Chilterns to get first distillery after funding bid

The UK’s Chiltern Hills in Hertfordshire is “on track” to welcome its first operating distillery following a crowd-funding campaign to open the Puddingstone Distillery.

Puddingstone Distillery will be the first operating distillery in the Chilterns

The founders of Puddingstone Distillery, Ben and Kate Marston, are seeking to raise £20,000 on crowdfunder.co.uk.

In addition to launching its staple product, Campfire Gin, the distillery will run tours, tastings and host a series of events to “create a new destination in the Chilterns”. Campfire Gin, the recipe for which has already been finalised, contains nine botanicals.

The distillery itself will include solar power and is exploring ways of converting “waste” heat in to electricity to aid the distillation process.

The bottles used for Campfire Gin are said to contain “half the glass of a typical container”, while the Marstons are working with a consultant in aquaponics, a sustainable alternative farming system they hope will allow them to locally grow botanicals that would otherwise have to be sourced from overseas.

So-far, £8,451 has been raised to launch Puddingstone Distillery on crowdfunder.co.uk, offering funders a range of “benefits” depending on the amount they pledge.

“We’re doing this not only to leverage in a little more start up capital but also to build upon the great connections we’ve made across the region,” said Kate Marston.

“Our distillery forms part of a larger project to create a destination for food and drink lovers and will act as a platform for promoting a number of events designed to promote engagement with the surrounding environment.”