The Beefeater Gin distillery is one of nine gin distilleries currently operating within London. It is the last of the big gin brands to remain based in London, making it London’s oldest and largest gin distillery producing over 21 million litres of gin every year and exporting to over 100 countries.
The gin is named after the Yeoman Warders of the Tower of London and every Yeoman Warder receives a bottle of Beefeater Gin on their birthday.
London’s relationship with gin, particularly its involvement in alcoholism in the 18th century, means that the city has been slow to develop a tourist attraction around gin in the same way that whisky has been celebrated in Scotland.
What to see at the Beefeater Gin distillery
The Beefeater Gin distillery experience is more a museum/visitor centre than an actual distillery tour.
The experience starts out with an exhibition about the history of gin including the 18th-century gin craze and the spirit’s evolution from the drink of choice of London’s poor to the pride of place in the capital’s cocktail bars and the emergence of craft distilleries.
Although the museum is very much a public relations exercise for Beefeater, the branding isn’t over the top and the museum doesn’t shy away from highlighting the negative impacts of gin.
The second half of the experience lets you see the distillery, although it is hardly a tour when you’re looking at it through a pane of glass. This section has displays about the distilling process and you have the opportunity to smell and taste the different botanical ingredients that are used to produce gin.
The ‘tour’ finishes off with a glass of gin and tonic.
Visiting the Beefeater Gin distillery
The Beefeater distillery is located in Kennington in south London. It is a ten-minute walk from Kennington, Oval and Vauxhall tube stations.
The first part of the experience is the self-guided tour through the museum, which is supported by an iPad app that gives you more in-depth information about the exhibits, while the second half of the experience is led by a guided tour with tours departing every half hour.
It is usually best to pre-book online to ensure a spot on a tour, however, this is not also necessary during quiet periods and it is possible to just turn up and hope for a spot on a tour.
If you’re visiting during a busy season it is a good idea to check the Beefeater distillery website to see if tours are likely to be booked out or alternatively call the distillery on 020 7587 0034.
If you enjoyed your visit to the Beefeater Gin distillery, you may also want to visit the Sipsmith distillery in Chiswick.
There are no comments yet.