Bombay Sapphire

Our son and his girlfriend gifted us an Experience Day voucher for a Discovery Tour at Bombay Sapphire.

We were pleased to discover its location is at Laverstoke which is on the way to Portsmouth where we were taking a Brittany Ferries crossing for our month in France.

All packed and ready to go we had a leisurely, due to a few road closures, Sunday morning drive south.

Laverstoke Mill was recorded in the Doomsday Book, the buildings hold so much history which you can read on Bombay Sapphire's Web page

For 100s of years the papermill made England's bank notes but this ceased in 1963. Bombay Sapphire purchased the mill in 2010 and opened it to the public in 2014.

There's no better way to start a gin distillery tour than with a gin and tonic. There were three gins to choose - Bombay Sapphire London Dry Gin, Bombay Citron Pressé Gin or Bombay Sapphire Sunset Special Edition Gin, with a variety of garnishes and tonic. All served in a very stylish Bombay Sapphire signature glass and enjoyed in a plush theatre whilst watching a short introductory video.

 

Our tour included visiting the beautiful glass houses, both striking in their still interprative design. Bombay Sapphire works hard to ensure their buildings and processes are as efficient and sustainable as possible. The glass house are used to house specimens of the botanicals used in their gin, one being a tropical house heated from the waste heat from the stills.

Bombay Sapphire were awarded the BREEAM Award for Industrial Design in 2014.

Inside the glass houses each botanical had its own display detailing it's origins and flavours in the gin making. The only botanical outside was the lemon tree. The botanical were: 

Juniper
Cassia Bark
Grains of Paradise
Cubeb Berries
Bitter Almonds
Liquorice
Angelica Root
Coriander Seed
Orris Root
Lemon Peel 

The mill buildings and stills inside were amazing, great industrial structures in both brick and copper. 

Our tour included visiting inside the still house but no photos were allowed, in fact any electronic item had to left in lockers and collected later.

The old cottages on the mill site have been knocked through and now house a lovely tearoom. On site there is also a bar and restaurant which can be visited without being on a tour.

We had a super time exploring the old paper mill and discovering more about Bombay Sapphire. It was a super gift and great way to start our holiday.