2 hour Gin School Experience in Aberdeen

The best part of this Aberdeen experience is that you do not simply taste gin, you make a full-sized bottle of your own. The Head Distiller explains the base spirit and botanicals, then helps you build a recipe from more than 100 choices before you distil it in a small copper alembic still.

I like the generous tasting menu, which includes a double G&T, gin samples, another G&T made to your preference, and a berry prosecco cocktail. I also like the hands-on work: choosing botanicals, deciding the strength, and naming and labeling your bottle gives the afternoon a personal finish.

The main consideration is the price, $192.23 per person. That is a serious spend for two and a half hours, so I would book it for a birthday, special occasion, or a gin enthusiast rather than as a casual stop between sightseeing plans.

Key points

• Choose from more than 100 botanicals and create a recipe that suits your taste.
• Use a copper alembic mini-still while the Head Distiller explains the process.
• Taste Aberdeen Gins and learn how each one gets its character from its ingredients and method.
• Enjoy several drinks, beginning with a double G&T and ending with a surprise berry prosecco cocktail.
• Take home a 70cl bottle with your chosen strength, bottle, cap, label, and name.
• Plan for about two and a half hours at Arch 10 Palmerston Road, with a maximum group size of 20.

A hands-on gin class at Aberdeen Distillery

I like experiences that let you understand a local product by making it yourself. This class does that neatly. You are not just shown a bottle and told a few facts about it. You build a recipe, watch it become gin, and leave with a bottle you helped create.

The setting is City of Aberdeen Distillery at Arch 10 Palmerston Road, Aberdeen AB11 5RE. The experience begins at 2:00 pm and ends back at the same meeting point. It is offered in English, and a mobile ticket is accepted.

The session lasts about two hours and 30 minutes, despite the shorter two-hour name often used for the experience. I would keep the rest of your afternoon fairly open. The tasting element means this is not an activity to squeeze between two tightly timed attractions.

The class can include up to 20 people. That is large enough to give the session a social feel, but small enough for the Head Distiller to guide you through the recipe choices. Your exact amount of personal help may depend on the group, but the format is built around direct assistance as you select ingredients and quantities.

Starting with a double G&T

Your first drink is a double G&T. This is a generous welcome, and it sets the tone for the class quickly. You are introduced to gin as something to taste carefully, not merely something to pour into a glass with tonic.

The opening also connects the drink to Aberdeen’s distilling heritage and to the origins of gin. I find this useful because it gives the later tasting a reason and structure. You begin to think about what is in the glass, how the base spirit carries flavor, and how botanicals change the final drink.

The double serving deserves a practical warning. You will be drinking throughout the class, so pace yourself and treat the tasting as a lesson rather than a race. The menu includes several alcoholic drinks, and the value of the experience partly depends on being able to pay attention to the differences between them.

Learning the base spirit and botanicals

After the welcome drink, the Head Distiller introduces the base gin botanicals and the premium organic alcohol used in the process. This is where the class moves beyond a standard tasting. You get the building blocks before you start making choices.

The botanical section is the heart of the experience. More than 100 botanicals are available, giving you plenty of directions to explore. You might prefer a recipe that leans toward familiar juniper character, or you might choose ingredients that produce a more unusual balance. The supplied details do not promise a particular list of botanicals, so I would arrive ready to ask questions rather than expecting every ingredient to be familiar.

You also learn how quantities affect the recipe. That matters. Selecting a handful of attractive ingredients is easy. Knowing how much of each to use is harder, and this is where the Head Distiller’s help becomes valuable. The class gives you creative control without leaving you alone with a table full of choices.

I especially like the way this part helps you develop your nose. A good gin tasting is not only about deciding which drink you prefer. It is about noticing scent, identifying the difference between samples, and learning how aroma affects what you taste.

Building your own recipe with a copper still

Once you have chosen your botanicals, you distil your gin using a copper alembic mini-still. That is the point where the experience becomes genuinely hands-on. You are not simply blending a pre-made spirit into a bottle. You are taking part in the distilling process.

The mini-still also makes the equipment approachable. Industrial distilling can seem remote and technical, but a small copper still gives you a clear sense of the basic idea. You select the ingredients, combine them under guidance, and wait for the spirit to develop.

The process takes time, which is why the tasting is built into the middle of the session. Your gin is not the only thing demanding attention. While it distils, you get to sample Aberdeen’s own range and learn what makes each gin different.

You should keep one expectation in check: this is a guided introduction, not a professional distiller’s qualification. You will make a personal bottle and gain a better understanding of botanicals and gin production, but the Head Distiller remains responsible for helping the class move through the process safely and sensibly.

Tasting the Aberdeen Gin range

While your gin is distilling, you taste samples from the range of Aberdeen Gins. Each sample comes with an explanation of its background and ingredients, along with information about how it is authentically distilled in Aberdeen.

This section gives the class its strongest educational value. You can compare the gins side by side instead of judging one drink in isolation. As you taste, you start to see that gin is not a single flavor. The choice of botanicals and the way the spirit is distilled can give each bottle a different identity.

The tasting is described as generous, and the menu supports that. You receive several gin samples, not just one token sip. For someone already interested in gin, this may be the most useful part of the afternoon because it gives you a reference point for your own recipe.

The Head Distiller also helps you develop your nose. I would pay attention to the smell before taking a sip, then note which ingredients you can recognize and which ones change once they meet tonic. You do not need expert vocabulary. A simple sense of what you like is enough to make better choices for your own bottle.

Choosing a G&T to match your taste

After the samples, you receive a G&T made to order from the Aberdeen range. You can choose the sample you preferred, or the one you found most interesting, and see how it works as a longer drink.

This is a smart part of the format. A neat sample can taste very different once tonic is added. The extra G&T lets you test how the gin behaves in a familiar serving style and gives you another chance to compare the house range.

It also helps if you are still unsure what kind of gin you prefer. You may find that the most aromatic sample is not the one you want in a G&T, or that a gin you first overlooked works better with tonic. That information can guide the choices for your own bottle.

Because the drink is made to your preference from the range, this is more personal than a fixed tasting flight. Still, the experience is not designed for people avoiding alcohol. The double welcome drink, samples, selected G&T, and final cocktail add up.

Finishing your custom 70cl bottle

At the end of the distilling process, you decide the strength of your gin. You also choose the bottle, cap, and label, then give the gin a name. That final naming step may sound small, but it turns a technical class into a keepsake.

You take home a full-sized 70cl bottle, not a tiny souvenir sample. This improves the value for anyone buying the experience as a birthday treat or special occasion. You get an afternoon activity, a tasting, and a physical reminder that is large enough to share or save.

The custom label also makes this a good choice for couples, friends, or family members who enjoy playful competition. You can compare recipes and names without needing to agree on a single style of gin. The class gives each person room to make a separate choice.

I would not assume your bottle will match the polish or exact flavor profile of a commercial gin. Its appeal is that it is yours, made from the decisions you took during the session. The point is personal character, not factory consistency.

The surprise berry prosecco cocktail

The class finishes with a berry prosecco cocktail to celebrate becoming a distiller. It is a lighter, more festive ending after the gin-focused tasting and gives the session a clear final moment.

The supplied menu identifies the cocktail as berry prosecco, but it does not provide a full recipe. You should treat it as a closing drink rather than a separate cocktail lesson. If your main interest is mixology, the gin-making and tasting sections are more important.

For a celebration, though, this finish works well. The experience begins with a double G&T and ends with something different, so the drinks do not all blur into one long run of similar samples.

Is $192.23 good value?

At $192.23 per person, this is expensive compared with a simple distillery tasting. The price makes more sense when you count the whole package: roughly two and a half hours, instruction from the Head Distiller, a broad botanical selection, a personal distilling session, several tastings, multiple prepared drinks, and a 70cl bottle to take home.

I would compare it with the cost of a special meal or a premium event rather than with the price of a single G&T. If you mainly want to taste Aberdeen gin, a shorter tasting would likely be better value if one is available. If you want to make a bottle and understand how it comes together, this class offers much more.

The experience has particular value for a birthday or special occasion. The bottle gives the person of honor something tangible, while the tasting and cocktail keep the event social. It also suits someone who already buys craft gin and wants to understand the choices behind the label.

For a budget-conscious visitor, the price remains the biggest barrier. I would book only if the hands-on element and take-home bottle matter to you. The drinks alone do not justify the cost for everyone.

Who should book this Aberdeen experience?

I would recommend it to gin fans, couples, small groups of friends, and anyone looking for an unusual celebration in Aberdeen. It works especially well for someone who enjoys making choices and comparing flavors rather than sitting through a passive talk.

It also suits curious beginners. You do not need to know how to distil gin before you arrive. The class begins with the basics, and the Head Distiller helps with botanicals and quantities.

I would be more cautious about booking it for children, people who do not drink alcohol, or anyone who dislikes tasting several drinks over one session. The experience is built around alcohol from the opening double G&T through the samples and final cocktail.

The maximum group size is 20, so this is not a private one-to-one lesson. If you prefer a quiet, highly personal session, ask about the group arrangement before booking. If you enjoy a shared class with enough people to make the tasting lively, the stated limit is reasonable.

The meeting point is near public transportation, which is useful in Aberdeen. Service animals are allowed. Confirmation arrives at booking, and the mobile ticket keeps arrival simple.

Timing, weather, and cancellation advice

You start at 2:00 pm at Arch 10 Palmerston Road and finish at the same place. The activity is listed as requiring good weather, and poor weather can lead to a new date or a full refund. It also requires a minimum number of people, so a cancellation for that reason can result in a different date or experience, or a full refund.

You can cancel for a full refund up to 24 hours before the start time. Changes or cancellations made less than 24 hours before the local start time are not accepted and are not refunded.

I would avoid booking this on the last day of a tightly scheduled trip. Give yourself room for a change of date if conditions or minimum numbers affect the session. The afternoon start also makes it easy to plan a morning of sightseeing, but remember that the drinks continue through the class.

Should you book the Aberdeen Gin School?

I would book this if you want more than a tasting. The 100-plus botanicals, copper mini-still, custom recipe, and full-sized labeled bottle give the experience a clear purpose. You leave with a better sense of how gin is built, not just a pleasant afternoon of drinks.

I would skip it if $192.23 feels too high for a distillery visit or if you are not interested in alcohol. For everyone else, especially a gin enthusiast celebrating a birthday or special occasion, this is a well-shaped experience with plenty to do and taste. Pace yourself, ask questions about the botanicals, and save room for the final cocktail.

FAQ

Where does the gin school experience take place?

It takes place at City of Aberdeen Distillery, Arch 10 Palmerston Road, Aberdeen AB11 5RE, UK.

What time does the experience start?

The experience starts at 2:00 pm.

How long does the gin class last?

It lasts approximately two hours and 30 minutes.

What language is the experience offered in?

The experience is offered in English.

How many people can join the class?

The maximum group size is 20 people.

What drinks are included?

The menu includes a double G&T on arrival, a G&T while learning about botanicals, samples from the Aberdeen Gin range, a G&T of your choice from that range, and a berry prosecco cocktail.

Do I take home the gin I make?

Yes. You take home a full-sized 70cl bottle, with your chosen strength, bottle, cap, label, and name.

Can I cancel for a full refund?

Yes. You can cancel at least 24 hours before the experience starts for a full refund. Cancellations or changes made less than 24 hours before the start time are not accepted.

What happens if the experience is canceled?

If poor weather causes a cancellation, you are offered a different date or a full refund. If the minimum number of people is not met, you are offered a different date or experience, or a full refund.