Distillery miller

Distillery millers tend distillery mills in order to clean and grind whole grain for use in production of distilled liquors. They tend cleaning machines to remove impurities from grains followed by the grinding and weighing of grains. They perform daily maintenance on pumps, air-conveyor chutes and machines.

The following job titles also refer to distillery miller:

distillery grain miller
distillery mill worker
distillery grain mill worker
distilling miller

No formal educational credential is generally required to work as a distillery miller.

ISCO skill level is defined as a function of the complexity and range of tasks and duties to be performed in an occupation. It is measured on a scale from 1 to 4, with 1 the lowest level and 4 the highest, by considering:

• the nature of the work performed in an occupation in relation to the characteristic tasks and duties
• the level of formal education required for competent performance of the tasks and duties involved and
• the amount of informal on-the-job training and/or previous experience in a related occupation required for competent performance of these tasks and duties.

Distillery miller is a Skill level 2 occupation.

These occupations, although different, require a lot of knowledge and skills similar to distillery miller.

yeast distiller
distillery worker
liquor blender
coffee grinder
cocoa mill operator

These occupations require some skills and knowledge of distillery miller. They also require other skills and knowledge, but at a higher ISCO skill level, meaning these occupations are accessible from a position of distillery miller with a significant experience and/or extensive training.

distillery supervisor
animal feed supervisor
malt house supervisor
green coffee coordinator
green coffee buyer

This knowledge should be acquired through learning to fulfill the role of distillery miller.

• Grain-for-beverages milling process: Milling process, which combines advanced and conventional wet and dry milling. Milling methods of grain for beverages ensure good husk conservation and optimal grinding of the endosperm, which provide numerous advantages for the brewing process and final products.
• Temperature scales: Celsius and Fahrenheit temperature scales.
• Milling machines: Milling and mills and their operation in theory and practice.
• Mashing process: Managing the mashing process and understanding its influence on wort quality and character of the finished fermented beverage.
• Mill operations: Details of milling operations related to grind size, particle size distribution, heat evolution. Milling processes for different cereals and grains.
• Lautering process: Process of lautering, where the mash is separated into clear, liquid wort and residual grain. Lautering usually takes three steps: mashout, recirculation and sparging.

These skills are necessary for the role of distillery miller.

• Ensure sanitation: Keep workspaces and equipment free from dirt, infection, and disease by removing waste, trash and providing for appropriate cleaning.
• Monitor machine operations: Observe machine operations and evaluate product quality thereby ensuring conformity to standards.
• Operate grain cleaning machine: Start automatic cleaning machine that blows as well as sifts foreign particles, like dirt, twigs, and also stones from whole grain conveys clean grain to storage tank for further processing.
• Keep task records: Organise and classify records of prepared reports and correspondence related to the performed work and progress records of tasks.
• Collect samples for analysis: Collect samples of materials or products for laboratory analysis.
• Apply HACCP: Apply regulations regarding manufacture of food and food safety compliance. Employ food safety procedures based on Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP).
• Monitor milled food products: Monitor milled food products to make sure they comply with production requirements and quality standards.
• Sterilise fermentation tanks: Sterilise workspaces and equipment using hoses, scrapers, brushes, or chemical solutions.
• Prepare containers for beverage distillation: Prepare containers or drums for beverage distillation. Prepare equipment for the process of purification and removal of diluting components like water, for the purpose of increasing its proportion of alcohol content.
• Take measures against flammability: Take measures against fire. Liquor that contains 40% ABV will catch fire if heated to about 26 °C and if an ignition source is applied to it. The flash point of pure alcohol is 16.6 °C.
• Follow hygienic procedures during food processing: Ensure a clean working space according to hygienic standards in the food processing industry.
• Lift heavy weights: Lift heavy weights and apply ergonomic lifting techniques to avoid damaging the body.
• Operate distilling equipment: Operate the different parts of distilling equipment such as the pot, the distillation column, the lyne arm, the condenser, the distillate, and the aging barrels.
• Apply requirements concerning manufacturing of food and beverages: Apply and follow national, international, and internal requirements quoted in standards, regulations and other specifications related with manufacturing of food and beverages.
• Apply GMP: Apply regulations regarding manufacture of food and food safety compliance. Employ food safety procedures based on Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP).
• Carry out checks of production plant equipment: Carry out checks of the machinery and equipment used in the production plant. Ensure that the machinery is working properly, set machines before usage, and assure continuous operability of the equipment.
• Age alcoholic beverages in vats: Follow adequate procedures to place certain alcoholic beverages (e.g. wine, spirits, vermouth) in vats and age them for the required period. Use techniques to give them special characteristics.
• Inspect insects in whole grain: Inspect loads of unprocessed grain to detect harmful insects, like grain beetles.
• Execute proofs of alcohol mixture: Measure temperature (using e.g. thermometer) and specific gravity (using e.g. alcohol-proof hydrometer) and compare readings with tables from standard gauging manuals to determine proof of mixture.
• Blend beverages: Master blending beverages as to create new beverage products that are attractive to the market, interesting to companies, and innovative in the market.
• Operate pneumatic conveyor chutes: Use air-conveyor chutes to transfer products or mixtures from containers to storage tanks.
• Tend grinding mill machine: Operate a grinding mill that grinds grains such as cereals, cocoa beans or coffee beans to obtain powders or pastes with different consistencies and grain sizes.

This knowledge is sometimes, but not always, required for the role of distillery miller. However, mastering this knowledge allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

• Appropriate raw materials for specific spirits: Raw materials, such as grains, potatoes, sugars or fruit which can be fermented to produce a specific type of alcoholic spirits.
• Processes of foods and beverages manufacturing: Raw materials and production processes for getting finished food products. Importance of quality control and other techniques for the food and beverage industry.

These skills and competences are sometimes, but not always, required for the role of distillery miller. However, mastering these skills and competences allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

• Act reliably: Proceed in a way that one can be relied on or depended on.
• Perform detailed food processing operations: Perform precise food processing operations with great attention and detail to all steps in the creation of a qualitative product.
• Keep machines oiled for steady functioning: Oil or grease the parts of the machines and equipment that need to be lubricated. Follow safety procedures to do so.
• Liaise with colleagues: Liaise with fellow colleagues to ensure common understanding on work related affairs and agree on the necessary compromises the parties might need to face. Negotiate compromises between parties as to ensure that work in general run efficiently towards the achievement of the objectives.
• Adapt efficient food processing practices: Ensure to adapt the most efficient production techniques to accomplish food processing tasks with the least amount of time, effort and costs.
• Have computer literacy: Utilise computers, IT equipment and modern day technology in an efficient way.
• Liaise with managers: Liaise with managers of other departments ensuring effective service and communication, i.e. sales, planning, purchasing, trading, distribution and technical.
• Exert quality control to processing food: Ensure the quality of all factors involved in a food production process.
• Ensure compliance with environmental legislation in food production: Make sure to comply with environmental legislation in food production. Understand the legislation related to environmental matters in food manufacturing and apply it in practice.
• Label samples: Label raw material/ product samples for laboratory checks, according to implemented quality system.

8160 – Food and related products machine operators

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References

1. Distillery miller – ESCO