T
he site is mentioned in
The Domesday Book
(a medieval census
performed in 1086) that
later became a paper mill
(run by French Huguenots who fled to
England to escape persecution) that for
a time printed colonial bank notes.
Bombay Sapphire set down roots in
2010. The bold vision for the run down
site took four years to realize. They
moved the Carterhead stills from the
old distillery in the northern English city
of Warrington. They tore down over
20 corrugated steel sheds, built new
buildings in complementary redbrick,
replaced all the utility systems with
modern equivalents and restored open
access to the river. So focused was their
environmental goal that the old water
mill became a hydroelectric generator
along with solar panels covering the
roofs of many of the buildings. The
distillery buildings now run over, but
do not interact with, the waters of the
River Test, the cleanest river in England
(fishing permits cost $1,500/day).
A nature reserve at the back has seen
resurgent wildlife including the recent
return of otters. However the biggest,
most eye-catching innovation was the
commissioning of Heatherwick Studio
to create two orb-shaped greenhouses,
positioning them as organic growths
bursting out of the side of the distillery
building. Waste heat from the distilling
process is redirected here, keeping one
greenhouse at tropical, the other at a
Mediterranean temperatures. Inside
are the living plants, or ‘botanicals’,
that go into Bombay Sapphire Gin
(these are merely examples--the annual
production of over 24 million bottles
34 ModernLifestyles.tv
ABOVE The River Test runs underneath the distillery.
RIGHT Domesday Book Entry.
BELOW Botanical component tasting example.
FAR RIGHT The spectacular greenhouses.