Harrogate-based Whittaker’s Gin have been presented with a Community Spirit Award for their work during the covid-19 pandemic.
Set up by the UK Spirits Alliance (UKSA), a coalition of spirits producers from across the UK, the Awards recognise distilleries like Whittaker’s who have gone above and beyond to help their communities during the COVID crisis.
Local MP Julian Smith visited the distillery to present the award to owners Toby and Jane Whittaker who founded the business in 2015.
The husband and wife team began manufacturing hand sanitiser from the distillery early on in the pandemic, answering the call to support their communities in the fight against Covid-19. Working in partnership with local brewery Rooster’s to make and donate clinical-standard hand sanitiser for both Harrogate & District NHS Foundation Trust and Bradford ICU, the Whittaker’s team have continued to supply their local businesses at cost to help protect them from the virus.
Toby Whittaker said: “We’re thrilled to receive this award and were delighted to have our local MP Julian Smith present it to us. We’re humbled that the industry has recognised our work in supporting key workers and organisations over the last few months.”
A spokesperson for the UK Spirits Alliance added: “Distilleries across the UK like Whittaker’s have been supporting their local communities throughout the pandemic and the Community Spirit Awards is a great way to recognise that.
“We’re delighted that Julian Smith MP has been able to present this award, and we hope that he will continue his long-standing support for the distillery and the wider industry as we approach a potential Budget”.
Whittaker’s Gin has gone from strength to strength since their first bottles were produced some 5 years ago and now produce a range of award-winning gins from their base at Dacre Banks in the Yorkshire Dales which now also features a tasting room and coffee shop open to the public.
Whittaker’s Gin is available at independent retailers nationwide and online at www.whittakersgin.co.uk