Management of the Bimber and Dunphail Distilleries reorganised following the arrest of the founder
Lucasz Ratajewski lived in England for twenty years using the pseudonym Dariusz Plazewski
A few days ago, the news made the rounds in the media at lightning speed: Dariusz Plazewski, founder of the Bimber and Dunphail Distilleries, has been arrested. He had been living under a pseudonym for 20 years, having fled Poland in 2004 after being sentenced to three years in prison for a firearms offence.
Plazewski's real name is Lucasz Ratajewski and he is now facing extradition to Poland. There he must stand trial for conspiracy to murder and drug supply and serve the prison sentence already imposed.
There have been no official announcements to date, most reports refer to an article in the Daily Mail, which goes into the background in detail. Ratajewski/Plazewski's lawyer, who justified his client's escape from Poland with his fear for his life because he was involved with violent criminals in the past, is quoted by the Daily Mail, as well as the judge is, who dismissed the bid for bail because he could not follow this argumentation.
Founded in 2015 by Ratajewski alias Plazewski, Bimber Distillery is designed as a single farm distillery and works with direct-fired stills. Bimber Single Malt Whisky was launched on the market for the first time in 2019. Bimber has already received many prestigious international awards, such as being category winner at the World Whiskies Awards and being awarded "Craft Producer of the Year 2020" by the Whisky Magazine at the Icons of Whisky.
An official statement from the distilleries on future leadership
The Bimber and Dunphail distilleries have now issued an official statement explaining the future leadership of the company:
"Dear valued customers,
we want to provide you with an important update on the leadership of our distilleries. Dariusz Plazewski has relinquished all his responsibilities for both Bimber and Dunphail Distilleries and is handing over all decision-making and operational matters to the existing, experienced teams. Whilst we understand the news of his personal legal issues may well raise questions and concerns, we want to assure you that our businesses remain fully operational and committed to serving you with the same level of excellence and dedication as always.
Going forward, Bimber Co-Founder Ewelina Chruszczyk and Dunphail Director of Whisky Creation Matt McKay will lead the activities of both distilleries together and drawing from their combined experience of both established businesses. They will work diligently with our dedicated staff to ensure that there is no disruption to our services or the quality of our products. Our management team, along with our staff, are fully capable of steering both companies forward and maintaining our ongoing operations smoothly. Thank you for your continued support and understanding during this time." (Taken from the Bimber homepage)
Picture: Bimber Distillery
