Ramsbury's distillery is going to be out of action for months following a grain store fire at the Aldbourne site last week.

More than a million pounds worth of damage is estimated after the blaze, attended by 15 fire crews, destroyed equipment used to produce gin.

The brewery at the site is still operational, and the damage has come just as Waitrose offered the Ramsbury Estate gin a spot on its shelves across the UK.

"We can carry on brewing the beer, but not the gin," explained spokesperson Alastair Ewing. "But we will have to rebuilt the store and the water purifying equipment will need replacing.

"We have enough in stock to keep supplying until the end of May, so we hope to rig something up in a few weeks. But we could be out of action for months."

The fire is said to have started due to an electrical fault in the store room next to the grain silo.

The national Waitrose deal for Ramsbury Estate Gin came through in February.