Burnt Faith, the British Isle’s first dedicated brandy house has opened in Walthamstow following the comprehensive refurbishment of a 250 sq m industrial unit which stands on the site of a former Pentecostal church. Work on the building’s transformation was carried out by BRAC Contracts and follows a series of work they carried out on the nearby Lockwood Way industrial estate.
Simon Wright, founder of Burnt Faith, is a serial entrepreneur in the drinks space and known for breathing fresh life into staid categories. Walthamstow proved to be the perfect home for the new urban distillery given its vibrancy and creativity, as Simon comments:
“This three-year journey was inspired by a trip to Cognac which triggered the seed of the idea for Burnt Faith. I left inspired, not by what Cognac brands are but more by what they could never be. With a vision to push the boundaries of what brandy could be, we were keen to establish Burnt Faith in an area that is buzzing with creativity. Walthamstow is already home to several breweries and a winery, so it felt like the perfect fit.
“The BRAC team had worked on several of the breweries nearby so seeing the quality of those buildings and their creative aesthetic, made them the perfect choice for our project.”
The £150k scheme of work on Burnt Faith’s two-storey distillery included full re-wiring and plumbing, lighting throughout, new bathroom facilities, a comprehensive re-paint both inside and out, and most notably the cutting of a 3x8m hole in the ceiling to accommodate the pot still which was imported from France.
Commenting on the work carried out by BRAC, Simon continues:
“There was a strong vision for the aesthetic of Burnt Faith painted onto a relatively blank canvas. It’s been a journey creatively and the BRAC team was very responsive to the adaptations we’ve made as we’ve gone along – the quality of their work is absolutely clear in the finish we’ve achieved here.”
Concluding, Adam Clark, MD at BRAC Contracts, comments:
“Having worked on the nearby Lockwood Way industrial estate where there are so many entrepreneurial drinks businesses, it was an honour to be approached by Simon and the team at Burnt Faith to bring their vision to life. Dealing with the nuances of accommodating a pot still isn’t a challenge we face every day at BRAC, but it’s one that the team dealt with admirably and the distillery is now a truly beautiful and contemporary space.
“Walthamstow is enjoying a huge amount of investment and we’d be delighted to work on further projects in the area.”
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