The eagerly anticipated Liverpool Gin Distillery opened on Castle Street last month and with Christmas just around the corner I had the perfect excuse to buy some tickets for a snoop around.
Inside, there are two different bars on two different levels, depending on what your tipple is. The ground floor is a fancy gin bar stocking the entire Liverpool gin range along with all of the Whitley Neill flavours and accompanying tonics: their 600lt (working) copper still (called Margaret) takes pride of place at the front.
Downstairs in the basement there's a prohibition-style dark spirits bar serving a healthy selection of rum and whisky, alongside a kitchen where you can order snacks and nibbles to keep you going.
Whilst the first two floors are open to everybody, the upper floors are for tickets and tours only. We booked ourselves on to the Tour and Tasting package which began with a private tasting of all 4 gins from the Liverpool Gin range, deftly instructed and advised by Head Bartender Brad.
Inside, there are two different bars on two different levels, depending on what your tipple is. The ground floor is a fancy gin bar stocking the entire Liverpool gin range along with all of the Whitley Neill flavours and accompanying tonics: their 600lt (working) copper still (called Margaret) takes pride of place at the front.
Downstairs in the basement there's a prohibition-style dark spirits bar serving a healthy selection of rum and whisky, alongside a kitchen where you can order snacks and nibbles to keep you going.
Whilst the first two floors are open to everybody, the upper floors are for tickets and tours only. We booked ourselves on to the Tour and Tasting package which began with a private tasting of all 4 gins from the Liverpool Gin range, deftly instructed and advised by Head Bartender Brad.
Brad gave us a sample of each of the gins (straight and with tonic) whilst talking us through the tasting notes, the best tonics to pair with them and the history of gin-making in general. My favourite of the four was the Rose Petal Gin, though the new Lemongrass and Ginger one is definitely worth a try too.
After sampling we had a good look around the building and got to take a closer look at Margaret who was sadly having a rest over the Christmas period but is usually in full working order during opening hours.
Find out more about the bar and the different experiences on the website here (there's one where you get to make your own bottle of gin!) and, if you're sampling the gins, make sure you have breakfast before you go..
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