Read on to discover the best spots to enjoy gin in Edinburgh and learn about local distilleries on your next adventure.
My daughter lives in Edinburgh, Scotland, a beautiful place to visit. I’ve been there three times, eating haggis, taking a literary tour, walking the Royal Mile, and having high tea. But there was so much more to see and do! On my most recent trip, I organized a gin tour with three top gin distilleries in Edinburgh to learn more about my favorite cocktail—Gin and 7up. But first, here’s an Edinburgh gin-making primer and the top places to sip gin in Edinburgh.
Edinburgh is an ideal place for exploring and tasting gin. Photo by TomasSereda via iStock by Getty Images
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Making Gin in Edinburgh
To make gin, grain, yeast, and water are combined to create a mash. The mash is fermented, forming ethanol, which is strained and distilled. Juniper berries and other botanicals—such as coriander seeds, angelica root, citrus peel, and orris root—are added, and the liquid is redistilled.
Different Styles of Gin in Edinburgh
Juniper berries, a key ingredient in gin, have a pine-like flavor and aroma. There are four basic styles of gin you’ll find in Edinburgh:
- London Dry Gin is juniper-forward, dry, and crisp
- Plymouth Gin is slightly sweeter and earthy
- Old Tom Gin is more aromatic
- Contemporary gins emphasize botanicals other than juniper, creating a more diverse flavor
Gin is having a renaissance, and Gin Tonic is one of the most popular drinks in the world.
A classic Gin Tonic cocktail. Photo by Mizina via iStock by Getty Images
Distilleries in Edinburgh
I visited three distilleries during my time in Edinburgh, each a bit different and showcasing the art of gin making.
South Loch Distillery
56 North is an Edinburgh bar with over 400 types of gin and a distillery that makes South Loch Gin. Owner James Sutherland hands me a Gin Tonic as I go downstairs to the tasting room.
South Loch Distillery Owner James Sutherland. Photo by Joe Manner
The drink smells like pine and citrus, tastes lemony, and goes down easily.
Gin Tonics at 56 North Gin Bar in Edinburgh. Photo by Merle Rosenstein
I place my glass on the table and take in the ‘wet leather’ smell of tiny brown juniper berries. Sutherland tells us to rub and crush a clump of coriander seeds. The aroma is citrusy, with hints of spice. As Sutherland says, “Gin is Vodka, a clear, grain-based spirit, flavored with juniper.”
South Loch Gin Stills at 56 North. Photo by Merle Rosenstein
I sampled three great gins in addition to the Gin Tonic. My favorite was the Rhubarb New Tom, a juniper-led Old Tom that tasted like fresh rhubarb and citrus. I also loved the Black Raspberry Old Tom, a juniper-led Old Tom with a big hit of fresh raspberries. It is perfect for a fruity gin and tonic or mixing in contemporary cocktails.
Holyrood Distillery
Isla Gale, Brand Home Operations Manager for Holyrood Distillery, shows me around the Edinburgh distillery. “We take a unique approach to making our gin. We are whisky makers here at Holyrood, but we love learning, experimenting, and getting creative,” she says.
Holyrood Distillery. Photo courtesy of Joe Manner
In whisky-making, Holyrood distillery limits itself to three ingredients. The gin is also made of three ingredients—juniper, sea salt, and beeswax. “By limiting our ingredients, we have set ourselves the challenge of creating flavor solely by manipulating these ingredients, and by doing this, it’s opened up limitless options of combinations, experiments, and flavors,” Gale says. “Sometimes juniper can get lost with all the other botanicals.”
The staff at Holyrood Distillery in Edinburgh. Photo by Merle Rosenstein
The gin is named Height of Arrows after Arthur’s Seat, a large hill in Holyrood Park at the end of the Royal Mile. Arthur’s Seat is where archers came to practice their craft, thus the arrow on the bottle. I tried three great gins:
- The Height of Arrows Classic is a London Dry-style with a lovely smooth citrusy-pine taste and goes down nicely, even without tonic. The sea salt is from the Isle of Skye.
- Height of Arrows Bright has over three times the amount of juniper as the Height of Arrows Classic. The resulting spirit is then diluted with water to open up the flavors. This gin is powerful and complex, perfect for mixing, as it does not lose flavor. The gin is at a higher alcohol by volume (ABV), giving it a bit of a kick. It comes right through the tonic perfectly.
- For Height of Arrows Funk, juniper has been fermented in big buckets with water, sea salt, and lemon juice to create a lemonade substitute. The resulting gin is full of lemon and pine notes, and the sea salt adds depth.
Holyrood Distillery yeast. Photo by Merle Rosenstein
Secret Garden Distillery
My daughter Jillian and I took the bus to the Pentlands, a range of hills just southwest of Edinburgh, to visit the Secret Garden Distillery. The business is run by two sisters, Imogen and Isobel Armstrong. In 2022, they took over an herb nursery to focus on gin production. Secret Garden Distillery gins have a juniper, coriander, winter savory, and angelica root base.
Hannah Sloan, Junior Marketing Manager, took us around the property. What’s unique about this distillery is the massive garden with 600 varieties of herbs, plants, and flowers, some of which are used to flavor and color the gins. The Secret Garden Distillery prides itself on being a seed-to-sip operation.
Hannah Sloan with Secret Garden Distillery. Photo by Merle Rosenstein
A grass path takes us to hot pink blooms interspersed among small bushes with greenish-yellow leaves. “We have dedicated an entire part of our garden to this rose,” says Sloan.
The apothecary rose garden has paths and beds arranged to form a rose petal. Around the summer solstice, rose petals are harvested at least twice daily for two weeks and dried on transparent sheets.
Rose petals are being dried at Secret Garden Distillery. Photo by Merle Rosenstein
Apothecary Rose Gin is made with hand-harvested apothecary rose petals to create a delicate floral gin that tastes like Turkish Delight. This gin has a perfect balance of flavor and aroma.
In the Rose Garden at Secret Garden Distillery. Photo by Merle Rosenstein
Lemon Verbena Gin is made with 11 distinctive botanicals. “Every botanical is there for a reason,” says Sloan. The Secret Garden Lemon Verbena Gin has the same recipe as the Herb Garden product in the US. The resulting gin has a citrus aroma and taste and is super herbaceous and dry.
Gin tasting at Secret Garden Distillery. Photo by Merle Rosenstein
The delicate pink Wild Elderflower Gin is made from jasmine petals and elderflower, creating a complex spirit with tropical flavor notes of papaya and guava. It’s delicious with a mixer like lemonade or in a Martini.
Three Distinct Philosophies
I fully enjoyed my gin tour in Edinburgh and learning about the history of gin. The three distilleries each have a different philosophy.
At South Loch Distillery, Sutherland describes his approach to making gin. “Small is key. “It’s that idea that you want to control flavor and have fun.”
Holyrood Distillery uses a whisky approach to create gin with just three ingredients.
Secret Garden Distillery has a stunning array of botanicals in its garden that are used in its gin.
To prepare for your trip, try out these recipes at home.
Gin Recipes
Try these gin recipes at home and remember that flavors can vary depending on the type of gin you use.
Gin Tonic
Ingredients
- 2 ounces gin
- 2 large ice cubes
- 2 lime slices
- 2 sprigs lime balm (or lemon thyme or mint)
- 3 ounces tonic water, or more to taste
- 5 juniper berries
Directions
- Pour the gin into a highball glass.
- Add the ice, lime slices, and a sprig of lime balm.
- Fill the glass with the tonic water.
- Garnish the drink with juniper berries and a few leaves from the remaining herb sprig.
Negroni Cocktail
Ingredients
- 1 ounce gin
- 1 ounce sweet vermouth
- 1 ounce Campari
- Orange twist or slice for garnish
Directions
- Pour the gin, vermouth, and Campari into an old-fashioned glass filled with ice cubes.
- Gently squeeze an orange twist or slice over the glass, then add it as a garnish.
When You Visit Edinburgh
Edinburgh is a beautiful city with castles, literary giants, and perfect pubs. On your next trip to Edinburgh, create your gin tour. You won’t be disappointed! We invite you to explore Wander With Wonder for more ideas of things to do when you visit Great Britain.
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