Manx couple Rebecca and Alan Gelling knew they were taking on a challenge when they took over the running of Kella Distillers .
Rebecca, 28, is a beauty therapist by trade while her 39-year-old husband is an engineer.
They also have three young children - Magnus, three, Thorryn, who is nearly two and Freya, three months.
But the enterprising couple are delighted to have pioneered an ‘ultra premium’ Manx vodka called Bifrost since taking over the helm of Sulby based distillery.
Bifrost has been made at the distillery since autumn 2015, and required a new type of still to be designed and built by Alan. And in the space of just a few months the new drink has already gone down a storm in the food and drink world and has helped the distillery scoop three awards.
Rebecca and Alan seemed remarkably unfazed about their success when Business News paid them a visit.
Rebecca said: ‘We’re learning on the job and I have to say it is great fun.
‘Life is for living and that’s what we are doing.’
They took over the business from Rebecca’s father Andrew Dixon who said: ‘Since passing the baton over to my daughter last year, I have been amazed at what she and Alan, have produced; the future of distilling in the island is in safe hands.’
The vodka, with an alcohol strength of 42.2 per cent, was inspired by the couple’s love of Norse heritage.
On their website for the new drink they point out thatBifrost is ‘the burning rainbow bridge that reaches between Midgard (the land of humans) and Asgard (the realm of the gods).’
Rebecca and Alan say one of the distinctive aspects of their ‘hand-crafted’ drink is that it has been distilled with French grapes that have been used to create cognac.
Rebecca and Alan say Bifrost builds on the distillery’s heritage of redistilling matured spirits into clear, flavourful drinks.
The distillery’s also well known for producing the popular brand ManX Spirit.
The family are celebrating after impressing judges in a hat-trick of competitions:
lKella won a bronze medal for Bifrost, in the 2016 International Wine and Spirit Competition. The productwas tasted blind by expert panels, selected from more than 300 fully experienced and qualified industry judges. Products which receive the top medals are then subject to technical analysis before results are released.
l They also scooped a bronze medal at the International Spirits Challenge earlier in the summer.
l And the most recent accolade came after Kella Distillers joined an array of other Manx food and drink producers in winning Great Taste Awards - the ‘Oscars’ of the food industry. As reported by IoM Newspapers, the Guild of Fine Food, which runs the awards, announced that 26 Isle of Man products have won awards, including Kella Distillers.
Rebecca told Business News: ‘We must be doing something right.’
Bifrost was first launched, she said, at last year’s Isle of Man Food and Drink Festival at the Villa Marina, Douglas.
Rebecca said it was ‘fantastic’ that so many Manx food and drink producers had been recognised in the Great Taste Awards.
She said: ‘It’s lovely, there seems to be a real shift towards real quality products in the island and that’s very much what we are about.
‘We’d much rather produce a smaller amount of a really good product than flood the market with something that’s not that special really.’
Great care has gone into the product right down to the labelling, done manually and with great care. The couple say the drink is ‘remarkably versatile’ and can be drunk straight from the fridge or as part of a cocktail. Other family members have also been hands on in helping the entrepreneurial couple get the word out about Bifrost. These obviously include Rebecca’s father Andrew Dixon.
Rebecca said the trend in the British Isles was showing a move to premium spirits.
‘It’s available only in the island at present but there are talks going on that could see Bifrost being sold in the UK at a later date.
Among the suppliers are the Steam Packet and Rebecca and Alan said they had received inquiries from visitors from all over the world.
Rebecca and Alan say that because they enjoy the workso much and are ‘learning on the job, it is not a hardship to come up here and work quite long hours becase we enjoy it so much.’
The couple praised the island’s government and in particular they singled out Andrew Lees , food business development manager with the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture.
‘He is passionate about the Manx food and drink industry and we are proud to be part of that. It is all very exciting.’ said Rebecca.