Man released lethal ethanol out of ‘malice’
The founder of a West Coast distillery is “astounded” a former senior employee has avoided conviction after releasing thousands of litres of flammable ethanol at the site after losing his job.
Angus William Hay, 39, started with Reefton Distilling in 2021 as head distiller and operations manager. He was responsible for the manufacturing of gin and whisky products and the day-today running of the facility. His role was disestablished in March last year. After receiving his last payment, Hay went to the rear of the distillery, which was closed at the time, and opened the valves on two 5000-litre tanks of ethanol.
About 6880 litres of the highly flammable substance, worth $40,000, went into a concrete bund below and evaporated on or around April 5.
At his sentencing at the Christchurch District Court on Wednesday, Judge Quentin Hix said Hay clearly released the ethanol out of “malice” at losing his job. “The motive itself is something that aggravates the issue somewhat.”
Reefton Distilling founder and chief executive Patsy Bass provided a victim impact statement to the court. In it, she said Hay – who had worked in the whisky industry in Scotland – was recruited from Canada as an experienced distiller with high expectations, but things fell apart.
Bass and her team quickly became concerned at Hay’s “obvious heavy drinking”.
He was argumentative with team members, loathed accountability and “delivered little”, she said. “We tolerated a lot more in relation to his behaviour and lack of performance than we would otherwise.”
Ignition of the ethanol he released would have been “catastrophic”, she said, likely resulting in death if people had been on site, and the total loss of the company’s plant, inventory and materials. “Gus was very aware of this as the most experienced person on the site ... He knows he could have killed someone. “We gave Gus what he said was the biggest opportunity of his career ... He swiftly became an embarrassment to us, even getting drunk on a visit to our Australian peers which our board accompanied us on.”
To see her team so visibly upset by Hay’s actions was “heartbreaking”, Bass said.
“We are all worried that he will come back to our site and do something even more serious. Particularly after sentencing when we all fear Gus may be more angry/drunk and decide to do something more permanent.” Bass said while Hay was an intelligent and very good distiller, she had no doubt he was an alcoholic and was “also manipulative and a danger to himself and others”.
Hay is the former director of Gravity Distillers Ltd in Dufftown, Keith, Scotland. It was incorporated in April 2017 but dissolved in October the following year. Starting out initially as an aircraft engineer, his first whisky job came as a stillman at Glenlivet Distillery in Scotland, near where he was born.
He was hired by Reefton Distilling through an international distilling organisation and was a member of the distillery’s executive team. The Press understands he was remunerated highly.
At issue at sentencing was Hay’s application for a discharge without conviction.
By a fine margin, Judge Hix granted the application. Hay was not convicted after he pleaded guilty to charges of intentional damage and unlawfully being on a property. His prospect of employment overseas was a factor taken into the judge’s consideration. He was ordered to pay $3452 in reparations. The distillery eventually recouped the rest of the loss of the ethanol through insurance.
Following the sentencing, Bass told The Press she was “appalled”. “I’m astounded and saddened that someone can do something so serious and be discharged without conviction. “I hope that one day he doesn’t end up killing someone.”
Post-sentencing, Hay approached this reporter and expressed his desire to send a written statement to The Press to tell “his side of the story.”
No statement was received before publication of this news report.