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At the beginning of 2019 we got the keys to The Old Calf Shed on Ulverston's Auction Mart. So started the renovation that repotted us from our Garden Shed and included opening a visitor attraction in October 2019.
What an adventure, and there were most definitely some tears along the way. We both remember wondering why we'd taken this on, on more than one occasion! However, as it came together we could see the potential and started to fall in love with our old shed. It's become, not just our workplace, but an extension of our home that we love to share with others. We are incredibly proud of what we've created but we could never have guessed what was to come. In February, 2022, The Old Calf Shed was named Icons of Gin, Best Visitor Attraction. As a micro distillery with limited space and funds, we were flabbergasted! In the UK alone, there are over 60 gin distilleries offering experiences. For the world...quite a few more.
"The IoG judging panel was impressed with the way that Andy & Zoe have crafted such an interesting and unique visitor offering, despite not having some of the luxuries (e.g. larger teams, space) that other gin makers do. When you're a small-batch producer with a small team, it would perhaps be easier to settle for a simpler visitor experience, or omit this element completely, so we really admired the fact that you've put time, effort and creativiity into designing your visitor experiences at Shed 1. Keep up the good work!"
The designs were ours, and we were very grateful to find some talented people to turn our vision into reality. Electricians, builders, joiners, signage and specialist wood and steel creatives...Ideas were shared, changes were accepted, South Cumbria ran out of copper piping at one point.
We had our Grand Opening of the distillery and visitor attraction in October 2019. Some paint was still wet and we didn't quite finish everything but we don't think anyone noticed! Cocktails were drunk, the Lord Lieutenant and High Sheriff of Cumbria officially opened The Old Calf Shed and many giggles were had.
In March 2020 covid shut us down but we managed to host events between lockdowns and even had our first wedding there one year to the day of our opening. Since then we've gone from strength to strength and have hosted people from all over the UK and beyond. We are looking forward to welcoming even more guests to our Old Calf Shed Visitor Attraction in the future.
Thank you for all your support.
You can find details and dates below. If you have any questions, please contact us.
Make Your Own Gin
Afternoon G&Tea
Distillery Tour & Gin Tastings
Private Venue with Wedding Licence
