BLACKBURN Cathedral will today get into the Christmas spirit by launching its own brand of gin.
In a modern take on the medieval tradition of church institutions producing alcoholic drinks, its Dean the Very Rev Peter Howell-Jones hopes it will generate cash for its redevelopment.
He has invested £12,000 in the project, recruiting The Brindle Distillery between Blackburn and Chorley to produce the bespoke version of the fashionable spirit.
The Dean has christened the gin ‘Cathedra’, referring to the seat of the Bishop found in every English Cathedral.
As well being sold at £45 a bottle by The Diocese of Blackburn’s premier place of worship, it will also be on sale at several of its counterparts and selected independent wine shops. It is the first gin ever produced for an English cathedral.
The Dean said: “This is not a novelty, this is a cathedral doing business.
“Blackburn is not a tourism centre. It is not a rich part of the world, and we need to reach out to markets beyond our town and region to be sustainable long-term.
“Gin is on trend and there is a long history of monastic communities brewing mead, wines and beers.
“I wanted to create a brand that would work across the country and create an income stream from which all English cathedrals can benefit.”
He hopes the gin, to be launched at tonight’s Dean’s Dinner, will raise cash towards the £2.5m redevelopment of Blackburn Cathedral’s crypt into a community,, exhibition and heritage space telling the history of Lancashire’s cotton towns.
Longer term, he hopes it will generate income for Blackburn Cathedral’s social cohesion and education and music projects.
Mark Long, a director of Brindle Distillery, said: “Being brought up in Blackburn, the Cathedral is close to my heart.”
The Dean said: “Creating a gin here at Blackburn Cathedral to sell in the commercial world helps us develop our reach beyond Lancashire and reflects a well-established tradition of monastic and religious communities brewing, fermenting and distilling."
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