Whisky boss faces extradition to Poland accused of murder conspiracy

The boss of craft whisky distillery Bimber has been arrested and is facing extradition to Poland where he is due to stand trial for conspiracy to murder. 

The Daily Mail reported that Lucasz Ratajewski, 46, is alleged to have fled Poland 20 years ago after being sentenced to a three-year jail term for possession of a handgun. 

Ratajewski is accused of fleeing Poland to assume a new life in London as ‘Dariusz Plazewski’ in 2004.

He launched his whisky business in 2015 and released Bimber's first London single malt in 2019, one of England’s first craft distilleries. He recently opened a second distillery, Dunphail, in Speyside in October 2023. 

Bimber has won many awards at international competitions, even setting new precedents in the use of historical production methods and the English whisky category, according to Whisky Magazine.

“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,” a spokesperson for Bimber and Dunphail distilleries said. “Our management team, along with our staff, are fully capable of steering both companies forward and maintaining our ongoing operations smoothly.”

Our thoughts are with the distillery workers at Bimber and Dunphail.