craft distiller

Deep South Distillery; Cape Town; On-site; ZAR 350,000 - 520,000; Full time

Job summary

Deep South Distillery in Kommetjie near Cape Town is seeking a hands-on Distiller to join our small team producing premium craft spirits. You will oversee mashes, fermentations, distillation, blending and bottling, with opportunities to craft gin, rum, whisky, brandy and more.

The ideal candidate has practical distilling experience, strong attention to detail and a commitment to quality and safety. Residency in the Deep South / Cape Peninsula and own transport are required.

Qualifications

• Practical, hands-on experience with grain mashing and fermentation (essential)
• Practical, hands-on experience with distillation and distilling equipment
• A sound understanding of fermentation and distillation principles
• Good numeracy, attention to detail and record-keeping
• A strong commitment to quality, hygiene and safe working practices
• Resident in the Deep South / Cape Peninsula
• Drivers licence and own transport
• Extremely honest and reliable
• A relevant qualification in distilling, brewing, winemaking, food science or a related field is useful, but practical experience, aptitude and attitude are more important to us than formal qualifications
• We are equally interested in an experienced distiller who can bring knowledge and expertise to the role, or someone earlier in their distilling career who has practical experience, a strong technical foundation and the potential to grow with us.

Responsibilities

• Preparing and managing mashes and fermentations
• Operating pot stills and other distilling equipment
• Making distillation cuts and monitoring spirit quality
• Blending, proofing and preparing spirits for bottling
• Working with different spirit classes
• Maintaining accurate batch and production records
• Cleaning and maintaining production equipment and the distillery
• Bottling, labelling and packaging
• Developing and trialling new products and recipes
• Continually improving quality, consistency and production efficiency

Skills

grain mashing

fermentation

distillation

distilling equipment

record-keeping

quality

reliability

transport

Education

distilling/brewing/winemaking/food science qualification

Tools

pot stills

Job description

Deep South Distillery | Kommetjie | Cape Town

Deep South Distillery is looking for an enthusiastic, hands-on Distiller to join our small team producing premium craft spirits.

This is a practical production role for someone who enjoys the complete process of making spirits – from fermentation and distillation through to blending, maturation and bottling.The right candidate will have theopportunity to extend their knowledge and skills to make a range of award-winning spirits, including gin, rum, whisky, brandy, vodka and bitters.

What you’ll be doing

• Preparing and managing mashes and fermentations
• Operating pot stills and other distilling equipment
• Making distillation cuts and monitoring spirit quality
• Blending, proofing and preparing spirits for bottling
• Working with different spirit classes
• Maintaining accurate batch and production records
• Cleaning and maintaining production equipment and the distillery
• Bottling, labelling and packaging
• Developing and trialling new products and recipes
• Continually improving quality, consistency and production efficiency

What we’re looking for (all essential skills)

• Practical, hands-on experience with grain mashing and fermentation (essential)
• Practical, hands-on experience with distillation and distilling equipment
• A sound understanding of fermentation and distillation principles
• Good numeracy, attention to detail and record-keeping
• A strong commitment to quality, hygiene and safe working practices
• Resident in the Deep South / Cape Peninsula
• Drivers licence and own transport
• Extremely honest and reliable

A relevant qualification in distilling, brewing, winemaking, food science or a related field is useful, but practical experience, aptitude and attitude are more important to us than formal qualifications.

We are equally interested in an experienced distiller who can bring knowledge and expertise to the role, or someone earlier in their distilling career who has practical experience, a strong technical foundation and the potential to grow with us.

The person

We’re looking for someone who is curious, practical, reliable and passionate about making great spirits. You should enjoy solving problems, working hands-on and being part of a small craft production environment where everyone contributes.

If you love the science and craft of fermentation and distillation and want to help us create exceptional spirits, we’d like to hear from you.

Salary commensurate with experience.