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Edinburgh Gin's distillery tour and lunch at Howies
Edinburgh

Edinburgh Gin Distillery – Tour, Tasting and Lunch

A few hours, from Waverley Station and back.

The route

Edinburgh Gin makes its gin in a striking new distillery built into the old railway arches of East Market Street, a few minutes from Waverley.

Its classic tour takes you past the copper stills to a tasting of the gins, and lunch at Howies on Victoria Street, one of the Old Town's prettiest streets, rounds it off. It's a relaxed few hours for grown-ups, and nobody needs to drive.

Before you go

  1. Book accommodation nearby

    If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.

    Old Town ChambersClose byOld Town ChambersA place to stayMoment George IV BridgeClose byMoment George IV BridgeSleeps 2West End MuseClose byWest End MuseSleeps 4The Scott HotelA mile awayThe Scott HotelA hotel

  2. Book Edinburgh Gin Distillery

    Book the Classic Tour and Tasting on Edinburgh Gin's website for 12 noon, or 1pm at the latest, so that lunch at Howies on Victoria Street, which serves until 2.30pm, comes after it; over-18s only, no more than twelve on a tour.

  3. Book Howies Victoria Street

    Book online.

The day

Edinburgh

An easy grown-up afternoon in the Old Town: an hour among the stills with a tasting at the end, then a long lunch a short walk up the hill.

About three hours

  1. Edinburgh Gin Distillery

    Edinburgh Gin Distillery

    A tour

    It's 9 minutes' walk from Waverley to Edinburgh Gin's distillery in the arches on East Market Street. Book the Classic Tour and Tasting online for 12 noon: it takes 65 minutes, with no more than twelve people, and costs £28 each plus a booking fee at the time of writing. It's for over-18s only. A guide shows you the botanicals and the working stills, then sits you down for a gin and tonic and a few samples. It's step-free from the pavement, with a lift. Nobody needs to drive, and the distillery gives a takeaway pack to anyone who isn't drinking.

    More about Edinburgh Gin Distillery

  2. 10 min on foot

    Howies Victoria Street

    Howies Victoria Street

    Lunch

    Walk 10 minutes from the distillery up through the Old Town to Howies at 10-14 Victoria Street, on the curve of coloured shopfronts. Lunch is served every day from noon to 2.30pm, with seasonal Scottish cooking. Book online. There are highchairs and a children's menu, and only assistance dogs are allowed inside. It's wheelchair accessible, though the old building has split levels, so ring ahead for the best table.

If it rains

All of it is indoors, so rain changes nothing but the walk up to Victoria Street, where the cobbles can be slippery.