Shift life as a distillery operator

Why distilleries run shifts

A continuous column still producing neutral spirit is designed to run for days or weeks without stopping. Shutting it down and restarting wastes steam, time and spirit. Large molasses and grain plants therefore run 24 hours a day, usually on three eight-hour shifts or two twelve-hour shifts.

Smaller malt distilleries with pot stills may run one or two shifts, but fermentation does not pause overnight either. Someone has to watch the fermenters, the boiler and the receivers. Our guide to working in an Indian distillery covers the wider range of roles.

The handover

Every shift starts with a handover. The outgoing operator explains what is running and what changed: which fermenters are filling or ready, the strength coming off the stills, any equipment faults, any spirit transfers in progress. A good handover is written as well as spoken, in a shift log.

Handovers are where many plant problems begin or end. A skipped detail, such as a pump that tripped earlier or a fermenter running warm, becomes the next shift's emergency.

Rounds and readings

Much of an operator's shift is rounds: walking the plant at set intervals to take readings and check equipment. Typical readings include:

• Fermenter gravity and temperature, often every few hours.
• Still temperatures, steam pressure and reflux flows.
• Spirit strength and flow at the receiver, corrected to 20 °C.
• Cooling water temperature at the condensers.
• Tank and receiver levels for excise records.

Readings go into logs that production, the lab and the excise records all depend on. Accuracy matters more than speed.

Heat and safety in Indian plants

Distilleries are hot places. Indian summers make them hotter. Stills, steam lines and boilers add their own heat. Operators drink plenty of water, take breaks and wear the right protective gear.

Ethanol vapour is the main hazard. It is flammable. Areas around stills, receivers and tanks are classified as hazardous zones where sparks and naked flames are not allowed. Operators also handle steam, hot liquids, chemicals for cleaning and confined spaces such as fermenters. Following permits and lock-out procedures is not optional. Our guide to ethanol vapour and ignition sources explains the risks.

Nights and routine

Night shifts are the hardest part of the job for most people. Sleep in the day, a steady meal routine and limiting caffeine late in the shift all help. Rotating rotas mean the body never quite settles, so many operators prefer fixed patterns where the plant allows.

The routine itself can be calming. Experienced operators learn the sound and smell of a plant running well. A change in the pitch of a pump or the smell near a receiver often tells them something is wrong before an alarm does.

Cleaning and changeovers

Not every shift is steady running. Operators also clean. Fermenters are emptied, rinsed and cleaned with caustic and sometimes acid, then sanitised before the next fill. A fermenter that is not cleaned properly carries bacteria into the next batch, which costs alcohol and can spoil flavour. Stills are cleaned on a schedule to remove scale and residue from the copper.

Cleaning chemicals are hazardous. Caustic soda at working strength burns skin and eyes, so face shields, gloves and aprons are standard. Hot caustic is worse. Operators follow the plant's procedures for each clean, record it in the log and confirm a vessel is safe before anyone enters. These tasks are less glamorous than running the stills, but plants judge operators on them just as much.

What makes a good operator

The best operators are reliable, curious and honest about mistakes. They record readings exactly as they are, even when the number looks wrong. They ask why a step is done the way it is. They report near misses. Supervisors promote operators who keep clean logs and stay calm when something trips at three in the morning.

Entry usually needs a diploma or ITI qualification in a relevant trade, or a science background, though many plants train on the job. Operators can progress to shift supervisor, production manager or distiller.

Your first step

Learn what each part of the plant does before your first shift. If you understand why a fermentation slows or why a still's strength drops, the readings stop being numbers on a sheet. Then ask a distillery near you whether they take trainee operators and what shift pattern they run.

Common questions

Do distillery operators work nights?

Often yes. Many plants run 24 hours on three eight-hour or two twelve-hour shifts.

What qualifications does a distillery operator need?

Usually a diploma, ITI trade or science background, though many plants train operators on the job.

What is the biggest hazard for a distillery operator?

Ethanol vapour, which is flammable. Hot surfaces, steam, chemicals and confined spaces also need care.