Sunday Life #4 - Edinburgh Gin Distillery

One of my favourite tipples has to be gin, in particular Edinburgh Gin. Knowing this, my clever man treated me to some vouchers for a wee tour of the distillery as part of my Christmas present and last week was the first chance we had to go along and see where the magic, quite literally happens.

Hidden away under Rutland Place lies a Gin wonderland, filled with an array of botanicals ready to entice even the most stubborn taste buds. The décor is mysterious and harks at an era gone by, think lots of copper, leather arm chairs and lots of candles. We arrived for our tour a little early and were invited to make ourselves comfy whilst we waited. Happily we sunk into two big chairs and took in our surroundings, wonderful prints and lots of glass beakers and lamps, it was like stepping back in time. Stacked amongst wooden crates was an array of beautifully labelled bottles, all for sale and all in the one place, which if you are an Edinburgh Gin fan you will really appreciate as this stuff can be heard to get your hands on, especially the more quirky concoctions. I could not wait to sample some of the Valentines Gin, but more on that later.

Our tour was the Gin Discovery Tour and it kicked off with a look and a sniff at everything that goes into the unique blends. Edinburgh Gin is delicately distilled using fresh juniper, coriander, citrus peel and orris root with heather and milk thistle to give the tipple it's truly distinctive flavour. Then some extra special ingredients are added to make some of the beautiful flavour combinations, my personal favourite being the Rhubarb and Ginger.

We then got to take a peek at Caledonia and Flora, the beautiful stills used to make the gin. The tour is really informal and relaxed and our lovely guide was happy to answer all our questions. After soaking up all the information we could we were whisked off to one of the little 'caves' which were beautifully lit little arches just waiting on us to come and get cosy to sample some of the gin. We sat and chatted and enjoyed an original Edinburgh Gin with some tonic and it was delicious. After our drink we were invited along to try out some of the other flavours back in the main reception area and after some tasting we were wrapped up and on our way back into the chilly Edinburgh streets.

The distillery has a bar, which looked amazing however didn't open until later in the evening so we sadly didn't get to go, but we will most definitely be back. I would 100% recommend taking this tour, whether you are a gin lover or not it's a truly unique experience and something that is perfect for a chilly afternoon. All tours and information can be found on the Edinburgh Gin website, trust me you will not regret it, cheers!