The Blackfriars Distillery is the home of
Plymouth Gin, which has been producing Spirits since
1793. Today, it’s known as the Plymouth
Gin Distillery and remains the
oldest working distillery in England.
Before it became a working distillery, the buildings were a monastery belonging to the
Black Friars (hence the name). Following the dissolution of the monasteries in 1536, the buildings were many things – including a prison!
In
1793, the Coates family joined the established distilling company
Fox & Williamson, but in time, the family took over the distillery and it was named
Coates & Co Ltd until 2004. The Spirits today are made in a
Victorian copper pot still which is
over
150 years old.
The Blackfriars Distillery is the only distillery licensed to produce a Spirit called Plymouth Gin (which is both a brand and a style of Gin), as the Coates family sought an injunction which prevented London distilleries from naming their Gins as Plymouth made.
Back in the 1880s, Plymouth Gin was supplied to the
Royal Navy, which was a huge stamp of approval for the brand, and led to many imitators.