From the ashes

There are few things more devastating than fire. Its ferocity, indiscrimination and all-consuming nature invoke a primal fear. For anyone who has anything to lose – a prospering gin business, for example – the spectre of fire is a terrifying one.

That spectre paid Karl and Cathy Mason a visit on 2 April, 2019 and took their Masons of Yorkshire gin distillery, near Bedale in Yorkshire, with it. Six years of planning, care and dedication literally went up in smoke.

“There is nothing worse that could happen,” says Karl. “We got a phone call about eight in the morning. There were staff on site, we were