Still on the Test

Today we had an awayday, courtesy of  a birthday present given to me by my sister, nearly three years  ago. Her gift was for a tour of  the Bombay  Sapphire gin distillery at Laverstoke, in the Test valley, deep in the  Hampshire countryside.To make it a more memorable  day, we took our small folding e- bikes on the  train from Winchester to Micheldever, (the next stop towards  London), and  cycled the  five miles from there to the former paper mill on the River Test. In the  past, all the UK bank notes were made there .(They are now made a few  miles upstream at  Overton mill). The Laverstoke mill was  beautifully and sympathetically restored in 2014 and now  houses four stills where all Bombay Sapphire gin is produced. In addition, these new, stunning, Glasshouses have  been  built. Their design was  by Thomas Heatherwick, and  the shape was inspired by the gin vapour rising from  the still, and being infused with  flavour  as it passes over the mix of  botanicals. Inside the  Glasshouses are grown examples of plants (including bitter almond, orange, and cubeb pepper), used for the botanical infusions, of which  at least ten are used to flavour each of the gins.
After our tour,  G &T (of course!) and  light lunch we cycled back to Micheldever by a different route.
A Grand Day Out.