Gin tasting events to resume at Pembrokeshire distillery

GIN tasting events will be allowed at a Pembrokeshire distillery once planning conditions are amended.

Cinnamon Grove Farm was granted a variation to its existing licence to hold tastings of its gins on site just outside Haverfordwest on Old Hakin Road but planning conditions also need to be approved before it can get up and running.

Applicant Richard Thomas told members of the county council’s licensing committee on Tuesday (August 3) that the distillery was started in 2018 and Cinnamon Grove gin supplied to shops and wholesalers, as well as online sales.

The current licence allows for sales from the barn for off site consumption when orders are made from trade or public, between 9am and 9pm.

“When we applied originally, we did put on the plan a tasting area – people can come and look around the distillery, taste the gin and if they want to buy, to buy. It would be like a tourist attraction as well really, that’s what we are after,” he said.

Visitors would be expected to book before attending with groups of four to a maximum of 20 permitted with a tasting area attached to the distillery and an outside area, where music will be permitted.

The hours of opening would be 9am to 11.30pm, with sale of alcohol stopped at 11pm.

Mr Thomas said that the planning change of use application was currently being dealt with and the committee heard from a council officer that a lifting of a previous condition restricting sales to offsite consumption, as well as a change of use would be required.