Opening date announced for The Spirit Run Distillery and Bar at Derby Market Hall

Get ready for an exciting new addition to Derby Market Hall! The Spirit Run Distillery and Bar will launch on Saturday 19 July.

The venue is the latest venture from Darley Abbey Wines and will occupy the newly-renovated former Poultry Market space within Derby Market Hall.

At the heart of the impressive space will be the distillery, creating high-quality spirits inside bespoke, British-made copper stills, built by Somerset company, BritStill.

The Spirit Run Bar will offer a truly unique experience, allowing customers to admire the iconic stills while enjoying a cocktail, a refreshing gin, or a glass of wine.

For those eager to delve deeper into the world of spirits, innovative gin and cocktail experiences will be available. These immersive journeys can be booked for mixed groups or private parties, offering a fantastic opportunity to learn and indulge.

The bar will specialise in spirits – of course – featuring a strong cocktail menu and showcasing The Spirit Run’s own creations alongside those from other local distillers and well-known brands. Customers can also choose from eight draft beers, including selections from Derbyshire’s Thornbridge brewery, and explore a select rotating list of ‘discovery wines’ for an adventurous tasting experience.

Nichol Malia-Barlow, owner of The Spirit Run, said: “We’re thrilled to have had the opportunity to transform the historic former poultry market into our ‘spiritual home’, so-to-speak!

“It now houses one of only a handful of British designed and built, copper micro-distilleries which will produces our range of gin and rum.

“The bar will add a new hospitality experience to the city, inspired by our visits to Scottish Whisky distilleries, where customers can enjoy a nice drink whist seeing their favourite tipple in the making. We hope to see you all very soon!”

The Spirit Run has teamed up with fellow Derby Market Hall trader, Japanese street food restaurant Shio, to offer customers some tasty small plates to go with their favourite drink. Keep a look out IZAKAYA – their Sunday Japanese Brunch Club, which is coming soon.

Councillor Nadine Peatfield, Leader of Derby City Council, said: “I’m so excited about The Spirit Run Distillery coming to Derby Market Hall. This is exactly what we strive for – championing brilliant local independent businesses while bringing something genuinely unique and exciting to our visitors. It’s going to be a fantastic new addition to the Market Hall experience.”

Darley Abbey Wines, which began as a wine merchant in 2007, has steadily expanded its offerings. They opened a popular wine bar at Darley Abbey Mills, known for its live music and tasting events, and established Darley Abbey Distillery in 2020.

Located at the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site, their home is a seventeenth-century cotton mill which once produced the finest cotton thread. Today, Darley Abbey Wines expertly crafts fine spirits in small batches, honouring the building’s rich history.

Their first gin, The Uncommon Thread London Dry, launched in November 2022 to great success. The new Derby Market Hall distillery will allow them to increase production, expand existing and new brands, and facilitate exciting small-batch local projects and collaborations.

The iconic Derby Market Hall reopened in May following a £35.1 million restoration, creating a vibrant venue that brings together the best of the region’s independent shopping, eating, drinking, and entertainment under one beautiful roof.