Whitby Distillery to open clifftop site next to famous abbey ruin
The couple behind a fast growing craft distillery have secured a £500,000 loan to help launch a new site next to one of Britain’s best known clifftop ruins.
Luke Pentith and Jess Slater are renovating two derelict barns in the grounds of Whitby Abbey to create a visitor centre with distillery, shop, tasting bar and events venue.
The loan from NPIF II – Mercia Debt Finance, which is managed by Mercia as part of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II (NPIF II), will enable them to complete the construction and fit-out in the run-up to the opening next spring.
The site will provide a new headquarters for Whitby Distillery, which currently manufactures at a local industrial estate and has a shop in the old town. It will also create a year-round visitor attraction for Whitby, offering guided distillery tours and hosting weddings and events. The company, which employs 10 staff, expects to create 10 jobs as a result.
A spokesman said: “Whitby Distillery was founded in 2017 after a holiday in the Outer Hebrides where the couple visited local distilleries. They initially operated from Luke’s parents’ utility room, selling products through two local stores. The first batch sold out in days and within a year they had given up their management jobs to focus on the business full time.
“The company has achieved year on year growth ever since. Whitby Distillery now offers eight varieties of gin, three varieties of rum and a vodka, all made using hand-foraged botanicals from the Yorkshire coast and moors. Work on the new site, which is leased from English Heritage, began three years ago and will have cost almost £3m by the time it is complete, much of it raised from crowd funding. The couple are also looking at opportunities to expand sales beyond Yorkshire.”
Luke Pentith, founder and director, said: “This is a very exciting time for the business. The new centre will be one of the best distillery sites in the UK and will provide a platform to showcase the business and boost its growth. By opening up access to the public, it will also give people the opportunity to experience the previously unseen views and spectacular sunsets.”
Andy Clough of Mercia Business Loans adds: “To go from a utility room to such a prominent site within the space of eight years is a real achievement. The past few years have been challenging for distilleries but Luke and Jess have bucked the trend.”