A stunning new bar has opened in York, and no expense has been spared.
The Owl & Cat Distillery & Lounge Bar has just opened on Rougier Street, after a £400,000 transformation.
It is in the former Society club, but has a very different vibe.
As the name suggests this is three places in one. Firstly it is home to the Hooting Owl distillery, which has been crafting gin, vodka and rum from its former home in Barmby Moor since 2018.
The distillery is now on the ground floor where they can produce up to 1,000 bottles a day.
Second, there is the very stylish new lounge bar, which has the vibe of a gentleman’s club and is filled with quirky accessories, from a £20,000 artwork table to a diver’s helmet to a suit of armour.
And third, there’s the members area upstairs, perfect for a late night drink and with a tasting area too.
Elsewhere, there’s a rooftop smoking terrace – and even the loos are beautifully designed; see the pictures below.
The transformation has meant the old Society club being stripped back and rewired, a new air conditioning system added, and a complete redecoration.
Founder of the Hooting Owl Dominic M’Benga had a distinguished army career in the Prince of Wales’s Own Regiment of Yorkshire based at Strensall. When he left and set up his first business, he also worked as a member of the door staff at Society for ten years.
So when he realised that building was available, he knew it inside and out – and jumped at the chance to make it Hooting Owl’s HQ.
“Rather than being a nightclub, it’s now a bonded warehouse and distillery,” he told YorkMix.
“So we have an L-shaped bar on two floors. And then we have a back bar area, where you can see the stills and the distillery – that’s actually a bonded warehouse, where we produce all our spirits, for sale on the bar, for sale in retail, and to go out to our customers.”
The company’s spirits are sold nationwide and internationally too – two couples from Norway have been into the bar this week saying they drink Hooting Owl spirits in their home country.
You can book tours and tasting sessions. “We’re trying to become a bit of a visitor centre,” Dom said. “It’s going to evolve as we go.”
With so many top hotels nearby, including the Grand and the Malmaison, “we’re in quite a tourist hotspot.
“It’s about bringing people in, letting them see the distillery, talking to them about how the gins are made.”
Having created a gin for each of the four Yorkshire Ridings, the plan next is simple. “We need to launch a York gin,” Dom said.
“At the end of May, we’ll be launching a gin specific to York. The Roman road is directly underneath this building. So we’re just going to involve all that history into the botanical mix for this new product that we launch in about two months’ time.”
He is looking forward to meeting York residents as well as visitors as they discover The Owl & Cat Distillery & Lounge Bar.
“We serve teas, coffees. There’ll be as a small selection of food – pizzas, panini, sharing platters. It’s a nice comfortable environment.
“We’re going to be opening until 2.30 in the morning. It’s a private members’ club after 11pm. You can go onto our website to become a member or you can purchase an evening membership on the night.
“We’re going to be somewhere where people will come and relax. The music’s not going to be ‘boom, boom, boom’. It’s an alternative to the traditional nightclub scene – and of course, much cheaper prices.”
Find out more at the Hooting Owl website.