Summerhall Distillery

Had a wonderful experience learning about the distillery, and gin production in general with Max. He had a way of keeping it simple but also very informative. We absolutely loved the different flavors during our tasting which included serving suggestions. We also enjoyed the best Gin and Tonic we’ve ever had. My daughter loved gin to begin with, but I never really gave it a chance. Now I’m a huge fan. Absolutely loved the Pickering’s Gins and can’t wait for distribution in the U.S. some day - hopefully soon.

Enjoyed the Scottish Explorer! Food was locally made and paired with drinks from Summerhall. Our hostess Alissa, guided us thru the tasting—this experience was a highlight of our time in Edinburgh!! And I will be looking for Queen Anne Gin on my cruise this week😀!

Had a terrific time on the Scottish Explorer Experience at Summerhall Distillery. It was fun and buzzing; illuminating and flavoursome. We all enjoyed the experience and our presenters put us all at our ease to enjoy the experience to the full.

Tour guide Alyssa was excellent, friendly, knowledgeable and informative. My wife and I were the only two people on the tour and we were able to ask lots of questions. Knowledge of the history of the building of the business and the products was exceptional.

The gin testing at Summerhall Distillery is an exceptional experience! Max - our host, is incredibly knowledgeable and passionate about gin crafting, making the tasting informative and fun. The range of gins offered is impressive, and each one has its unique flavor profile. The atmosphere at Summerhall is warm and inviting, adding to the overall experience. It’s a must-visit for gin lovers, and we highly recommend it to anyone looking to try some top-quality spirits while learning more about the distillation process.

What a wonderful time spent in this cozy distillery. Max was a wonderful host, knowledgeable and engaging. We really enjoyed hearing the history and sampling the great gin. Some wonderful products on sale as well. Loved the goodie bag. The only downfall is that it is quite a challenge to initially find the distillery (maybe place more detailed directions once you get to Summerhall)

My partner and I went on the Gin Chronicles tour last Saturday and had an amazing time - Alyssa was absolutely fantastic, very friendly and knowledgable. She makes a mean cocktail too! Exceedingly good value for money, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this to anyone.

Marina. Our tour guide was fantastic. They are so creative with their different flavors and creative offerings. The gin tasting was great too! The 57.1 gin was killer. I would highly recommend taking some time for a visit.

We enjoyed learning all about the process to make gin and the many varieties. We also had fun tasting the different gins. Our tour guide, Max, was very knowledgeable and answered all our questions. We loved the gin!

I was so worried about securing a place to be able to have a gin tour and I completely forgot to buy the tickets until the week before. My worry was for nothing because we were the only ones on the tour. I'm not going to lie, it felt a bit awkward because I'm an anti-social introvert who gets stunned when asked a question by a stranger. I'm sure strangers think I'm a dolt. My fiancé is the kind of socially awkward that says weird things or makes jokes that don't land. Jamie, our amazing tour guide, was very energetic and told a lot of bad jokes (which he warned us he would), so the combination of these factors was actually kind of hilarious. We started the tour early, since we were there early and we were the only ones there. I appreciated that because we had a tight reservation for dinner and could mosey on over there now instead of swift walking. The tour started in the invention room. At first, when reading the description of the tour, I thought this part would be corny but honestly it was fascinating. I love hearing a story about people trying to make their life passion work out. We then moved onto the actual distillery part, making sure to finish our G&Ts before entering. Again, a very interesting tour seen through the eyes of Pickering's Gin. The only problem I had was Jamie asked us to smash a piece of juniper between our fingers and I may have taken that too seriously and needed to wash my hands the rest of the tour but again, not his fault, mine for being too literal of a person. The tasting at the end was the best part. I love gin. It's my favorite alcohol. And the gins here are fantastic. We actually got to try their whisky too. Jamie was so kind in giving us a sample when he found out we had just gotten engaged. I bought a few mini bottles and almost had them confiscated at the airport. Luckily, I was able to scratch by with all my bottles. The security guy told me I was a lucky girl. That's right, lucky enough to have all my mini bottles of this amazing gin.

This was a terrific tour of Pickering gin. Very informative and the tour guide was quite entertaining! At the end, the tasting was yummy.

This is the Pickering's Gin Distillery Tour. It is well worth the time and small investment. Our guides were Victoria and Rebecca. They were both great, and Rebecca was an exceptional story teller. Do NOT think or expect a big distillery. This is literally a four room distillery (maybe 1200 or so square feet, or 110 square meters). But don't let the small size scare you from this big (nice) Tour. You will learn about the history of gin in a fun, interesting narrative by your guides. It concludes with a gin tasting session. You do stand during all of it (75-90 minutes) but there are chairs available if needed (I.e. you can't stand for that long). There also 2 small breaks during as well. This tour isn't meant for people under 18. Even if you don't consider yourself a gin person (but do drink alcohol), you will want to go on this tour. It's a great balance of history, gin making and taste testing. Don't miss it!

If you've been paying attention, you know I *love* good gin. This was like a trip to Disneyland for a gin phreaque. Terrific tour, which basically amounted to shaping up in the Royal Dick Bar (see separate review) and then walking back past the kitchen to the two small rooms where the magic happens in Emily and Gertrude. Exiting through the gift shop, like you do, yields shopping opportunities that I also recommend. DO NOT MISS the chance to buy the Christmas baubles. Seriously. And try ALL the gins.

Educational, entertaining and experiential. Victoria and Rebecca taught us a lot about the history of gin, the history of gin in Scotland and the history of their company and brand. Loved the energy, passion and tag-teaming. Left with a lot of great gin tips, a new appreciation for gin after the tasting, awesome recipe ideas and fun trivia to impress others with. Highly recommend the tour both for the tasting and quality of their gin but also a really unique taste of Scotland history. Great gift idea-- they have a Christmas ornament filled w gin! Doesn't get any better!

This is a tiny distillery which currently only has one still! Though this will change in Jan 2016. The new still has arrived but needs to be plumbed into the system. They have a shop that sells their gins and a few other gin related things. It is quite literally two rooms where everything is done! On the occasions I've just shown up, whoever is around is always happy to chat, show me around and answer any questions. I think you're able to just pop in for the most part. Though would recommend getting in touch and booking if you have a large group. There's not a great deal to see but worth sticking your head in if you're in the area!

The distillery tour was great and super informative. The lady leading it knew so much about the history of gin, the building, the process and everything else. She was really passionate about it and it came across well. They've started producing gin to an old Indian recipe that is very different to other 'modern' gin recipes but still very good. For £10 per person you get a gin and tonic to start with, 45 minutes of tour and information and then a further three gin samples. They also sell there products on site and will ship for free to the UK so ideal for those visiting with only hand luggage.