A small-batch East Lancs gin distillery is relocating to a new site after ‘outgrowing’ its current home.
The Ribble Valley Gin Company has been distilling gin in a small stone outhouse in Longridge since 2019.
Owners Justine and Luke Moyes have now outgrown the site and following an approved planning application, the company will be moving to a unit in Union Mill in Watt Street, Sabden, which is home to a number of businesses.
The unit will allow them to increase distilling capacity as well as opening a gin school and offering distillery tours.
A planning document read: “The Gin Distillery will be occupied by Ribble Valley Gin, an established gin company that has outgrown its current premises.
“The current general industrial unit will be converted to a small-scale distillery.
“The business unit will accommodate the bottling area, the office, storage areas, an area to explain the distilling process, and an area to purchase drinks after a tour.”
There were a number of locals who opposed the plans, due to concerns about odour, and traffic generation and that a distillery would not be in keeping with the heritage area.
The planning application goes on to say the distillery process does not generate odours and there will be no noise-generating machinery needed.
Sales of gin will be made from an area beside the main entrance after a separate license application was approved earlier this year.
They also say the proposed gin school will operate small tours of no more than 10 people and anticipate these will only be a few times a month.
Visitors will be told about the process and history of the Ribble Valley Gin Company while given the chance to test and purchase bottles of gin.
The distillery will operate on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday between 9am and 5pm.
On Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, the distillery will operate between 9am and 9pm and between 10am and 4pm on Sunday.
The gin school and tours of the distillery will be available to book on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday between midday and 9pm. The school and tours will not be held on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday or Sunday.
The council gave a number of conditions to the approval including that it will only be open during the hours stated and trade in the way stated.
The council goes on to state that no alcohol can be sold for consumption on the premises.
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