microwave extraction technology. These techniques help to ensure that the rich yet delicate flavours of the local botanicals we use in gin production are extracted efficiently and preserved in our spirits,” Dr Dyer adds.

This modern technology, he continues, has been proven to be the most efficient in terms of energy use. “It’s the most environmentally friendly process because only two percent of the energy required for traditional distilling is used in these processes.

“I believe that Woodlab is the only distillery in the world using these combined techniques. The technology is based on my scientific research in the international pharmaceutical industry on product development,” adds Dr Dyer.

Welcoming the investment, Ethna McNamee, Invest NI’s Western Regional Manager said: “We have been working in partnership with the team at Woodlab Distillery over the last number of years to support the growth of its business.

“This has included initial support through our innovation voucher programme to help refine the distilling process of its now successful Symphonia Gin range, support to create three jobs and technical advice and marketing assistance through our Design Active Programme to help it develop its website. I’m delighted to see this support helping Woodlab open its distillery and begin to grow sales in international markets.”

Dr Dyer continues: “The support from Invest NI is invaluable and has enabled us to get the new distillery operating quickly and to develop sales especially in Great Britain by means of our website. We are working with Invest NI to grow the business in our target markets, building in particular on our success of our Symphonia Dry Gin being named Champion of Champions in the Irish Gin Awards 2019.”

The small batch distillery currently produces three handcrafted gins both featuring botanicals from the area. The gins are Symphonia No.1, a dry gin, and Symphonia No. 2, a gin featuring Armagh Bramley apples sourced from local orchards, and Symphonia No 3, a Summer Fruit Cup.

Symphonia has also just launched Symphonia No.4 a local apple rum using locally sourced Bramley apples from orchards in Co Armagh. “It makes good sense to develop a novel rum from the Caribbean from the superb apples which has achieved EU protected status,” he says.

The gins are currently available in local off-licences and bars here. Symphonia was recently recommended by the food and wine writer for the Guardian, Fiona Beckett, who highlighted it as one of the standout Irish gins.

Dr Dyer, a former Harvard academic, spent 30 three decades in the pharmaceutical industry working in the area of anti-viral medicines, and helping to come up with cures for pandemic diseases such as HIV and influenza.

He moved into gin distillation in a career switch, launching In June 2018, and it has since gone on to win numerous international awards such as a silver in the International Wine and Spirit Competition, two stars in the Great Taste Awards and Champion of Champions: Best Irish Gin at the Irish Gin Awards 2019. 

Dr Dyer also brought his expertise in pharmaceuticals to the development of a hand sanitiser for local health care workers, shopkeepers, doctors, couriers all of whom are high risk and vulnerable to this highly contagious disease.

He adds: “Who would have believed even a few weeks ago our fourth product after our dry gin, Bramley apple gin and summer fruit cup would be hand sanitiser? I have come full circle!”

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