About this tour
When Em from our BugBitten team checked out Aberdeen's City Distillery & Gin School, we walked into a spot that's serious about local spirit-making history. The tour threads through the production floor, chats with the head distiller, and lets you taste their range of gins — all while nursing a proper G&T. It's a compact hour that gives you a real sense of how Aberdeen lost its distilling game and why the city's gin scene matters now. Relaxed vibe, good for gin enthusiasts and curious drinkers alike.
Highlights
- Access to the production area — usually off-limits to visitors
- Sit down with the head distiller for honest Q&A
- Double G&T on arrival sets the right tone immediately
- Learn how to make gin at home or at the distillery
- Tasting flight covers the full Aberdeen gin range
- Fully accessible — ramps, lifts, and accessible loos throughout
What to expect
Em found the tour well-paced for its hour. You'll start with a drink in hand, which breaks the ice fast, then wander through the distillery proper — seeing the stills and bottling setup. The head distiller's Q&A isn't a lecture; it's conversational, so you can ask why certain gins work or don't. Then comes the tasting: samples of the distillery's own range, enough to get a sense of their style without overdoing it.
The tour leans into Aberdeen's distilling past — the city had a big industry once, and the distillery's trying to bring that story back. It's not a flashy operation, but that's part of the charm. The production area is genuinely interesting if you care about how spirits get made; if you're just after a boozy afternoon, the G&T and tasting still hit. No pretension, just solid craft and local pride.
What travellers say
- Head distiller Q&A feels genuine, not scripted
- Double G&T arrival creates instant welcoming vibe
- Production floor access is the real draw here
- Fully accessible — no stairs, lifts, accessible facilities
- Compact hour fits busy travel schedules well
- Local gin range tasting is well-curated and generous
- One hour is tight for a deeper spirits education
- City-centre parking tricky during peak times
- Gin-forward experience — non-drinkers may feel sidelined
Themes summarised by our team from public information about this tour. Verify specifics on the operator's page before booking.
Good to know
A tight, smart hour that doesn't waste your time. The double G&T on arrival is generous, the tasting's properly done, and talking to the head distiller is a real draw — you walk away knowing something about Aberdeen's gin scene. Wheelchair accessible throughout, prams welcome, and non-alcoholic swaps mean non-drinkers aren't left out. It suits gin lovers, casual tourists, and anyone after a bit of local food-and-drink history.
It's only an hour, so if you're hoping for a deep dive into distilling technique, you'll want the longer gin-making class instead. The city-centre location is good for public transport but parking can be tight. Early afternoon crowds can make the tasting room a bit snug. Check if the head distiller's doing the Q&A — sometimes it's another team member. Non-drinkers get the tour and non-alcoholic options, but the experience is gin-forward, so manage expectations there.
Tour sold and operated by Viator via Viator. Descriptions on this page are original BugBitten summaries written by our team — not copied from the operator. Prices and availability are confirmed at checkout.