Housed alongside the multi-award-winning Lancaster Brewery, Lancaster Spirits Company uses decades of brewing know-how and painstaking distilling process to produce premium quality, small-batch gins, vodkas and, most recently, whisky.
The team are now ready to open up the site to visitors keen to enjoy a “tasting journey” through the complexities of gin, vodka and whisky production, and our videographer Kelvin Lister-Stuttard had the chance to go behind the scenes to film and photograph it all.
Unlike most, the distillery has taken an exceptionally unusual and challenging approach to creating its base grain spirit, by distilling from its own specially concocted beer made using a secret blend of wheat and rye grains, a 200-year-old Lancastrian live yeast and water drawn from an artesian well.
This “made not mixed” approach to its white spirits means that to produce a single drop of Lancaster Spirits Company product takes a minimum of five weeks of painstaking work.
You can join the distillery team for a behind-the-scenes look at Lancaster Spirits Company and an immersive tour of the site and their newly commissioned whisky distillery.
Experience the unique atmosphere of a working brewery and distillery, as one of the expert team personally guides you through the spirit-making process, beginning in the brewery, before discovering the delights of the all-new Whisky Room.
During the tour, you will learn about every aspect of the spirit-making process, including milling, mashing, fermentation, distillation and maturation.
You’ll get to see the inner workings of the brewhouse, stillroom and distillery warehouse and will discover what makes the Lancaster Spirits Company stand out from the crowd and a first look at the distillery’s exciting plans for their Single Malt Whisky.
Tasting tours are run in groups of up to 12 people on selected dates.
Private tours can be booked by prior arrangement.
Each tour lasts for around an hour and includes samples of Lancaster Spirits Co’s craft spirits - gin, vodka, new-make spirit, and a cask sample of their maturing single malt.
Tour places are priced at £22 per adult, involve plenty of samples and are open to guests aged 18+ only.
To book a tour visit https://lancasterspirits.co.uk/
Tour gift vouchers are also available.
Chris Pateman, Lancaster Spirits Co's commercial manager, said: "We are excited to be launching our distillery tours, which we’ve carefully designed to share an insight into some of the many tireless processes involved in crafting our award-winning spirits.
"We always wanted to be able to share what we do with the public, to give people the chance to taste our lovely range of spirits, share the scientific and creative process behind the products, as well as have the opportunity to reveal some of our exciting plans for the future at the same time.”
Tours of Lancaster Brewery are also available and can be booked at https://www.lancasterbrewery.co.uk/
Unlike most, the distillery has taken an exceptionally unusual and challenging approach to creating its base grain spirit, by distilling from its own specially concocted beer made using a secret blend of wheat and rye grains, a 200-year-old Lancastrian live yeast and water drawn from an artesian well.
21. The Whisky Room
The Whisky Room at Lancaster Spirits Co. Photo: Kelvin Lister-Stuttard
22. The Whisky Room
The Whisky Room at Lancaster Spirits Co. Photo: Kelvin Lister-Stuttard
23. The Whisky Room
The Whisky Room at Lancaster Spirits Co. Photo: Kelvin Lister-Stuttard
24. The Whisky Room
The Whisky Room at Lancaster Spirits Co. Photo: Kelvin Lister-Stuttard