Whisky being distilled in Devon for the first time ever

When you think of Devon produce you wouldn't normally think of Whisky - why would you? Nobody's ever made whisky in Devon, until now.

In the old town hall in Bovey Tracey, Greg Millar and Simon Crow are distilling their first ever batch of Single Malt Dartmoor Whisky.

Greg had the idea during a Scotch-making course on the Isle of Islay in the Inner Hebrides seven years ago and he just couldn't get it out of his head.

Founder Greg Millar said, "It will be a completely Devon product. All of our barley will be grown on Dartmoor."

"Our beer wash, which is the name for what you make whisky from, which is beer but it's actually called wash because it's got no hops, that's all being grown on Dartmoor and also brewed on Dartmoor."

The grain is being taken to Tuckers Maltings in Newton Abbot so it's all very, very local, back up to Dartmoor to be brewed and then back here to be distilled into a lovely whisky."

If you are not sure how the whisky distilling process works, watch co-founder Simon Crow explain it to our reporter Bob Cruwys:

The whisky will be placed into barrels so that it can mature. The barrels will give the whisky its flavour and colour and they have a range to use - some Spanish sherry barrels, some have been used for French wine, there are American bourbon casks too.

Each will add its own unique character to the final whisky.

When they're fully up and running the distillery will be open to the public for tours and Greg and Simon predict as many as 30,000 visitors a year.

The still is a tourist attraction in itself. It's an old Cognac still which they tracked down in France, where it had been laid up for more than 20 years in a barn.

Greg said, "The still when we bought it was basically black after years of use and spilling liquids over it and burning it on."

"We managed to get it glass blasted with fine powdered glass and then it was high-speed polished by a car body workshop and then given a lacquer so we never have to polish it again."

He says that seeing the still fully functioning is a dream come true.

Whisky making is a long term project. It'll be three years before Greg and Simon can release their first bottle.

The ageing process is the key to fine whisky and so most of it will be kept back to mature for longer.