The His­to­ry of Bom­bay Sapphire

The illus­tri­ous his­to­ry of Laver­stoke Mill dates back to as ear­ly as the 1086 Dooms­day Book, which record­ed the pres­ence of a mill on this very site. Through­out its sto­ried past, Laver­stoke Mill has been under the own­er­ship of notable fig­ures such as William the Con­queror and Hen­ry VIII, receiv­ing the hon­or of four roy­al vis­its, the most recent one being by Queen Eliz­a­beth in 1962.

In 1719, Hen­ry Por­tal, a print­er who had acquired the lease for Laver­stoke Mill, embarked on an expan­sion project that would pave the way for the man­u­fac­tur­ing of ban­knotes for the British Empire, com­menc­ing in 1724.

Dur­ing the mid-18^th cen­tu­ry, Laver­stoke Mill enjoyed a peri­od of increas­ing pros­per­i­ty, play­ing a piv­otal role in the pro­duc­tion of ban­knotes through­out Queen Vic­to­ri­a’s lengthy reign. The Por­tal fam­i­ly, stew­ards of the mill, over­saw expan­sions in 1842 and 1881, intro­duc­ing ele­gant archi­tec­tur­al enhance­ments to accom­mo­date grow­ing pro­duc­tion needs.

The ori­gins of Bom­bay Sap­phire’s lega­cy trace back to 1761 when Thomas Dakin acquired a site in War­ring­ton, Eng­land, with the ambi­tious goal of dis­till­ing gin. In 1831, the Dakin fam­i­ly acquired a still and inge­nious­ly adapt­ed it to sep­a­rate the exot­ic botan­i­cals from the neu­tral grain spir­it. This inno­v­a­tive dis­til­la­tion method, now known as Vapour Infu­sion, cap­tured the essence of the botan­i­cals in the vapor, impart­ing a unique fla­vor pro­file. This arti­sanal process, devel­oped by the Dakins, con­tin­ues to be faith­ful­ly employed by Bom­bay Sap­phire to this day.

Wed­dings and Events at Bom­bay Sapphire

Wed­dings and events at The Bom­bay Sap­phire Dis­tillery are a per­fect blend. What makes this expe­ri­ence tru­ly excep­tion­al is the remark­able set­ting the dis­tillery pro­vides, which serves as the can­vas for your wed­ding break­fast, evening fes­tiv­i­ties, and all the cel­e­bra­to­ry moments in between.

The venue offers a dis­tinc­tive charm that sets it apart from tra­di­tion­al wed­ding venues and event spaces. The spaces avail­able at the dis­tillery, both indoors and out­doors, con­tribute to the over­all look and feel that is found nowhere else. The main court­yard, with its stun­ning cus­tom glasshous­es serv­ing as a back­drop, is a par­tic­u­lar­ly cap­ti­vat­ing spot for cap­tur­ing cher­ished pho­tographs and host­ing delight­ful drinks receptions.

The musi­cal atmos­phere at your event can be tai­lored to your pref­er­ences. Whether you pre­fer the sooth­ing melodies of acoustic musi­cians, the clas­si­cal ele­gance of a string quar­tet, or the vibrant ener­gy of our Roam­ing Bands, we have the per­fect musi­cal accom­pa­ni­ment to enhance your drinks recep­tion in any of our charm­ing areas.

As the cel­e­bra­tion pro­gress­es, our entrance hall­way comes to life, boast­ing two tiers that cre­ate an invit­ing and spa­cious dance floor. This area trans­forms into a dynam­ic par­ty space, ensur­ing that your wed­ding or event is not only beau­ti­ful but also filled with ener­gy, fun and unfor­get­table moments.