Bombay Sapphire restores river during refurb

Bombay Sapphire Gin has replenished the neglected banks of the English River Test during the renovation of its new distillery.

The global gin brand took steps to bring new life to the natural chalk stream while refurbishing the disused Laverstoke Mill

The global gin brand took steps to bring new life to the natural chalk stream while refurbishing the disused Laverstoke Mill, which opened in October last year, as part of the Bacardi portfolio’s sustainability campaign, ‘Good Spirited’ – a company-wide scheme to achieve a net-zero impact on the environment.

Bombay Sapphire’s crews began the restoration of the wetland by removing large amounts of industrial waste before draining and redirecting this section of the river to the rear of the distillery, netting fish by hand before releasing them into the new habitat.

Geoff Carter, project manager with Meller for the Bombay Sapphire site, said: “New dirt shored up the river’s edges as the reconstruction of retaining walls, brick by brick, took place.

“To allow public access to the river, crews removed two derelict buildings that hid the river’s beauty.

“Restoration teams prudently placed native plants in the riverbanks to increase biodiversity and support the native species including brown trout, otters, kingfishers, herons, ducks, swans, geese, red kites, and bats.”

Historically the River Test powered a turbine at the former paper mill, so crews worked to reinstate the turbine with the addition of a fish guard to provide a new source of hydro-electric power to the distillery while taking care to protect the aquatic life.
View a short video of the renovation below:
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