How a shared passion among spirit enthusiasts at The Commercial Inn in Chapeltown grew into South Yorkshire’s premier small-batch craft distillery, officially certified by the 250-year-old Sheffield Assay Office.
Origins & Heritage
In 2017, a group of regulars and spirit devotees at The Commercial Inn — a legendary heritage pub in Chapeltown known across Yorkshire for its extraordinary whisky library and passion for craftsmanship — resolved to revive small-batch spirit distilling in North Sheffield.
Transforming a former building site office in the pub's garden into a working stillhouse, they commissioned a hand-hammered copper pot still and set out to create pure, uncompromised spirits rooted entirely in honest ingredients.
The Sheffield Assay Office was established by Act of Parliament in 1773 to test and hallmark precious metals, stamping Sheffield's reputation for metallurgical excellence across the globe.
In recognition of Sheffield Distillery's uncompromising commitment to purity and traditional copper craft, the Assay Office granted formal authorization to use the historic Sheffield Assay Mark as our brand identity — a certified guarantee of authentic Yorkshire origin.
Chapter One — The Terroir
Sheffield is a city forged between industrial steelworks and wild peat moorland. In Chapeltown, where Victorian brick terraces give way to gritstone valleys, we harvest pristine Yorkshire spring water and select local botanicals that carry the rugged mineral character of our northern landscape.
Chapter Two — The Harvest & Roast
Every botanical is weighed by hand in individual micro-batches. For our signature roasted rhubarb spirits, fresh Yorkshire rhubarb is slow-roasted in cast iron over open heat — caramelizing raw fruit sugars to convert sharp acidity into deep, rich, amber depth before infusion.
Chapter Three — The Distillation
Operating from the grounds of The Commercial Inn, our hand-hammered copper pot still runs at low, controlled temperatures. We make our distillation cuts strictly by nose and palate — isolating the pristine heart cut and discarding all impurities to ensure uncompromising smoothness.
Chapter Four — The Patience
Once distilled, our spirits are left to settle undisturbed in seasoned glass and steel vats. Over weeks of quiet subterranean resting, volatile alcohols soften and botanical oils coalesce into a single, cohesive, harmonised spirit of remarkable velvet texture.
Chapter Five — The Assay Seal
Each bottle is hand-filled by gravity, individually numbered, and dipped neck-first into molten dark wax. Bearing the official Sheffield Assay Office hallmark, every bottle stands as a certified testament to authentic South Yorkshire craft.
Experience The Range
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