GIN-making firm Masons Yorkshire Gin has officially opened its brand new distillery, complete with its own bar and gin-tasting 'gin lab'.

Located off the A1(M) in Leeming Bar, North Yorkshire, the 12,384sq ft premises is three times the size of its predecessor, which was destroyed by a fire last year.

Founded by Karl and Cathy Mason in 2013, the firm has become well known for its original blend of gin and more recently its Yorkshire Tea-infused edition.

But deciding to turn sheer devastation into an 'opportunity' to expand, the Masons formally opened their new purpose-built distillery on Friday (March 6).

The Northern Echo: The 'gin lab' at the Masons Gin distillery Picture: TOM BANKSThe 'gin lab' at the Masons Gin distillery Picture: TOM BANKS

Replacing Masons Gin's destroyed premises, which was located in Aiskew near Bedale, the new distillery features a luxury bar and gin tasting room - which houses a variety of flavours, mixers and ingredients.

At the grand opening today, Mr and Mrs Mason told The Northern Echo that they had been left exhausted but "incredibly proud" to be bringing Masons Gin back to Yorkshire.

Mrs Mason said: "We’re incredibly proud, quite exhausted but we’re really pleased that its finally here and that we can just get cracking really."

The Northern Echo: Cathy Mason and Karl Mason in front of 'Tony the still' Picture: TOM BANKSCathy Mason and Karl Mason in front of 'Tony the still' Picture: TOM BANKS

Since moving onto the site in December, it has taken months for the team to perfect the distillery's brand new 'still,' which will be responsible for every single bottle of Masons Gin.

Jody Craddock of Masons Gin said they had been able to turn sheer devastation into an opportunity to continue building the brand in Yorkshire.

She said: "It's 12,368 sq ft, triple the size of our old distillery, we've got a much bigger unit, which has been purpose built for us here.

"We've taken Masons to the next level – we were the first gin distillery to open in Yorkshire and that gives us a real opportunity to continue leading the way. We want to keep building the name here."

The Northern Echo: The Masons shop at the new site Picture: TOM BANKSThe Masons shop at the new site Picture: TOM BANKS

Marking today as 'thank you' to all of those who had helped the business continue, the first 2,000 bottles created will go on sale with £2.50 of every bottle sold going towards the FireFighters Charity.

Mrs Mason said: "We wanted to recognise what a fantastic job the fire service did and to be able to do that is a really nice feeling."

Mr Mason said: "They put their lives on the line and it was nice to recognise that in any way we could to say 'thank you,' because we appreciate what they did for us, and we know it was a dangerous situation."

The Northern Echo: The distillery employs more than 30 people from the area Picture: TOM BANKSThe distillery employs more than 30 people from the area Picture: TOM BANKS

Since opening in Leeming Bar, Masons Gin said it had taken on six new staff bringing the total number of employees to 34.

Despite the loss of their Bedale premises, the firm said it made no redundancies and did not lose any members of staff while the rebuilding process took shape.

Mr Mason said: "We didn’t lose the team spirit because everybody pulled together, but it didn’t feel as strong, when everybody wasn’t under the same roof, so it is fabulous to have that again and to give people a better working environment."