Bombay Sapphire Distillery

The Bombay Sapphire Distillery occupies Laverstoke Mill, a beautifully restored complex of historic buildings on the banks of the River Test in rural Hampshire. The site has industrial roots stretching back centuries, having once produced paper for the Bank of England banknotes, and was sensitively converted by architect Thomas Heatherwick into a working gin distillery and visitor experience that opened in 2014.

The centrepiece is Heatherwick's pair of sculptural glasshouses that rise out of the river itself, one cultivating Mediterranean botanicals and the other tropical species, representing the ten plants used in the gin recipe. Self-guided and hosted tours lead visitors through the botanical dry room, the still house with its copper Carterhead stills, and interactive exhibits exploring the vapour-infusion process that gives the gin its distinctive character.

Tours typically conclude in the Mill Bar with a tutored cocktail or gin tasting. There is also a cocktail-making class, a shop, and a riverside cafe overlooking the chalk stream, making Laverstoke a popular half-day outing for adult visitors exploring the Hampshire Downs.