VISITOR ATTRACTIONS
Alice Davis, with Katie Buckley, Attractions Management
Estate manager Will Brix worked closely with Heatherwick Studio to create the attraction
SPIRIT MAKER
Bombay Sapphire has set down roots at Laverstoke Mill, in Hampshire, UK, where all its gin will now be distilled. Visitors are invited to make themselves at home
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ombay Sapphire has founded a brandland in the heart of the English countryside. The site is surrounded by woodland, just an hour from London.
The Bombay Sapphire Distillery at
Laverstoke Mill is indeed a working distillery, but the public is also invited to explore the production facility, the architecture and the picturesque site, which is on the banks of the River Test. Central to the experience are the two
striking glass houses, designed by award- winning designer Thomas Heatherwick. In a clever twist, the glass houses recycle the heat created by the distillation process to create the warmth needed for specimens of the gin’s botanicals to grow. Inside the glass houses, visitors learn about the plants and their origins, through the educational listening posts and interactive touch screen displays.
It’s interesting to see the Georgian
and Victorian buildings and learn about their history – British bank notes used to be made here. Visitors can go inside the renovated buildings – only a few are off limits – and they’ll see two huge copper stills from the 1830s and learn about the distillation process in the Dakin House. The heritage of the site is explained
clearly through photographs and other artefacts, signs, and audio information. A highlight for the visitor is the
interactive Tasting Adventure. Samples of the 10 botanicals are on display for visitors to sniff, taste and touch as they experiment with fl avour and scent. This is enjoyable for children as well as adults. The Self-Discovery Experience – £15
($23, €20) for an adult and £10 ($15, €13) for a child – allows you to explore the whole riverside site and enjoy a complimentary cocktail in the bar. The experience takes a couple of hours.
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Visitors who do not wish to drink or who are driving are offered a soft drink in the Mill Bar, and receive a free takeaway cocktail kit for when they get home. Tickets can be upgraded to include a gin
workshop for £15 ($38, €34) or a cocktail masterclass for £35 ($54, €48). When Heatherwick designed this multi- million-pound brandland, he made the visitor experience integral to the master- plan. His addition of tropical “greenhouses” got Bombay Sapphire instant publicity. Meller, GWP, Arup and Giles Quarme
heritage consultants and SKM Enviros were among others involved. Will Brix, estate manager at Bombay
Sapphire Distillery, says brandland attrac- tions appeal to modern consumers. “They want to know and verify everything,” Brix says. “We want people to see the crafts- manship behind our gin because, whatever you make, if you say it’s high quality, people want to see it with their own eyes.”
AM 1 2015 ©Cybertrek 2015
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