TEAM
A ship is only as good as it's crew; a symphony orchestra is only as good as it's players; and a distillery is only as good as it's team. Fortunately for us, we have a brilliant team; whether helping to make our spirits, or sell them, or anything in between.
It's no secret that most of our team came to work for us after trying one of our spirits and undergoing something of an epiphany. Everyone that works at English Spirit is united in their passion for making delicious spirits and sharing them with others; read on to find out more about us.
DR JOHN WALTERS
MASTER DISTILLER
A former biochemist, Dr John decided to turn his talents to making spirits after deciding that other commercially available options simply were not up to scratch. He is the founder of English Spirit, and oversees the creation of all our products, both new and existing. John's ethos of 'if you want something done right then do it yourself' applies to nearly every aspect of our operation.
In his spare time, John likes to continue his pursuit of personal development by learning new skills from Youtube videos. Next up on his list is learning how to crochet.
Favourite Spirit: Whatever he fancies on the day
JILL LAWRENCE
SALES DIRECTOR
Jill ensures that our fine spirits & liqueurs are spread across the land: not only of our English Spirit range, but also via managing the accounts of our contract partners. Mother of James and matriarch to everyone else, Jill also supports the team in other ways, including conducting distillery tours and ensuring a steady supply of biscuits.
Jill is given great fulfilment by providing advice to others on whether the colour of their clothes match. She loves gardening, taking her dog Bob for walks, and can usually be found feeding the menagerie of creatures at Great Yeldham Hall, including chickens, horses and occasionally other staff members.
Favourite Spirit: English Sambuca
JAMES LAWRENCE
GENERAL MANAGER
James heads up the South Western arm of our team: his main role is to oversee the construction of our lovely new distillery and visitors centre at Treguddick Manor in Cornwall. He also supports our Spirit Ambassador team across the country, and looks after brand & marketing activities. He is very passionate when talking about English Spirit and tends to wave his hands around a lot.
James likes to spend his time exploring the West Country in the English Spirit Land Rover, and gloating to his friends in London about life in the countryside. He is definitely going to learn how to surf, as opposed to just falling off the board.
Favourite Spirit: Cucumber Spirit
STEVE LAWRENCE
FINANCE MANAGER
The third member of the (evidently booze loving) Lawrence family to join the English Spirit team, Steve brings a wealth of experience from his corporate banking days to his role of 'money man' at the distillery. Steve also oversees stock control, ensuring that our Spirit Ambassadors are well stocked with all of our lovely range.
Steve is a long time West Ham United fan and season ticket holder, and so can usually be found in and around the Olympic Park on game days (when not manning our stands at events). He is treasurer at a local investment club, a passionate and multi talented cook, and loves to annoy Jill with his fondness for classic rock music.
Favourite Spirit: Old Salt Rum
GARRY BOWMAN
DISTILLERY OPERATIONS MANAGER
Garry is our Process King who ensures the distillery runs smoothly on a day to day basis. He seems to have acquired his rucksack from Mary Poppins as he has a tool kit for every occasion, as well as a large selection of bread based snacks contained within it.
A keen supporter of Ipswich Town FC, Garry has in the past road raced motorcycles but now enjoys a gentler pace of life relaxing on his PS4, listening to music and playing pool as part of a league team.
Favourite Spirit: English Spiced Rum
WENDY ELLIS
OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR
Wendy runs the office with a rod of iron and makes sure everything is where it should be - including staff members.
She’s a very busy lady and claims she doesn’t have time for hobbies but she does enjoy walking her dog and the occasional visit to the gym.
She has a love for the finer things in life: which is handy as she’s working in the home of the world's best spirits!
Favourite Spirit: Old Salt Rum
DONNA SAUNDERS
OPERATIONS MANAGER
Donna is our wonderful Operations Manager at Treguddick, responsible for the day-to-day running of our new visitors centre, restaurant and bar. She has loved working behind the scenes with the team in Cornwall, helping to open the new distillery. Also acting as Spirit Ambassador, you might meet Donna around the South West selling our spirits at markets.
Most of Donna's spare time is spent with her three horses, Sox, Boston and Brodie. Sox and Boston are both ridden western, so she won't be offended if you call her a cowgirl! Living close to Dartmoor, she also spends her free time exploring this beautiful part of the world, and in the winter months she likes to curl up next to the fire with a good book.
DONNA SAUNDERS
OPERATIONS MANAGER
Donna is our wonderful Operations Manager at Treguddick, responsible for the day-to-day running of our new visitors centre, restaurant and bar. She has loved working behind the scenes with the team in Cornwall, helping to open the new distillery. Also acting as Spirit Ambassador, you might meet Donna around the South West selling our spirits at markets.
Most of Donna's spare time is spent with her three horses, Sox, Boston and Brodie. Sox and Boston are both ridden western, so she won't be offended if you call her a cowgirl! Living close to Dartmoor, she also spends her free time exploring this beautiful part of the world, and in the winter months she likes to curl up next to the fire with a good book.
Favourite Spirit: English Sambuca
KURT READ
MASTER CARPENTER
Since joining our team in early 2020, Kurt has brought over 30 years of experience in construction and shopfitting to every aspect of our new distillery at Treguddick. A self confessed perfectionist, his simple but constant mantra of “would you accept that in your own home?” has helped us to finish our project to an exceptionally high standard.
Curious by nature, Kurt enjoys learning and turning his hand to any craft: whether it be new design software for our machinery, pizza making, or horticulture. His legendary coffee making skills have held the team together on many an occasion. At weekends, he can usually be found making improvements to his home and garden, often to make room for his family’s menagerie of pets.
Favourite Spirit: English Spiced Rum
SANDY SAUNDERS
SITE MANAGER
Sandy ensures the grounds of Treguddick are well kept; including both the distillery and historic manor. A true handyman, he has put years of practical experience to use in every aspect of building our new distillery and bringing it to life. His favourite job is buffing the polished concrete floor of the distillery, although it could be argued that his most important job is being married to Donna.
Sandy served in the armed forces, chiefly on a submarine for 26 years (he did come up a few times) as well as in the army for 10 years. He enjoys shooting clays, renovating houses, and playing his new Playstation when he finds the time. He is looking forward to going snowboarding again as soon as he can.
Favourite Spirit: Old Salt Rum
SAM POTTER
CREATIVE EXECUTIVE
Sam is based at Treguddick with the South West team, and leads our visionary direction as our Creative Executive. Not only does she create all the beautiful brand assets, from designing labels to the signage at our new distillery, but she also captures all our brand photography.
Sam is a self-confessed crazy cat lady, who has two tabbies called Bumble and Bear. She moved to Cornwall from the North West and fell in love with the outdoors lifestyle, spending her time paddle boarding, wake boarding and having BBQ’s on the beach! Although she does love the South West and the beautiful sandy beaches, controversially she still thinks a hearty pie beats a Cornish pasty.
Favourite Spirit: Raspberry Gin Liqueur
DISTILLERY TEAM
DAN RICHARDSON
PRODUCTION MANAGER
Dan works closely with Dr John to oversee the day-to-day running of the distillery at Great Yeldham Hall. He ensures that everything and everyone is in the right place to make sure our orders are finished on time to our Taste First quality standard.
Dan enjoys cruising around the East Anglian countryside in his brand new electric car - a Vauxhall Mokka. He officially has the biggest feet of anyone in the distillery team, at an impressive size 14.
Favourite Spirit: Caramel Rum Liqueur
ANDY McCALL
Andy is very good at giving hugs. He is very much into gaming, as well as creative interests such as art, film and animation. He has an exceptionally large bookcase, despite not reading much.
Favourite Spirit: Apple Brandy
NATALIE GUINIVAN
Natalie loves the coast, the beach and the sea: especially Norfolk. She likes to think of herself as a part time mermaid: she's been known to drink like a fish. Otherwise Natalie swears that she's very sensible and never gets into any trouble. She's also been honoured with the accolade 'best hand labeller there is' by her team.
Favourite Spirit: Rhubarb Gin Liqueur
SPLODGE
HEAD OF PEST CONTROL
An unsung hero and dedicated hard worker, Splodge plays a vital role in ensuring that our Great Yeldham site remains a pest free zone. He also occasionally shadows sales meetings to bring a fresh perspective to any scenario.
Favourite Spirit: ???
OUR SPIRIT AMBASSADOR TEAM
In addition to our staff based across our two sites, we also have a lovely and dedicated field sales team of Spirit Ambassadors, or Spirit Guides. Like the rest of the English Spirit team, they love our spirits so much that they really are passionate about sharing our collection with spirit enthusiasts everywhere; you can find them spreading English Spirit across the land at a number of events and establishments. They will only be too happy to talk to you about anything you want to know.
