Silver Award for Local Distillers

The Bombay Sapphire Distillery has received a SILVER award in the Green Tourism Programme.

This nationally recognised programme aims to change the relationship between industry and our most important asset – our planet. Having been judged on criteria for categories such as social responsibility and equality; energy saving; travel and transport; innovation and waste minimisation, the awarding body commented “Bombay Sapphire Distillery does well achieving the SILVER level. The site has lots of green initiatives in place already. The centre is suitable for many guests with disabilities while the surroundings have taken into account the abundance of wildlife and have even encouraged more to nest. Waste minimisation seems to work well with recycling options available for all the main waste streams.”

The team at the distillery are delighted to have received silver status and now the work continues towards the aim of achieving gold. Emily de Noia, Green Champion at the Bombay Sapphire Distillery says ‘I’m delighted that we have received a SILVER award for everything we’ve done so far. We’re now looking at reducing our water usage in the Mill Bar, providing more specific information about our local wildlife and we’re continuing to research innovative ways to carry on reducing waste to even further improve our sustainable measures.’

The site at Laverstoke Mill 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. The distillery has since received 15 awards, including ‘Grand Master’ at the Distillery Masters 2016, and Gold at the VisitEngland Awards 2016 for Small Visitor Attraction of the Year.

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 host 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 their trained gin experts, or specialist horticultural and heritage experiences with their on-site heritage expert and horticultural expert. For further information and bookings, please visit www.distillery.bombaysapphire.com.