Do you love gin? These experiences based around the spirit are the perfect places to discover more about it, and some distilleries will even let you make your own.
Ever wanted to make your own gin? Well now you can thanks to some distilleries across the region.
Not only can you make your own gin, but there are also ample opportunities to try different expressions and gain an education in the method and work which goes into making some of Scotland’s most popular gins.
You can try your hand at being a distiller for the day, or, just enjoy a few samples and a gin and tonic as the brand ambassadors and owners behind the firms take you on a journey of discovery.
And with today (June 12) marking World Gin Day, what better way to toast the occasion than with a crisp gin and tonic!
Lost Loch Spirits – Aboyne, Aberdeenshire
The spirit school is an excellent place to hang out if you love gin. Not only will you get access to Lost Loch Spirits‘ botanical library, but you’ll get to visit the home of Scotland’s first absinthe.
Micro tours are priced at £25 per person and the spirits school is £125 per person.
City of Aberdeen Distillery – Aberdeen
Learn to make your very own gin in the heart of Aberdeen down at the Arches behind Union Square.
The City of Aberdeen Distillery will take you on a tour around their premises, and will give you free rein to explore the botanical garden, which boasts more than 100 different ingredients, and the team will equip you with the knowledge you need to make your own delicious 70cl bottle of gin.
The gin school experience is priced at £105 per person, the gin tasting masterclass comes in at £39 and the discovery tour which takes 45 minutes, is £13.
Kinrara Distillery – Aviemore, Highlands
Handcrafted in the Highlands, the team at Kinrara Distillery run a tour that gives you the opportunity to try some of their gins made on-site at their farm steading.
Tours are limited to six to eight people just now and are priced at £15 per person.
Dunnet Bay Distillery – Caithness, Highlands
The home of the award-winning Rock Rose Gin, this Caithness-based distillery has reimagined its tours to include a coastal theme.
Guests can enjoy sitting in a “boat shed” where they can listen to tales about the local area which will be accompanied by three tastes of the spirits.
The experience costs £20 per “boat shed” which can seat two people.
A visit to the still house is not included.
Kirkjuvagr Distillery – Orkney
Heading to Orkney anytime soon? Be sure to pop in to the Kirkjuvagr Distillery to experience either a gin-making experience or a distillery tour.
Tours run from 2pm every day from Wednesday to Saturday and the gin making experience is a whole afternoon of learning about distilling and bottling your own spirit.
The gin making experience runs from noon to 5pm and each participant takes home a full-size bottle of their own creation. It costs £125 for one-person still, £175 for a two-person still or £225 for a three-person still (there is a maximum of three people per still).
Tayport Distillery – Tayport, Fife
Run by mother and daughter duo Kecia and Mary McDougall, Tayport Distillery in Fife is the perfect place to learn all about spirit making.
On arrival to the distillery you will be seated in the heart of the distillery where the team will discuss the history of alcohol, the process of making the spirits and there will be plenty of samples of Tayport Distillery’s core range for customers to enjoy.
The tour is £10 per person and takes around one hour.
Darnley’s – Kingsbarns, Fife
Join the team at Darnley’s to find out all there is about the art of gin making. From a shorter discovery tour (one hour for £12) to a slightly longer event priced at £25, there’s a whole lot to uncover in both and you’ll also be able to enjoy a taster in each.
You can also take part in their gin school and try your hand at being a distiller. You can choose your botanicals, take charge of your own copper still and bottle and label your own creation.
For an individual gin school experience it costs £125 and for a shared gin school experience it costs £140 where customers can take home one 70cl to share.
