Bombay Sapphire is renowned for its distinctive blue glass bottle – but what’s inside is about to become ‘green’.

The gin’s distillery at Laverstoke Mill in Hampshire has become both the first distillery and first refurbishment to hit the level of ‘Outstanding’ in a sustainability measure.

Based in a Grade II listed Victorian building, the distillery’s new design (the still, pictured) includes solar PV, a bio-fuelled boiler and a 6kW hydro-electric water wheel powered from the River Test which flows through the site.

Under the BREEAM accreditation (Building Research Establishment’s Environmental Assessment Method), projects are assessed using a system of environmental measures grouped by management, health and well-being, energy, transport, water, materials, waste, land use and ecology, pollution and innovation.

When finished, the distillery will have slashed its carbon emissions by 60%, nearly an 85% improvement on what is required by building regulations.

Emma Johansson, Global Marketing Manager for Bombay Sapphire said a huge amount of “care, skill and imagination” has gone into building the distillery “with sustainability at its very core.”

Martin Townsend, Director at BREEAM, BRE Global said: “We are very happy that the Bombay Sapphire team has achieved this ‘Outstanding’ design-stage certification – this is one of the highest scores under BREEAM and a first in the drinks industry. It is particularly impressive given this is a conversion of an existing building.”