Borders Distillery – A Distiller's Tour and Lunch in Hawick
A few hours.
The route
The Borders Distillery opened in Hawick in 2018, the first Scotch whisky distillery in the Borders since 1837, in Victorian engineering sheds on Commercial Road.
Its distillers lead the tours themselves, past the copper stills under the glass roof, with a tasting at the end. Lunch is a short walk away at the Heart of Hawick café, in the town's arts centre and cinema.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
The nearest of ours is The Scullery in Yarrow, 12 miles away. Sleeps 2; next free Fri 13 Nov to Sun 15 Nov.
Then The House in the Hill, 15 miles away. Sleeps 4; next free Thu 29 Oct to Sat 31 Oct.
Book the 11am tour of the Borders Distillery online or on 01450 374330, Monday to Saturday from April to October only: about 45 minutes, £20 a head at the time of writing, under-18s free with an adult, 12 to a tour; online bookings are not refundable, though the date can sometimes be changed.
The day
Hawick
Three quarters of an hour in Hawick among the stills and the casks with the people who make the whisky, and lunch a short walk away.
About two and a half hours
Borders Distillery
A tour
The Borders Distillery is on Commercial Road in Hawick. There's a little parking at the distillery, and public car parks a short walk away on Commercial Road, the High Street and Buccleuch Street. From April to October, tours run Monday to Saturday at 11am, 1pm and 3pm, led by the distillers, for about 45 minutes, ending with a tasting in the distillery bar. Tickets are £20 at the time of writing, and under-18s go free with an adult. Book ahead, as tours take only 12 and fill at weekends. Whoever is driving can take the samples away to enjoy later. The distillery and the tour are fully wheelchair accessible. From November to March there are no tours, though the shop opens on weekdays.
8 min on foot
Heart of Hawick Café
Lunch
Lunch is 8 minutes' walk south at the Heart of Hawick café, in the town's arts centre and cinema on Kirkstile. Food is served from 11.45am, with last orders an hour before closing: 2pm on Mondays, Tuesdays and Sundays, 4pm on Saturdays, and 8pm from Wednesday to Friday. It's best known for its pizza. The building is step-free with a lift, and the mezzanine, open until 3pm, has highchairs and room for pushchairs. If it's full, Damascus Drum, a café a minute away on Silver Street, opens from 10am, Monday to Saturday.
If it rains
All of it is indoors but the few minutes' walk between the distillery and the café.
Photograph by Heart of Hawick via Google