Weekender: Founders club launched to help fund distillery development

Whitby Distillery has launched a Founders Club to help fund a brand new distillery in the town.

Work will begin in January on the £1.5m distillery, which is being built in the shadow of the historic Whitby Abbey.

Whitby Distillery, makers of Whitby Gin, was founded in 2017 by Jessica Slater and Luke Pentith. They have grown their business from a passion project to one whose gin is stocked in more than 400 UK outlets.

Their new distillery premises is being designed to provide leisure and function space, including a tasting kitchen, for the local community and gin lovers everywhere to enjoy throughout the year.

Pentith explained: “The Founders Club is an essential part of our new project.

“Whilst some of the build cost of the distillery will come from more traditional sources, we are looking to create a Whitby Distillery community, who will share in our whole exciting journey.

“We hope this community will play a crucial role in helping our dream become a reality, whilst enjoying a whole range of benefits which will appeal to gin drinkers across the country, including shaping the taste of our future gins.

“Our aim is to raise £500,000, which would enable us to complete the distillery and the visitor centre in good time next year.

“We have already floated the idea of a Founders Club to our friends and supporters and it has been received really well. Now it’s time to launch it to a wider audience in the UK.

“Club members will become part of Whitby’s story, helping to bring new business to the area and creating jobs for local people and putting spirit back.”

There are three different Founders Club membership packages, the Endeavour Package (from £230); the Resolution Package (from £80); and the Adventure Package (from £60).

Slater added: “The specific details of each package can be found on our website, www.whitbydistillery.com

“Moving our distillery to Abbey Lands Farm is a game-changer for the business and will enable us to step up production, give us a tremendous platform for growth and introduce a new industry to Whitby.

“It is an honour and a privilege to be restoring these derelict buildings on such a world-famous site.

“For us, this is all about launching an amazing adventure on the atmospheric North Sea coastline, with tremendous knock-on effects for the local economy.

“These beautiful, historic barns, which we are renovating, date back to the late Victorian/early Edwardian period and formed part of the former Abbey Lands Farm.

“We want to preserve the buildings’ heritage for everyone in Whitby by restoring the site to a world-class standard and provide a home for our world-class gin.”