About this tour
When Charlie from our team tried this hands-on experience in Banff, we got the full distillery treatment — a proper tour of how the spirits are made, a tasting of four craft samples, then the fun bit: blending our own gin from a selection of botanicals. You pick what goes into your bottle, design a custom label, and walk out with a 750ml bottle of vodka and your creation. It's compact enough to fit into a Banff afternoon without eating the whole day, and feels more like a workshop than a tourist tick-box.
Highlights
- Hands-on botanical selection — genuinely gets you thinking about flavour
- Four-sample tasting before you blend — learns you the craft first
- Custom label design makes your bottle feel personal
- Distillery tour unpacks how the operation actually works
- Compact one-hour slot fits easily around other Banff activities
- Finishing product is a full-sized 750ml bottle to take home
- Guided by English speakers — no fumbling through explanations
What to expect
Charlie arrived at the distillery and jumped straight into a walkthrough of how PARK makes its spirits — fermentation vessels, ageing processes, the works. It's straightforward but genuinely interesting if you've never seen the behind-the-scenes of a craft operation. Then came the tasting: four carefully chosen samples to get your palate tuned in before the main event.
Then the blending. You're given access to a range of botanicals — juniper, citrus peels, herbs, spices — and guided through what each one brings to the gin. It's less 'anything goes' and more 'here's what works', so you're building something that'll actually taste good, not just weird. The custom label ties it all together nicely. The whole thing moves at a good clip without feeling rushed.
What travellers say
- Tasting informs your blending — not just tasting for tasting's sake
- Full-sized bottle you actually take home and drink
- One hour — fits around other Banff plans easily
- Distillery tour gives real context to the craft
- Custom label adds personal, non-generic souvenir feel
- Botanicals guided without being restrictively prescriptive
- Not suitable for pregnant travellers — alcohol involved
- Gratuities not included — catches some folk off guard
- Small children need active supervision in the space
Themes summarised by our team from public information about this tour. Verify specifics on the operator's page before booking.
Good to know
This works brilliantly if you like getting hands-on and want a souvenir that's actually drinkable rather than a fridge magnet. Gin nerds and casual drinkers both get something out of it. The tasting beforehand genuinely informs your choices rather than feeling like decoration. The whole experience is tucked into one hour, so it slots neatly into a Banff itinerary.
It's alcohol-focused, so pregnant travellers aren't advised (noted on their side too). The space is indoors, so weather doesn't affect it, but Banff's winters are cold getting to and from the venue. You're dealing with glass bottles and open flames potentially nearby — small kids in prams are fine, but chaotic toddlers might need supervising. Tipping isn't included in the price, which catches some people off guard. Public transport is nearby if you're not driving, which is helpful in a car-dependent town.
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.