Hendrick’s reveals £13 million Gin Palace

William Grant & Sons has unveiled a £13 million (US$17m) distillery expansion to create The Hendrick’s Gin Palace, which will allow the brand to double its capacity to two million cases annually.

William Grant & Sons has invested £13m in building the Hendrick’s Gin Palace

Located at William Grant & Sons’ Girvan grain plant in Scotland, the Hendrick’s Gin Palace has been designed to be a “playground for experimentation, invention and curiosity” in keeping with the gin brand’s quirky persona.

The new facility boasts two still houses that are now home to six stills, comprising four Bennett stills – including the original antique copper pot still from 1860 – plus three exact replicas; and two Carter-Head stills – including the original that dates back to 1948 – and one exact replica.

Hendrick’s Gin cites the expansion as its “most significant development” since the brand first launched in 1999.

The new stills have been in operation since November last year and were installed to help the brand “meet the voracious global demand” for its cucumber and rose-infused gin.

The Hendrick’s Gin Palace also features a walled garden that leads to a Victorian-inspired palm house, which sits between two botanical hot houses that will be used to grow an array of unusual botanicals and flora from across the globe.

On the second floor sits a new laboratory for Hendrick’s master distiller Lesley Gracie, which boasts a flavour library, plus a lecture theatre and a bar.

And there is also scope for future expansion, with room to add additional stills into the second still room if needed in future, as the brand make “long-term plans for 20, 30 or 40 years down the line”.

Gracie said: “I’ve been distilling Hendrick’s for almost 20 years and during that time, my team and I have had the opportunity to explore and experiment on a small scale.

“However, I’m thrilled and excited to take full advantage of our wonderful new distillery and begin working on a line of experimental liquids, some of which will hopefully blossom into future releases and potential new expressions of Hendrick’s.”

In May 2017, Hendrick’s expanded its offerings with the launch of Orbium – a quininated gin made with the same distillates as the original recipe but with additional extracts of quinine, wormwood and blue lotus blossom.

That was also the year that Hendrick’s broke through the million-case mark for the first time, scooping the title of Gin Brand Champion in the Brand Champions 2018, an annual report on the world’s million-case-selling spirit brands.

“The Hendrick’s Gin Palace in its design and experience, is intended to inspire curiosity, open minds and serve as a platform for invention,” added Pamela Selby, the global brand director for Hendrick’s. “It represents the confidence we have in the brand that helped to kick-start the ginaissance and leading role it has played ever since.”

Click through to the following pages for a closer look at the new Hendrick’s Gin Palace.

Sunrise outside the new £13m Hendrick’s Gin Palace

Hendrick’s Gin Palace – exterior view of the glasshouse

Inside the glasshouse, with grand archways and a sneak peak through to still house number one

Lesley Gracie, Hendrick’s master distiller