The Bombay Sapphire Distillery is based at Laverstoke Mill, near Whitchurch in Hampshire, and sits in a leafy conservation area astride the River Test, just 60 miles from London and 15 miles from Winchester. The site dates back to 10th century; but was most notably a Victorian paper mill, which once produced all the banknote paper for the Bank of England and the British Empire.
The distillery, which opened in October 2014, is the first ever refurbishment project and distillery to achieve a BREEAM ‘Outstanding’ rating for sustainability, and also won the BREEAM international award for industrial design in February 2015. The distillery was then subsequently awarded three ‘Master’ awards from the Distillery Masters 2015 for Distillery innovations, Green Initiatives and Consumer Experience. The distillery also won Gold and Silver at the Beautiful South awards 2015 for Small Visitor Attraction and Sustainable Tourism respectively, and went on to win Gold at the VisitEngland awards for Small Visitor Attraction of the Year 2016.
Their Self-Discovery Experience guides you through the distillery with an interactive map, which activates “whispering walls” throughout the experience. Alternatively, guests can do a hosted experience, where a friendly hosts accompanies you, on-hand to answer your questions. Across the distillery’s sprawling Victorian architecture, you can learn about the history of gin, Laverstoke Mill, and Bombay Sapphire; and also find out about the flavours of the botanicals which make Bombay Sapphire gin so unique.
You can discover the Vapour Infusion distillation process in the Dakin Still House, wander through the Botanical Dry Room, and breathe in the ten exotic botanicals used to make Bombay Sapphire and Star of Bombay. Laverstoke Mill’s centrepiece is two magnificent intertwining glasshouses, designed by the Heatherwick Studio (famous for the show-stopping Olympic Cauldron and the new London buses). A dazzling feat of architecture, the houses are constructed from over 700 individual panes of glass – no two are the same. Each tour is finished with a cocktail in the Mill bar, which can be selected from the individual taste profile you put together in the botanical dry room, making the experience tailored to you.
Other experiences include ‘cocktail masterclasses’, where you can make a range of cocktails with one of our trained gin experts, or specialist horticultural and heritage experiences with our on-site heritage expert and horticultural expert. For further information and bookings, please visit http://distillery.bombaysapphire.com/
