Name: Chris Pateman
Company: Lancaster Spirits Co.
Job: Commercial Manager
Website: lancasterspirits.co.uk

How long have you been working in the whisky industry?
My Career & Passion for whisky began in 2012, when I accepted a role as store manager at a brand-new whisky shop in Nottingham. I will be honest; I had limited to no knowledge of whisky when I first began my career in whisky. But this is where I first fell in love with whisky. After four years at The Whisky Shop, I left to begin my first brand role, supporting the sale of Bruichladdich and the wider Remy Cointreau portfolio.

After that I spent over five years at The Lakes Distillery in several different commercial and strategic roles, helping to launch the first Lakes single malt releases in 2019 and 2020. Next, I travelled back north again as the Global Head of Sales at Annandale Distillery. In July 2024, I accepted the role of Commercial Manager at Lancaster Spirits Co, genuinely my most exciting role yet!

Production commenced at Lancaster Spirits Co. in July 2024, after many years of careful planning Lancaster Brewery finally realised its ambition to produce single malt using the wash produced by the brewery. Our vision is to create a single malt with a real sense of place, crafted by our expert team to produce an honest & authentic product that is full of character.

Unlike many traditional distilleries, Lancaster Spirits Co. utilises the brewery’s brewhouse to produce the necessary wash for our single malt. Our expert brewery team produces the wash using the same brewing equipment and raw materials to make Lancaster Brewery’s ever-popular craft ales. Our most important ingredient is our live brewer’s yeast though, which helps to facilitate a long fermentation process of up to 7 days – developing sweet, rich & fruity esters within our spirit.

Our new-make spirit is filled into a variety of different casks, including first-fill Bourbon, Oloroso Sherry hogsheads, Wine Barriques, STR Rioja casks as well as 100L and 200L casks that are seasoned with PX, Oloroso & Tawny Port. Our team will closely monitor each & every cask, overseeing it maturation over the months and years to come.

What has been your biggest career highlight to date?
My career highlight to date has to be seeing the initial response from consumers and members of the trade to our newly crafted single malt spirit. Inevitably, our spirit needs considerably more time to develop the necessary balance and poise that we would expect from a mature whisky, but it is already developing the complexity and character I would expect of a mature whisky.

Can you remember your first dram, and indeed what it was?
Glenmorangie 10 Year Old was the very first single malt I ever tasted. I’d been gifted it by a family member that was on a mission to ‘develop my palate’.

What does whisky mean to you?
Whisky is more than just a drink, it is an experience, a memory or a moment in time. Unlike any other spirit, it can transport you somewhere else.

Where would you like to see yourself in five years’ time?
Lancaster Spirits Co. is at the very start of its journey, but five years from now we’ll have released our inaugural single malt and a few small-batch or single cask whiskies. Our hope is to develop a brand that has a strong connection with the local community but is equally loved by whisky enthusiasts alike.

What was your last dram?
My last dram was a sample of Lancaster Spirits Co. single malt drawn directly from cask – Or more specifically, cask #47. A 100L seasoned PX cask that is bursting in flavour and complexity, considering it has only spent a grand total of 3 months in cask, it certainly blew our tour visitors away last week!

Do you have a favourite whisky and food pairing combination?
I suspect I’ll not be the only person to say this but rich, sherried whiskies are complemented by dark chocolate, often releasing or developing secondary flavours within the whisky and within the chocolate.

What’s your favourite time and place to enjoy a dram?
Perhaps a bit boring to say, but I often find that the most enjoyable way to enjoy a dram is relaxing at home in front of the telly. But, other than that, I’d say that having a dram that is drawn directly from the cask at its natural cask strength, whilst inside a bonded warehouse gives you the most enjoyable experience.

What do you think is going to be the next big thing on the whisky horizon?
World whiskies and more specifically, English whisky. I am hugely excited about this emerging category. In my experience, ‘New World’ whisky distilleries such as Lancaster Spirits Co. focus upon flavour creation. Flavour is at the heart of everything that we do, but of course it must be to win over new consumers.

What’s the one dram you couldn’t live without?
Rich, sherried whiskies with bags of complexity are often my favourite. Not necessarily ‘sherry bombs’ but whiskies that have a sense of place, but with a strong, robust and ‘chewy’ texture. Lagavulin 16 Year Old, which has all that and more, has to be one of my all-time favourites.

Many thanks to Chris Pateman. Who will be our next Whisky Insider? Click back soon to find out!