William Grant & Sons has opened the doors on a £14 million expansion of the Hendrick's Gin Palace at the Girvan campus in Ayrshire, Scotland. The expansion, which has been under construction since early 2025, adds four new copper pot stills to the distillery's capacity, along with a dedicated "Botanical Innovation Lab" designed to accelerate the development of limited-edition and experimental expressions.
The original Hendrick's Gin Palace, completed in 2018, was itself an £11 million investment that doubled production capacity. This latest expansion reflects the continued growth of the Hendrick's brand, which has become one of the world's best-selling premium gins, as well as the commercial success of its limited-edition releases — Orbium, Midsummer Solstice, Amazonia, Neptunia, and Flora Adora have all sold out rapidly upon release.
The Innovation Lab
The centrepiece of the expansion is the Botanical Innovation Lab, a purpose-built facility where master distiller Lesley Gracie and her team can experiment with unusual botanicals, non-standard distillation techniques, and small-batch production runs. The lab houses two miniature copper stills, a vacuum distillation unit for extracting flavours from heat-sensitive botanicals, and a fully equipped sensory evaluation room.
"The lab gives us the freedom to be curious," said Gracie, who has been the sole master distiller at Hendrick's since its founding. "We can work with a new botanical from concept to finished distillate in a matter of days, rather than weeks. Some of these experiments will become limited editions. Most won't. But every experiment teaches us something."
Production Capacity
The four new stills — two Carter-Head stills and two Bennett copper pot stills, mirroring the unusual dual-distillation method that produces the core Hendrick's gin — will increase the distillery's total production capacity by approximately forty per cent. However, the company stressed that the additional capacity is not solely about volume growth.
"Some of the new capacity will go to our core expression, but a significant proportion is earmarked for limited editions and market-specific releases," said a company spokesperson. "We're seeing increasing demand from markets like Japan and Australia for exclusive expressions, and the expanded capacity allows us to meet that demand without compromising our core production."
Tourism and Experience
The expansion also includes an enhanced visitor experience, with a new tasting room, expanded tour routes, and a "cucumber greenhouse" where visitors can see the ingredient that has become Hendrick's signature garnish and flavour note. The distillery expects to welcome approximately 25,000 visitors annually, up from 15,000 in 2025.
Industry Significance
The investment underscores the continued confidence of major spirits companies in the premium gin category. While overall gin market growth has moderated from the explosive rates of 2018-2022, the premium and super-premium segments continue to outperform, with consumers increasingly willing to pay a premium for brands that offer distinctive flavour profiles and compelling brand stories.
Hendrick's, with its distinctive apothecary-style bottle, cucumber-and-rose flavour profile, and consistently quirky marketing, has established itself as the gateway brand for consumers moving from mass-market to premium gin. The expansion suggests William Grant & Sons sees significant runway remaining in that position.
The first products from the Botanical Innovation Lab are expected to reach market in autumn 2026.
