For a typical F1 driver, the idea of taking time out from the day job often involves 'close-to-home' activities such as gaming, karting or cycling. But ValtteriBottas took a different direction - by becoming a gin producer 🍸
For a typical Formula 1 driver, the idea of taking time out from the day job often involves"close-to-home" activities such as gaming, karting or cycling.However, some prefer to do things that take them out of their comfort zone and that provide not only a useful distraction from the pressures associated with their profession, but that can also lay the foundations of the life that will follow their retirement.
The added appeal of the gin business for Bottas is that he's undertaken the project in conjunction with his partner, Australian cyclist Tiffany Cromwell. Thus it's something that both can devote their energies to. "So then we started working on it. And it was a bit less than two years later that we launched the product, which was last year."
"One big reason why we chose Finland was actually the purity of the water, because water is really important in distilling. Basically, the purer the water, you don't have to filter it, and it's always better. "So my dad's brother now runs the farm. They do oats, wheat, rye and barley. Bakeries buy it, or companies who do porridge and stuff like that.
"There are some distilleries that use it, but it's not very common," he explains."Vacuum distilling means that you can do the process with a lower temperature than normal. Many times when you have to use high temperature, you lose quite a bit of flavour."For example, if you would do the usual distilling with oats and apple, you would definitely lose quite a bit of the characteristics of those.
Choosing a brand name that was distinctive and fitted the concept was the biggest challenge. The first choice, intended to conjure up a solid Finnish image, wasn't possible. "There is an investment when you start a company," he says."And when you start to produce stuff. But hopefully by the end of this year we should be profitable. That's kind of the plan.
"So we have now Finland, Sweden, Norway, Spain, France, Monaco, Italy. Certain countries would need their own lab testing before approval, and the whole process takes such a long time with alcohol products. So step-by-step." "We definitely want to be in Australia," he says."For that we're still figuring out the right solution with how to do it in the long-term, because export costs and tax is pretty high. So one option would be to try and make the gin there. But still TBC. Then the USA is definitely on the list, and the UK."
"And we have other alcohol products as well in mind, probably for next year. But I don't want to reveal anything yet."His life at Alfa Romeo is a little more relaxed these days, but it's worth recalling that he embarked on the gin adventure while still dealing with the huge pressures of being Hamilton's Mercedes team-mate and facing the annual challenge of hanging onto his job.
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