Distillery plans revealed as part of £7m project at Welsh castle

Plans have been revealed to convert part of a 17th century castle in South Wales into a craft spirit distillery, bonded warehouse, gin school and visitor experience as part of a £7m scheme.The project for the grade I-listed Hensol Castle, which has been used as a backdrop in BBC dramas including Doctor Who, Sherlock Holmes and Torchwood, will turn the site into a tourism destination and also produce a range of spirits for commercial sale, creating up to 120 new jobs over the next three years. The company, trading as Hensol Castle Distillery, is a joint venture between the Leeke family, who own The Vale Resort and Leekes, and the Mallows family from Cowbridge, who own Bottlers & Distillers Wales. Current Vale Resort directors, Stephen Leeke and Mike Fowler, are joined by father and son team, Andy and Rhys Mallows, to form the new board.Hensol Castle Distillery will produce a range of gins, vodkas and other spirits including a low calorie, low sugar and low alcohol range. The visitor experience, gin school, and production facility will open later this year.