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.
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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.
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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.
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Favourite Spirit: Whatever he fancies on the day
JILL LAWRENCE
SALES MANAGER
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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!
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Favourite Spirit: Old Salt Rum
HAYLEY PERRING
SALES & EVENTS COORDINATOR
Hayley is in charge of making sure English Spirit is present at events all across the country. From organising bookings to managing stock and looking after our national team of Spirit Ambassadors: and everything in between. She also looks after members of The Spirit Club.
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Hayley likes eating (cake) and drinking (booze). She frequently checks out vintage shops, and likes going on adventures with her family and dog. She is especially passionate about cleaning and rearranging office furniture.
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Favourite Spirit: Christmas Spirit
ROSIE BARLOW
CREATIVE EXECUTIVE
Rosie is in charge of all things visual at English Spirit: from creating original illustrations to bottle labels and much more. She is well versed in just about every artistic medium! In addition, Rosie also events as a Spirit Ambassador, where she loves to share her considerable passion for our products.
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Rosie loves making the most of activities in Cornwall: surfing and swimming, horse riding, going to the theatre, and cocktail bars, to mention a few. She likes making clothes and hates polystyrene. She's also good at juggling: especially the vast to-do list of creative ideas given to her by other members of the team.
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Favourite Spirit: St Piran's Cornish Rum
DISTILLERY TEAM
WAYNE RUSSELL
Wayne enjoys riding his motorbike, Game of Thrones, and polishing his head instead of getting his hair cut.​ He loves all things science fiction, but especially Star Wars: he has three large tattoos of Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker and the Death Star.
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Favourite Spirit: Single Malt Spirit
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.
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Favourite Spirit: Apple Brandy
LAWRENCE KENWARD
When he’s not washing his lovely long locks, Lawrence enjoys cycling, and watching motorcycle racing. He plays snooker every week and supports Manchester United; and is able to down a pint in 7-8 seconds. Presumably of beer.
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Favourite Spirit: English Toffee Vodka Liqueur
HARRIET YOUNG
Harri’s favourite thing in the world is playing football: she plays for Lawford FC. She also likes boxing, and a good box set binge: her favourite is Line of Duty.
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Favourite Spirit: Chocolate Orange Vodka Liqueur
PENELOPE WATSON
Pen loves horses. She competes in a dressage league, and also likes showjumping. Her horse has a special outfit covered in Marvel characters! She also loves a Mr Whippy van: but her favourite ice cream is Rum & Raisin (naturally)
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Favourite Spirit: Limongino
DALE BRETT
Dale plays cricket for Sudbury Cricket Club: of which he is very proud. In fact, he spends nearly all his time playing cricket, although he always makes time to spend with his young son...not to mention beer and pizza. He supports Liverpool FC.
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Favourite Spirit: Raspberry Gin Liqueur
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 labeler there is' by her team.
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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.
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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.