2 hour Gin School Experience in Aberdeen

The best part of this Aberdeen experience is that you do not just hear how gin is made. You make a full-sized bottle yourself, choosing botanicals from a selection of more than 100 and distilling the result in a small copper alembic still. The session takes about two and a half hours, not merely a quick tasting.

I like the generous tasting line-up, which includes a welcome double G&T, gin samples, another G&T, and a berry prosecco cocktail. I also like the chance to build your gin with help from the head distiller, rather than following one fixed recipe. The main drawback is the price, $192.23 per person, so this makes most sense as a special occasion rather than a casual drink.

Key points to know

• Your bottle is genuinely personal: Choose botanicals, strength, bottle details, cap, label, and a name for your 70cl gin.
• More than 100 botanicals are available: The head distiller helps you balance your choices instead of leaving you to guess.
• The tasting is generous: Expect a double G&T, gin samples, a made-to-order G&T, and a berry prosecco cocktail.
• You learn by making: The session covers gin origins, Aberdeen’s distilling heritage, base botanicals, and premium organic alcohol.
• The group can reach 20 people: This keeps the experience social, though it may feel less personal at full capacity.
• Plan for about two and a half hours: It starts at 2 p.m. at Arch 10 on Palmerston Road and finishes back there.

Making Gin at Aberdeen’s Palmerston Road Distillery

City of Aberdeen Distillery sits at Arch 10, Palmerston Road, Aberdeen AB11 5RE. The activity begins at 2 p.m. and ends at the same location, which keeps the plan simple if you are fitting it around other time in the city.

This is a hands-on class led by the head distiller. You receive an introduction to the craft, learn what goes into a base gin, and then make choices that shape your own bottle. The class is offered in English, with a maximum group size of 20.

That group limit matters. A small class would give you more time for questions and one-to-one help, while a full class will feel more like a lively social event. If you are booking for a birthday, reunion, or other celebration, the shared format can be part of the fun. If you want quiet technical instruction, ask yourself how comfortable you are learning in a group.

The experience is mobile-ticketed and close to public transportation. Service animals are allowed. No special equipment is listed for participants, so the main thing to bring is an interest in tasting and experimenting.

A Double G&T Sets the Tone

The class opens with a double gin and tonic. That is a strong welcome drink, and you should pace yourself from the start because more tasting follows.

This first drink is not just a warm-up. It gives you an early sense of how gin works in a mixed drink, where tonic can soften or sharpen the spirit and bring out different botanical notes. Since the class later includes several G&Ts, taking small sips and keeping track of what you like will help when it is time to make decisions about your own recipe.

You also begin learning about Aberdeen’s distilling heritage and the origins of gin. That context gives the practical work some meaning. Instead of simply selecting pleasant-smelling ingredients, you start to see how gin developed as a spirit built around botanical flavor.

The welcome drink is also one reason the price needs careful thought. You are paying for instruction and a take-home bottle, but the session includes a substantial amount to taste along the way. If you do not drink alcohol, or if you prefer a very light tasting, some of the package will be less useful to you.

Learning the Base Before Choosing Botanicals

The head distiller introduces the base gin botanicals and the premium organic alcohol used in the process. This is an important stage because it explains what your chosen ingredients are working with.

Gin is often reduced to a list of familiar flavors, such as juniper, citrus, spice, or herbs. A good class shows that the balance matters just as much as the ingredients. Too much of one botanical can cover the others. A recipe that sounds exciting on paper may not taste as good once distilled.

You then receive a short introduction to the available botanicals. With more than 100 to choose from, this could easily become confusing without guidance. The head distiller is there to help you select ingredients and quantities, which turns the large selection into a creative exercise rather than a guessing game.

I recommend choosing with a clear idea of the kind of gin you enjoy. Think about whether you prefer a bright citrus profile, a more herbal taste, warming spice, or a traditional juniper-led style. You do not need to know the technical language. The useful part is smelling and comparing the options, then asking how they may behave together.

The practical value here is high. You are not simply being handed a bottle made elsewhere. You are making choices, and the explanations help you understand why those choices matter.

Your Own Recipe in a Copper Mini-Still

Once you have selected your botanicals, you distil your gin in a beautiful copper alembic mini-still. This is the point where the class moves from demonstration to participation.

The mini-still gives you a clear picture of the process without asking you to operate a full commercial distillery. You can see that gin-making is not just a matter of mixing alcohol with flavorings. The botanical selection, quantities, and distillation all affect the final result.

The head distiller remains available while you work. That help is especially useful for first-time makers, since the choice of more than 100 botanicals may otherwise feel like too much freedom. You can ask for advice, but the final recipe remains yours.

This is also where the activity earns its special-occasion appeal. A normal distillery visit may give you a sample or a bottle from the house range. Here, you create something connected to the day, then take it home in full size.

The supplied description calls the session two hours, while the estimated duration is about two hours and 30 minutes. I would keep the longer figure in mind when planning lunch, dinner, transport, or another booking. The distillation wait and tasting are part of the overall experience, so you should not treat the 2 p.m. start as a short appointment.

Tasting Aberdeen’s Gin Range While You Wait

While your gin distils, you taste samples from Aberdeen Gins. Each sample comes with an explanation of its background and ingredients, along with a look at how the different products are made in Aberdeen.

This is one of the strongest parts of the session for anyone who wants to train their palate. A generous tasting gives you a chance to compare styles rather than judging one gin in isolation. The supplied feedback highlights the educational side of this, especially the chance to develop your nose while tasting.

Pay attention to aroma before you drink. Smell the sample, take a small sip, and notice what arrives first and what stays behind. You might find that an ingredient you enjoy on its own works differently in a finished gin. That is useful information when you are choosing the contents of your own bottle.

The range tasting also connects your experiment with the distillery’s established recipes. You can see how different ingredients produce different gins, and you get a better sense of the style Aberdeen Distillery is aiming for.

The class then includes a G&T made to order from the Aberdeen range. You choose the sample you prefer, and it is served in the way you want it. This is a welcome change from a fixed tasting sequence because it lets you focus on the style that suits your palate.

The drinks are a major part of the value, but they also create the chief practical concern. You receive alcohol at several points: the double G&T on arrival, a G&T during the botanical lesson, gin samples, another G&T, and a final cocktail. Eat beforehand or make sure you have a sensible plan for getting back to your accommodation.

Naming, Labelling, and Taking Home Your 70cl Bottle

At the end, you decide the strength of your gin and select the bottle, cap, and label. You also need to give the gin a name.

That final stage turns the bottle into a souvenir with a personal story. The label is not just packaging. It records the recipe you created and the occasion that brought you to the school. For a birthday or anniversary, the naming step can be a funny group activity, although you may want to think of a name before the last drink arrives.

The full-sized 70cl bottle is an important part of the price calculation. You are not leaving with a tiny sample that disappears in one evening. You receive a bottle you can share, keep for a later occasion, or use to remember the class.

Still, the final product may not match your ideal gin perfectly. You are learning, and experimentation includes the possibility of an unusual result. That is not a flaw in the experience, but you should book this because you enjoy the process, not because you expect to produce a flawless commercial spirit on your first attempt.

The chance to set the strength adds another personal choice. It also means the bottle can reflect how you prefer to drink gin. The class gives you more ownership than a standard tasting, where all decisions have already been made.

A Berry Prosecco Cocktail to Finish

The session ends with a surprise berry prosecco cocktail. It is a celebratory finish after the serious business of choosing botanicals and completing your bottle.

This final drink makes the class feel suited to birthdays and special occasions. The format moves from learning, to tasting, to making, then to a small celebration. You leave with something tangible and a clear ending rather than simply walking away after the last sample.

The cocktail also adds variety. Most of the session focuses on gin and tonic, so a berry and prosecco drink gives your palate a different direction. As with the rest of the tasting, pace yourself. The final drink is part of the experience, not a reason to rush through everything before it.

Is $192.23 Good Value?

At $192.23 per person, this is expensive for a two-hour class if you measure it against a simple distillery tour or an ordinary gin tasting. It becomes easier to justify when you count the instruction, the large tasting menu, the personal distillation, and the full 70cl bottle.

I see the value in four parts:

• You receive direct help from the head distiller.
• You choose from more than 100 botanicals.
• You taste several Aberdeen gins and multiple serves.
• You take home a full-sized, named, labelled bottle.

For a birthday group, the price may be reasonable because the activity fills much of an afternoon and gives everyone something to discuss and remember. For a casual solo drinker, the cost is harder to defend unless the hands-on making matters more to you than the price of the alcohol itself.

The strongest value is for someone who wants to understand gin by making it. If all you want is to sample local spirits, a less expensive tasting would probably suit you better. If you want a personal bottle and an afternoon built around the craft, this offers more.

The experience is typically booked 53 days ahead, which suggests you should plan early, especially if your date is tied to a celebration. Confirmation arrives at booking, and free cancellation is available until 24 hours before the start time. Changes or cancellations inside that window are not accepted for a refund.

The activity requires good weather and a minimum number of participants. If poor weather or an insufficient group causes cancellation, you are offered another date or experience, or a full refund. That policy is worth noting even though much of the class takes place indoors.

Who Will Enjoy This Gin School Most?

I would recommend this to adults who enjoy tasting, making things, and learning the reason behind a drink. It is particularly well suited to a birthday, special occasion, or small celebration where the take-home bottle becomes part of the event.

It also works for a gin enthusiast who already knows a few favorite styles and wants to test new combinations. The tasting sequence gives you a chance to compare your preferences with Aberdeen’s established range before finalizing your own recipe.

You should think twice if you dislike group activities or prefer a quiet, short visit. With up to 20 people and several rounds of drinks, this is a social class rather than a private consultation. You should also consider the alcohol level across the afternoon and plan accordingly.

The experience is offered in English, so it suits anyone comfortable following an English-language lesson. It is near public transportation, and service animals are allowed, which helps with basic planning. Other accessibility details are not provided, so contact the provider if you need information beyond that.

Should You Book the Aberdeen Gin School?

Book it if you want more than a tasting and like the idea of leaving Aberdeen with a bottle you designed yourself. The personal recipe, full-sized bottle, and generous tasting are the reasons this class earns its premium price.

I would choose it for a birthday afternoon or a gin-loving couple who enjoy trying unusual flavors. I would skip it if you only want one drink, need a low-cost activity, or are uncomfortable with a group of up to 20 people.

For the best experience, arrive ready to smell, compare, and ask questions. Keep your botanical choices balanced, pace the drinks, and leave enough time after the 2 p.m. start. If you do that, this is a practical and playful way to learn Aberdeen gin from the still outward.

FAQ

Where does the gin school experience take place?

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

What time does the experience start?

The listed start time is 2 p.m.

How long does the experience last?

The experience lasts approximately two hours and 30 minutes, although it is also described as a two-hour experience.

What is included when I arrive?

You receive a double G&T on arrival.

How many botanicals can I choose from?

You can choose from more than 100 botanicals.

Do I make my own bottle of gin?

Yes. You select the botanicals and quantities, distil the gin in a copper alembic mini-still, then choose the strength, bottle, cap, label, and name.

What size bottle do I take home?

You take home a full-sized 70cl bottle of your own gin.

How large can the group be?

The activity has a maximum of 20 participants.

Can I cancel for a full refund?

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