City of Aberdeen Distillery: Gin School Experience

The best part of the City of Aberdeen Distillery Gin School is that you do not simply watch a distiller work. You make the decisions yourself, from the botanicals to the final name on your bottle. Alan and Dan guide you through the process without taking over, so even a gin newcomer can leave with a clear idea of how flavours fit together.

I like the generous tasting element, especially the chance to try several Aberdeen gins neat before adding mixers. I also like the setting: this working distillery sits beneath a railway arch, with trains rumbling overhead as you taste and distil. The main consideration is the price, $190 per person. That is a serious spend for two hours, though it includes a 70cl bottle, drinks throughout, and a hands-on class.

Key points to know

• You create a full 70cl bottle: Your gin follows your own recipe and comes home with you.
• Alan and Dan lead the class: Expect practical help, flavour advice, local distilling stories, and a friendly pace.
• More than 100 botanicals are available: Macedonian juniper forms the base, with fresh citrus and spices among the choices.
• The drinks are part of the experience: You receive a double G&T, gin samples, mixers, Prosecco, and a berry cocktail.
• The railway arch adds character: Enter through Arch #10 and expect the sound of trains overhead.
• Seats and wheelchair access are available: The distillery is on one level, with an adapted gin-making bench and wheelchair WC.

Entering Arch #10 in Aberdeen

Your first practical task is finding the doorway. The distillery is in railway Arch #10, clearly marked above the entrance. That setting gives the class a real sense of place. You are not in a generic tasting room designed to look old. You are in a working distillery built into part of Aberdeen’s railway infrastructure, and the passing trains become part of the soundtrack.

The class lasts two hours, so arrive ready to get involved from the start. A double G&T is served on arrival, which quickly sets the tone. Alcohol is present throughout the session, so this is best treated as a tasting class rather than a quick workshop followed by a single drink.

Alan and Dan lead the experience. They begin by getting a feel for your taste in gin and other spirits, then use that information to help you make sensible choices. This matters because a table covered with more than 100 botanicals can sound exciting at first, but it can also be a little overwhelming. Their role is to help you turn a broad choice into a recipe that works.

Learning the base: juniper, alcohol, and balance

Gin begins with a clear alcohol base, but the defining ingredient is juniper. Here, you use premium organic alcohol and Macedonian juniper as the foundation for a traditional gin recipe. The juniper brings the familiar pine-like character that tells your palate this is gin rather than a flavoured spirit.

The useful lesson is balance. A botanical may smell wonderful on its own yet become too strong when combined with citrus, spice, or fruit. You get a chance to consider how each ingredient may affect the final drink, rather than simply throwing in every flavour you enjoy.

This is where Alan’s and Dan’s advice is particularly valuable. They help you think about the recipe as a whole. You may prefer a bright citrus style, a warmer spirit with Asian spices, or something that leans toward fruit. The class gives you room to make the creative choice, but you are not left to guess blindly.

You also learn enough about the method to try making gin at home. That does not mean you leave as a professional distiller. It does mean you gain a working sense of how botanicals shape aroma and taste, and why the base spirit and juniper need to stay in proportion.

Choosing from more than 100 botanicals

The botanical selection is the creative center of the class. You can choose from more than 100 ingredients, including fresh citrus. Oranges can add a sunny note, while Asian spices can bring warmth. The exact combination is up to you, and that personal choice gives the finished bottle its appeal.

I recommend thinking about the drinks you already enjoy before you arrive. Do you usually prefer a crisp G&T, a fruit-led gin, or a spirit with spice? That simple starting point makes it easier to narrow the options. You can still experiment, but you will have a direction.

The class also gives you a chance to smell and compare ingredients before committing to your recipe. That sensory step is important. Gin is not just about flavour on the tongue. Aroma does much of the work, and a strong perfume can make it harder to appreciate the botanicals. For this reason, avoid wearing strong fragrance to the distillery.

There is no promise that every experimental combination will be perfect. That is part of the fun, but it is also why the guides matter. If you want complete control and no advice, this may feel less independent than a do-it-yourself kit. If you want to create something personal while having an experienced hand nearby, the format works well.

Tasting Aberdeen Gin before making your own

Before finalising your recipe, you sample gins from the Aberdeen range. The tasting includes London Dry and fruit gins, giving you a useful comparison between a classic juniper-led style and sweeter or more fruit-focused profiles.

The gins are tasted neat first, which lets you pick out their basic character. Mixers then show how the same spirit changes in a glass. This is one of the strongest parts of the experience because it turns abstract flavour talk into something you can understand immediately.

You are also given different mixers for the gins. That helps you work out what sort of tonic or serve might suit your own recipe later. The class is not simply a sequence of drinks. It uses the tastings to help you make decisions about your bottle.

The amount of alcohol served deserves attention. You receive a double G&T at the start, samples throughout, and additional drinks such as Prosecco and a berry cocktail. Non-alcoholic choices, including water and soft drinks, are available. You can also use the seats provided during standing portions of the class. Pace yourself, especially if you have plans afterward.

Distilling your 70cl bottle

The main event is the distillation of your own 70cl bottle of Scottish gin. You use the recipe you have developed, with the chosen botanicals shaping the final character. The process gives you a clear connection between the decisions made at the workbench and the bottle you take home.

This is more satisfying than buying a bottle from a shelf because the spirit has a story attached to it. You selected the direction, worked through the flavour choices, and watched the recipe become a finished product. The bottle is also practical: it is a ready-made gift or a souvenir you can open later and use to remember Aberdeen.

You are not just handed a bottle at the end. You get to name your gin. That small step adds a playful finish to the class and gives you a chance to match the label to the personality of your recipe. A citrus-heavy gin may call for a bright name, while a spice-led version may inspire something more dramatic.

The bottle is the key reason the $190 price can make sense for the right person. You are paying for instruction, tastings, drinks, the hands-on distilling session, and a full 70cl bottle. It is still expensive compared with a standard distillery tour or tasting, so I would choose it for the activity itself rather than treating the bottle as the only value.

Aberdeen’s forgotten distilling story

The class includes local context about distilling in Aberdeen and the city’s long-lost distilleries. This gives the workshop more depth than a purely technical lesson. You learn how gin fits into the city’s past, then see how a modern small-batch distillery is carrying that spirit forward.

The history is delivered alongside the practical work, so it should not feel like a lecture that interrupts the class. The guides connect the city’s distilling past with what happens inside the railway arch today. That combination is useful if you want an activity tied to Aberdeen rather than an interchangeable gin school that could be anywhere.

The railway setting helps reinforce that local connection. Trains passing above the arch are a reminder that the distillery occupies a real part of the city, not a staged country estate or a polished hotel bar. You may find the noise adds atmosphere, although anyone seeking a quiet tasting room should know that the setting is active.

The final cocktail and small souvenirs

After you have bottled and named your gin, the session ends with a surprise cocktail. The supplied drinks also include Prosecco and a berry cocktail, so the finish feels more like a celebration than a formal examination of your work.

You receive a few small souvenirs as well: drink mats, a distillery-branded pen, and a postcard. These are modest items, but they help round out the experience and give you something other than the bottle to pack away.

The distillery’s wider gin selection is worth a look after the class. If you are searching for gifts, you can consider bottles from the Aberdeen range in addition to the gin you made yourself. The class gives you a good basis for choosing because you have tasted several styles and learned how they differ.

Who will enjoy this gin school?

I would recommend the class to couples, friends, and anyone who wants an activity with a strong social element. It works particularly well as a birthday gift or a Saturday afternoon plan. You do not need prior gin knowledge. The structure takes you from basic flavours to a finished recipe, and the guides offer plenty of help along the way.

It is also a good choice for someone who likes making things. The strongest part is not simply drinking local gin. It is deciding what goes into your own bottle and seeing the result take shape.

You should think twice if you dislike alcohol tastings, strong botanical aromas, or hands-on workshops. The class includes standing sections, although seats are available throughout. Strong perfume should be avoided, both for your own benefit and so that everyone can smell the gin properly.

The experience is wheelchair accessible. The distillery is on one level, with a dropped curb nearby and a wheelchair WC. The gin-making bench was designed to accommodate wheelchairs and mobility scooters, but places for this arrangement are limited. Contact the distillery ahead of time to discuss specific needs and check availability.

Guide dogs are permitted, but other pets are not. Bring a passport or ID card, as identification is required.

Is $190 a fair price?

At $190 per person, this is not a bargain class. You could spend much less on a standard gin tasting, and the two-hour length may seem short when compared with the cost. The price needs to be judged against the full package.

You receive a double G&T on arrival, several gin samples, mixers, alcoholic drinks during the class, Prosecco, a berry cocktail, and your own 70cl bottle. You also get instruction from Alan and Dan, access to a large range of botanicals, and a lesson you can use when making gin at home.

For me, the value is strongest when you want a personal souvenir and a guided activity, not simply a drink. Two people booking together will spend $380 before any extra purchases, so this is best saved for a special occasion. The class is also more appealing if you would otherwise buy a premium Aberdeen gin as a gift, since your bottle becomes part of the experience.

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start and the option to reserve now and pay later make planning less risky. The class is conducted in English, and you should check available start times before booking.

Should you book the City of Aberdeen Gin School?

Book it if you want to leave Aberdeen with more than a photograph and a shop-bought bottle. You will taste local gin, learn how botanicals work, make a recipe with help from Alan and Dan, and take home a 70cl bottle that carries your own name and choices.

I would especially recommend it for gin fans who enjoy comparing styles, couples looking for a shared activity, and gift buyers who want something more personal than a standard distillery tour. I would skip it if $190 feels too high for a two-hour session or if you would rather have a quiet, alcohol-light cultural visit.

For the right person, the appeal is simple: you get to become Aberdeen’s distiller for an afternoon, with a railway arch overhead, a glass in hand, and a bottle of your own recipe at the end.

FAQ

How long does the Gin School Experience last?

The experience lasts two hours.

How much does the experience cost?

The listed price is $190 per person.

Where do I meet the group?

Enter the railway arch at Arch #10. The arch number is marked above the doorway.

Who teaches the gin-making class?

Alan and Dan guide the experience, with the Head Distiller providing help with the gin-making process.

What do I take home?

You take home one 70cl bottle of Scottish gin made to your own recipe.

Can I choose the flavours in my gin?

Yes. You can choose from more than 100 botanicals, including fresh citrus, spices, and other ingredients, while Macedonian juniper forms the base of the traditional recipe.

Are drinks included?

Yes. The experience includes a double G&T on arrival, samples of Aberdeen Gin, alcoholic drinks throughout, Prosecco, and a berry cocktail. Water and soft drinks are available as non-alcoholic options.

Is the distillery wheelchair accessible?

Yes. The distillery is on one level, has a nearby dropped curb, and provides a wheelchair WC. The gin-making bench can accommodate wheelchairs and mobility scooters, but places are limited, so contact the distillery in advance.

Can I bring a pet?

Pets are not permitted inside the distillery, except for guide dogs.

What should I bring and wear?

Bring a passport or ID card. Avoid strong fragrances because they can interfere with your ability, and other people’s ability, to smell the gin and botanicals.