The distillery
City of Aberdeen Distillery
On Saturday 14th December 2019 the City of Aberdeen Distillery restored the tradition of distilling in Aberdeen after a hiatus of almost 80 years. Being the first distillery in the city after such a long period demanded the right venue and it took almost five years to find our home. We looked at some of the oldest buildings in the city but found that very few met the strict requirements of a distillery. Tucked away within a historic railway arch, the City of Aberdeen Distillery is also home to the Aberdeen Gin School and shop.
Gin School Experience
The Gin School invites guests to become distillers (up to 20 at a time) to make their own full sized bottle of gin to take home, on a beautiful copper alembic mini-still - the gin will be crafted to their own unique recipe, selecting from over 100 botanicals in a three hour experience guided by the master distiller.
Tours, tastings and Aberdeen Gins
Why not come on one of our Discovery Tours - a walking tour of the distillery and explore the restricted production areas, or taste single distillates of the botanicals used in gin at the Gin Tasting Masterclass
All tours will include an opportunity to view the production areas and quiz the distillers - discover how gin is distilled in the arch and learn more about the distilling processes; from the raw ingredients to labelling and bottling – all of which takes place in Aberdeen.
Owned and run by two local friends
The Distillery is run by Dan and Alan, two friends who first met at Aberdeen University Wine Society.
Dan’s enthusiasm for making beer was matched with Alan’s passion for making wine (from any fruit he could find) – even growing grapes in his own garden which became possibly the first Aberdeen vintage Pinot Noir.
For Aberdeen, by Aberdeen
One of the distillery’s mantras is “Made for Aberdeen, by Aberdeen” - the distillery began with an empty arch; everything inside was designed by the distillers, and with the help of friends and local professionals (joiners, electricians, plumbers) the distillery took form. The light fittings, the experience bench, counters and even the botanical table were dreamt up by the distillers and created specifically for the surroundings. These elements come together, with the rumble of trains overhead, to create a unique and cozy atmosphere.
The Renaissance
The distillery aims to revive the distilling heritage of the city and become part of the city’s renaissance movement. There are a limited number of gin schools in the UK, and the City of Aberdeen Distillery is unique in what it offers. There you can make your own gin, tour the facilities, taste/buy from demi-johns and chat with the distillers in a single open space.
Distillery demi-johns
Alongside the Gin School is a shop offering a range of demi-johns – flavourful traditional gin recipes and fruit based Aberdeen gins (using locally sourced fruit) that are hand crafted within the distillery. These are very limited, single batch creations and available in a range of sizes to take home.
The demi-johns are designed to be fully flavoured and use the best quality ingredients opting for locally sourced fruit/botanicals where possible. These are only available in-store at the distillery and include Winter Warmer Gin, Rhubarb Gin and Bramble Oaked Gin.
The distillery’s signature gin is made for Aberdeen, and will be chosen by Aberdeen - City of Aberdeen Distillery have developed several recipes for their signature gin but it is ultimately the people of Aberdeen who will choose which of these will become the winning gin (available in demi-johns initially) - their flagship gin subsequently to be released in early 2020.
Planning a trip to Aberdeen?
