UK-based gin company Manchester Gin has confirmed that it will open a new distillery in Manchester city centre in summer 2019.
Founded in 2013, Manchester Gin’s range of artisan spirits includes a raspberry-flavoured pink gin and the Wild Spirit herbal gin, and the new 5,300 square-foot site will allow the company to increase production capacity and will create up to 30 new jobs.
The site, which encompasses six former railway arches which now form part of the Manchester Central conference centre, will also feature a bar, restaurant and events space as well the distillery.
A 1,000-litre copper still will be used at the site, and floor-to-ceiling glass windows will allow passers-by to witness the gin being distilled at the site.
The new site will also host tutorials, masterclasses and talks to ‘immerse consumers in the Manchester Gin experience’.
Designed by Manchester-based architects Up North Architects, the distillery will feature design cues which celebrate the company’s local heritage, core values and the inspirations behind the gin.
Seb Heeley, co-founder of Manchester Gin said: “It’s been an ambition of ours, since we started in our dining room, to give people the ability to come and meet us and see how we make our beautiful gins in person.
“The arches under Manchester Central will be the perfect mix of the old industrial heritage of Manchester with a contemporary look synonymous with our brand.”
The popularity of gin continues to rise in the UK, and figures released by The Wine and Spirit Trade Association last year revealed that combined yearly sales of gin in the UK and British gin overseas have doubled in value over the last five years, reaching £2.2 billion in the 12 months to June 2018.
A further report released by accountancy firm UHY Hacker Young found that the number of distillery businesses in the UK rose 30% from 131 in 2016 to 170 in 2017, as more businesses seek to capitalise on the increasing popularity of craft spirits.
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