BIOENERGY IN INDUSTRY t BIOENERGY IN INDUSTRY featu re: The distillation process is monitored and controlled by state-of-the-art systems and laboratory tests are carried out on samples taken from each cycle for quality control. The final decision though rests entirely on Master Distiller Nik Fordham’s sense of sight, smell and taste. *OHPPETQJSJUrBUBTUFGVMSFQVSQPTJOHPGIFSJUBHF BACARDI-OWNED BOMBAY SAPPHIRE is widely accredited by industry peers as having blazed the trail in the revival of UK produced gin. Launched by Bombay Spirits Company (BSC) in 1987 it was produced under contract by G&J Greenall at its distillery and bottling facility in Warrington although the two Dakin Carterhead vapour infusion stills, used to produce the gin, were owned by BSC. The brand came onto the market at a time when consumer interest had long since given way to other premium tastes. Today, according to current brand owners Bermuda-based Bacardi, 8 Bioenergy Internat ional No 79, 3-2015 Bombay Sapphire is the number one premium brand by value. According to 2014 production figures published by trade publication the drinks business it is ranked number two by volume, having reached the 3 million case mark, up 7 percent from 2013. Undoubtedly the widely publicised move from Warrington to the new dedicated distillery at Laverstoke Mill where all production takes place has helped. Formidable project Having produced and supplied watermarked banknote paper for currencies within the British Empire as well as housing one of the first hydro-electric generating units in the country, the 2 ha former paper mill had very specific and important heritage that needed to be safeguarded for future generations. – Every effort was made to salvage materials like bricks, windows and fixtures, to ensure that the renovation remained historically conscious and conservation-minded. At the same time the challenge was also to make the site fit for its new dual purpose, a state-of-the-art, resource efficient, eco-conscious gin distillery and visitor heritage centre, said Nik Fordham, Master Distiller, Bombay Sapphire as he gave a guided tour around the distillery. An additional challenge to the project is that the entire property, including the River Test that runs right through it, is designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). Biomass boiler Currently there are four production stills installed at Laverstoke, the two refurbished Carterhead stills relocated from Warrington and two newly commissioned stills. A 999 kW thermal rated Uniconfort Tucked away in the picturesque Hampshire countryside, an iconic brand of quintessentially English spirit has settled into its new award-winning refurbishment. The Victorian- Georgian era buildings of Laverstoke Mill once housed a paper-mill that in its heyday supplied watermarked banknote paper to the British Empire. The dilapidated property was acquired in 2008 by international drinks major Bacardi, that meticulously refurbished and repurposed it as a gin distillery. Recently acclaimed as “a model of industrial sustainability”, now running with a 999 kW thermal biomassfuelled boiler, Laverstoke Mill is a flagship distillery and brand home for Bombay Sapphire gin.
Bioenergy no 3 May 2015
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