There’s something afoot in the hayloft of a disused milking shed on Ballakelly Farm.

The Outlier Distilling Company is a new venture being started by Ian Warborn-Jones and Rick Dacey.

But, as they explain, it’s about far more than just using a convenient old building.

Rick and Ian are currently working their way through clearing half a century of spiders and cobwebs with a clear end in view: the launch of a new craft distillery which will be run on clear environmental principles and very much in harmony with Alan and Rachel Teare’s farming activities.

Many of us will know that for many years Bushy’s Brewery has donated large quantities of spent malted barley from the brewing process as a feed supplement to assist the upkeep and welfare of the tram horses.

Ian and Rick are planning something similar at Ballakelly.

Ian explains: ’We’re aiming to be a true craft distillery and control as much of the process on site as we can.

’That means we won’t buy in spirits to distil, but run fermentation here too.

’That means when we’re using grain we can return it as fodder to the farm once the wash has been removed for distillation.

’We are aiming to make spirits with integrity that have as little impact on the environment as possible, using grain grown on the farm and water drawn from the well.’

This would deliver ’single estate’ spirits, also known as ’farm to bottle’ spirits which, while not an official industry definition, are terms used to describe products which are made using most, if not all, ingredients sourced from a single area of land.

Ian says: ’We think the Isle of Man’s great in terms of the business.

’We have incredibly good local water and crops and we’ll be employing local labour.’

They have commissioned Sulby-based Darragh Design to make their fermentation tanks from local oak and they are sourcing wood to run the process from tree surgeons in the area.

Ian has a degree in viticulture and oenology and has worked in the wine and spirits industry for 10 years, but the new venture will be a complete change of scene for Rick who spent the last decade working for PokerStars.

He says: ’I was on the communications and marketing side of the business so we have complementary skills: Ian knows how to make excellent booze and I know how to get the story out.’

They have already been granted change of use to convert Ballakelly’s old milking shed into a distillery and right now they are busy getting the site licence-ready for securing the series of approvals that they will need to produce, store and distribute spirits.

So it is early days in their story so far and they are keeping their cards close to their chest when it comes to revealing exactly which spirits they will be producing.

All Ian will say is: ’We will be controlling every aspect of the process here and making some really interesting and beautiful products.

’We’re going to give ourselves the time and space to experiment with a view to producing a variety of premium spirits, initially in small batches for local distribution.’

And Rick adds: ’It might seem a little premature to talk about Outlier’s ambitions before we’ve made a single drop, but we want to share the journey.

’We’re looking to do things a little differently so it should be interesting.

’And we’re going to be looking for tasters.’

You can follow their progress online at the Outlier Distilling Company page on Facebook or OutlierDistilling.com.