Rochester Cathedral launches its own gin to recover from pandemic impact

The gin made by the distillery at the old Pump House in Chatham Maritime

A special edition gin is being made by Rochester Cathedral in Kent.

Together with the Copper Rivet Distillery in Chatham, it's hoped the drink will help keep the venue open to the public for free.

The label is based on a fresco that exists in the cathedral, which is the first fresco in an English cathedral for 800 years.

The name, 604, celebrates Rochester Cathedral’s 1400-year heritage old as England’s second oldest Cathedral.

Rochester Cathedral is one of the oldest cathedrals in England

The Cathedral was founded on the banks of the Medway in AD604 by St Justus.

Rochester Cathedral joins three other English Cathedrals who have launched gins to raise funds for conservation, mission, and development. Blackburn, Bristol, and Portsmouth have all worked with local distilleries in recent years.

Bob Russell, Founder of the Copper Rivet Distillery and a member of the Rochester Cathedral Business Guild says he is delighted to have been chosen to produce the 604 Gin for Rochester Cathedral.

Dr Philip Hesketh, Dean of Rochester says “We are enormously grateful to the Copper Rivet Distillery for collaborating on this project which will help raise crucial funds for the Cathedral every time a glass of 604 is raised.”

Profits from the sale of the gin, which can be bought for £39.99 a bottle, will go towards keeping the cathedral open and maintained.