A NEW gin school could be opened in Manchester by Birchwood's G&J Distillers.

Gin-lovers will be able to watch small-batch spirit being made and have a go at creating their own tipple, according to plans submitted to the city council.

The visitor attraction is set to be called Thomas Dakin Gin Distillery in a nod to G&J distillery's origins.

More than 250 years ago, Thomas Dakin, just 25 at the time, set up a distillery in Bridge Street.

The Dakin and Greenall families then decided to collaborate and create G&J Distillers.

As a further nod to its roots, G&J started making Thomas Dakin Gin in 2015.

The company also continues to make its Greenall’s gin to Dakin’s original recipe to this day.

If the plans are approved, G&J will transform a disused former office space in Lloyd Street, Manchester.

The distillery will be based on the ground floor. There will also be a botanicals room.

Looking down over the stills from upstairs will be the Gin Academy, where visitors can learn about the gin-making process and produce their own spirit and labelling for bottles.

The first floor plans also include a small concert lounge called the Thomas Dakin Amicable Club, which can be opened out to larger crowds for bigger events. 

A fifth of the world's gin is made in Birchwood by G&J and the company also makes around 30 per cent of all UK gin.