Visiting Distiller - Peruvian Andes - South America

[hareshbh]

A growing distillery in the Peruvian Andes is looking for distillers interested in a 2-3 month work exchange for a distiller or beginning distiller.  We are a craft distillery working with small scale sugar cane growers to produce Caña Alta, Peru's finest Cañazo (similar to Rhum Agricole), as well as our own botanicals for macerations and beyond. Destilería Andina is located in Ollantaytambo, half-way between Cusco and Machu Picchu, a perfect location for exploring Andean culture, archaeological sites and hiking on your days off. Looking for a demonstrated interest in fermentation, botanicals, blending, aging, spirits/product development, spirits marketing and of course distillation. We provide housing and a small stipend. Spanish not required. For more information write haresh@destileriaandina.com.  Visit our website www.destileriaandina.com.  

 

 

[Shinenorth]

I just want to chime in here. I was the first distiller to go down and visit/work with Destileria Andina. Overall, one of the most gratifying experiences of my life. I learned so much from Hareshbh and the other workers. The town of ollantaytambo is beautiful and a great center location if you want to go out and see the rest of peru.  I spent just about 3 months there, and wish I could spend many more. I formed a life long bond with Haresh(the head distiller and owner). The work is hard and pushes you to learn new things. He taught me about peruvian spirits and I taught him a little about my distilling background.

Every day I was given the chance to try something new, and Peru is filled with fruits and veggies that no one has thought to distill(besides Haresh and I.) Its a great chance to try new recipes or work with a different environment. I cant say enough about Haresh. After about 3 weeks, He had to leave the country, and he left me in charge. Distilling his product and being the face of the company. If you can catch on quick and enjoy being around someone who cares so much about his product, give this opportunity a shot. You're working with top notch Alembic stills and you're doing cuts by; smell, taste and feel. It's a great way for someone to hone in their skills or improve on things. 

Some things we distilled: countless peruvian fruits, potatoes(peru has over 3000 varieties or something) so we did one ha, chicha, and anything else we could think of. 

Safety: Ollanta is a very safe and quiet town. Outside of a few festifals(which are so fun), you wont be bothered by anyone, unless you want to be. 

Lodging: The house that you stay in is top notch for the area. You're provided with everything you need and its free.

Food: Ollanta itself is a very cheap town and I would sometimes not spend more than 10 soles($3) in a day. Portions are huge and the fresh produce is very nice.

Spanish: I'll start this by saying that I knew very little spanish going down. I still don't know much after 3 months, but It was never a problem.  Haresh speaks perfect, if not better english than I do. Most visitors are english speaking and if not, someone is there to translate or speak for you. 

Waiting for my plane home, I thank Haresh from the bottom of my heart. He really is a great person and someone I look forward to continuing a friendship with. He's not going to sugar coat anything and he'll push you to think outside of the box. I hope someone gives this a shot, because you will not be disappointed. I leave Peru with several life long friends and memories for days. 

 

This kook approves of this opportunity, just give it a shot!

-G