Portobello distillery to make spirits from avocado

Portobello Road Gin has revealed further details of its new London distillery, which will distill spirits from unusual base ingredients such as avocado and olive oil.

The Distillery will open on 16 December

The multi-million pound distillery, simply called The Distillery, will officially open on 16 December, coinciding with Portobello Road Gin’s fifth anniversary.

The distillery will be part of a four-floor ‘gin mecca’ on Portobello Road, in Notting Hill, featuring two bars, a museum and shop, three boutique guest rooms and gin-making experience The Ginstitute, which is relocating from Portobello Road Gin’s previous location.

The brand was previously distilled at The Portobello Star, with additional capacity created through a partnership with Thames Distillers.

Portobello’s directors currently oversee a portfolio of bars and restaurants under the brand’s sister company, Leelex, including Cielo Blanco, Jake’s Bar & Still Room and Pintura Basque Kitchen & Bar.

The Distillery will feature a 400-litre copper alembic still, while Portobello’s master distiller Jake Burger will use two 30-litre stills to experiment and create bespoke recipes that will be served at the site’s ground floor bar, The Resting Room.

Such experimentation will include creating unique gin blends and distilling vodkas from unusual ingredients.

The Resting Room will also serve a selection of international spirits brands that have been aged in hand-built barrels suspended above the bar, from which they will be directly served.

Spanish-inspired bar and kitchen GinTonica will be based on the first floor, while private dining room The Boardroom will be situated on the top floor. The Distillery’s guest rooms have been designed by Portobello’s founders and are all inspired by the culture of the local area.

With the opening of The Distillery, Portobello Road Gin will significantly expand capacity and target new international markets such as Italy and the US.

“There have been a number of key moments for the brand since our launch five years ago, including international expansion and award wins, but The Distillery is definitely our most ambitious and crucial project to date by far,” said Ged Feltham, founder of Portobello Road Gin.

“The acquisition of a rare four-floor site on one of London’s busiest street was extremely important to us as a small but fast-expanding company. We originally started out in bars and restaurants and so to be able to combine the expertise that we have in that area was a natural progression for us as a company.”

Feltham continued: “The most interesting parts of the project are the new and unexpected opportunities that have come with a development of this size and scale.”

Last month, Portobello released a new gin made with smoked juniper to mark the 350th anniversary of the Great Fire of London.