Kent pump house distillery opens doors to the public

The Copper Rivet Distillery in Kent, which is housed in a restored Victorian pump house, is preparing to open the doors to the public this month.

The restored Victorian pump house which now houses the Copper Rivet Distillery in Chatham Maritime, Kent (Photo: Copper Rivet Distillery)

Following a three-year restoration and refurbishment project of the historic Victorian Pump House No 5 in Chatham Maritime, the Copper Rivet Distillery is ready to offer tastings and tours of the distillery.

The ‘grain to glass’ distillery produces a range of small batch, handcrafted premium quality gin, whisky, vodka, and unaged spirits from scratch, using bespoke stills and high-quality Kentish grain.

Pumphouse No 5 is a listed red-brick Victorian pump house that was once part of Chatham’s historic dockyard. The building was used to pump water out of the dry docks, and is the latest and one of the most significant dockyard buildings to be brought back into use.

The distillery, including the Pump Room, Club Rooms, Distiller’s Lawn and the Ward Room, will also be available for corporate and private functions.

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As reported in the drinks business, The Copper Rivet Distillery was launched in August of this year, with the aim answering the increasing demand for “hand-crafted alternatives to mass-produced products”.

From Saturday 8 October, the distillery, which offers unrivalled, picturesque views of the River Medway and Upnor Castle, will be open weekly from Wednesday to Saturday for pre-arranged tours.

Visitors can take part in one of several bespoke experiences where the will have the chance to observe the entire distilling process, sample the Copper Rivet Distillery products, experience a botanicals masterclass, or learn how to distil their own gin.

The Copper Rivet Distillery team (Photo: Copper Rivet Distillery)

The family-run Copper Rivet Distillery is the realisation of a long held dream for Bob Russell, and sons Matthew and Stephen. They are joined by head distiller Abhishek Banik.

The distillery is the only spirit maker in Kent, and one of just a few in the UK which undertakes the complete process of brewing and distilling ‘from grain to glass’.

Drawing on Chatham Maritime’s rich craft tradition, the distillery team aims to produce a core product range including Masthouse – a single malt whisky, Dockyard Gin, Vela Vodka and Son of a Gun – an unaged grain spirit with a whisky flavour profile, which has been designed especially for use in cocktails.

The team aims to run a 150,000-bottle limited production in its first year of operation.

“After 15 years in the making, we’re thrilled to finally be opening the doors to our new distillery,” founder Bob Russell said.

Matthew Russell added: “Chatham Maritime and the dockyard has an incredible heritage of craftsmanship, industry and innovation.

“We’re hoping to replicate and reinvent this proud tradition by producing exceptional gins, whiskies and vodkas from scratch in bespoke stills, wrought right here in Chatham, with the same skill that local craftsmen once fashioned world-class ships.”