Swansea-based Cygnet Distillery is moving production into a Grade I-listed castle in the Vale of Glamorgan.
Hensol Castle Distillery will now produce Cygnet Dry, Cygnet Pinc and Cherry Drop gin, as well as Cygnet Distillery’s custom-branded spirits. These include Mr White’s Gin, which was released in June 2021 for Marco Pierre White and his restaurant chain.
Cygnet Distillery’s master distiller, Dai Wakely, and his team of two distillers are also relocating in a move that will look to expand production for both businesses. They will be responsible for producing all of the gins and spirits made at Hensol Castle Distillery.
Hensol Castle Distillery’s visitor experience and gin school opens to the public in September, with the aim of attracting up to 40,000 visitors per annum. Mr Wakely and his team of two distillers will be responsible for facilitating all gin tours for visitors.
Cygnet Distillery was established in 2018 when it launched its range of hand-crafted gins. The company has since won several awards, including Gold at the Blind Spirits Tastings 2021 and Gold at the Spirits Business Gin Masters in 2021.
With all production relocating to Hensol Castle Distillery, Mr Wakely says the production volume of the Cygnet range of gins can be increased without compromising on quality.
Chris Leeke, managing director of Hensol Castle Distillery, said: “We are excited to welcome Dai Wakely and his team to Hensol Castle Distillery and to start producing the portfolio of Cygnet gins, which will remain under the Cygnet brand.
"We have a shared ambition of not only creating award-winning spirits that we can be proud of but also bringing a taste of Wales to the rest of the 海角视频”.
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Thirty-six year old master distiller, Mr Wakely, added: “I’ve been watching what’s happening at Hensol Castle Distillery for some time, so to be asked to become the facility’s master distiller is a really exciting opportunity for me and my team.
“Hensol Castle Distillery boasts a huge distillation, bottling and labelling facility. As well as producing Hensol Castle Distillery’s current product line and the Cygnet range, we’re also looking to develop a new portfolio of flavoured gins and other spirits under a new brand.”
Hensol Castle Distillery is a full-scale gin and spirits distillery and contract bottling plant. It started production in spring 2019 and in its initial two-years of trading it has seen an ever-growing order book for contract bottling and launching an on-trade range of Benjamin Hall gin and vodka and an award-winning Crawshay collection of gins.
During the height of the pandemic last year, it also launched TRULO – a reduced calorie range of liqueurs, which have done especially well as people have enjoyed their homemade ‘quarantinis’ during lockdown.
Until early 2021 Hensol's distillery was run by father-and-son team Andy and Rhys Mallows. The pair have since set up a new £5m, purpose-built 30,000 square foot distillery in Llantrisant.
Their new facility will undertake contract bottling for global brands as well as manufacturing its own branded spirits. The distillery will have the capacity to process up to 12,000 bottles an hour, ranging from 5cl to 3-litre bottles, with product lines set to be distributed to worldwide locations.
The 400-year old Hensol Castle Distillery sits in more than 650 acres of parkland and is part of the successful four-star Vale Resort – an award-winning spa, golf, conference and hotel complex.