GIN LAUNCH: The Piece Hall launches gin with Speight's Gin

The Piece Hall in partnership with local Halifax craft artisan-distiller Speight’s Gin has released its own brand  of gin, which has been inspired by the fascinating heritage of the Grade I-listed building and botanicals from the  surrounding Yorkshire landscape, launched on Friday 11 November 2022.

*** PRESS RELEASE FROM THE PIECE HALL & SPEIGHT'S GIN ****

Visitors can take home a Piece of the Hall this Christmas as historic Yorkshire venue launches gin. 

The Piece Hall in partnership with local Halifax craft artisan-distiller Speight’s Gin has released its own brand  of gin, which has been inspired by the fascinating heritage of the Grade I-listed building and botanicals from the  surrounding Yorkshire landscape, launched on Friday 11 November 2022. 

The iconic venue celebrated its fifth anniversary since a multimillion-pound transformation back in August 2022,  and following this, The Piece Hall Trust conceptualised and developed a bespoke gin to commemorate the  significant milestone. The gin’s release will coincide with the first day of the venue’s popular annual Winter  Makers Markets, offering visitors the opportunity to take a ‘piece’ of the historic venue home with them in time  for Christmas or buy a unique gift for a loved one. The Piece Hall’s bespoke gin-based cocktail will also be  available as a special to order at the Trading Rooms restaurant and bar from Friday. 

The Piece Hall is the world’s only remaining Georgian cloth hall, dating back to 1779 when it was first used for  the trading of ‘pieces’ of cloth produced as part of Yorkshire’s famous cottage industry – a vital part of the  eighteenth-century textiles trade in West Yorkshire. The soon-to-be-launched gin is lovingly inspired by this  unique heritage as well as reflecting local geography, infused with 11 carefully-selected botanicals that create a  crisp yet calming flavour. Ingredients include plums and turmeric as were used in the traditional wool-dying  process, and dandelion root and heather which echo the surrounding natural Yorkshire landscape, as well as  juniper berries; lemon peel; sheep sorrel; marigold petals; elderberries; orris root; and angelica root.  

Nicky Chance-Thompson DL, chief executive of The Piece Hall Trust, said: 
“It’s been a really memorable year for The Piece Hall – from hosting our biggest series of live gigs yet to  celebrating our fifth anniversary back in August with the news that we’ve already welcomed over 10 and a half  million visitors since reopening.  

“We wanted to create something from scratch that would mark the occasion, and developing the gin has been a  real team effort from The Piece Hall, working in partnership with a fantastic craft artisan-distiller that really  encapsulates the local independent spirit that is the lifeblood of our venue’s heritage and ethos. The gin is  essentially the ‘essence’ of The Piece Hall, and we hope it will help people to experience the truly unique story  of the building in a new way – as well as enabling our visitors to enjoy a festive tipple with us to celebrate.” 

Peter Speight, owner and founder of Speight’s Gin, added:
“We’re absolutely thrilled to be working with The Piece Hall team. The gin we have created has taken two years  to perfect and we are delighted with the outcome. We are still trying to absorb the magnitude of this  partnership - our thanks go out to all our friends, family and customers who have supported this amazing  journey”. 

The gin has been crafted in partnership with multi-award-winning Halifax craft artisan-distiller, Speight’s Gin, in keeping with The Piece Hall’s long history of supporting local independent traders and reflecting the traditional  cottage industry connections of the Hall. 

The gin will go on sale from Friday 11 November 2022 in-store at The Deli and online via the Speights Gin website, as well as being sold onsite at the Horsebox for the duration of this year’s Winter Makers