Gin / Whisky/ Spirits Tastings

A Dutch physician is generally credited with first infusing juniper berries into a spirit base thereby giving gin its first name as Genever, which is Dutch for Juniper, was gradually shortened by the English to 'gin'.

But gin is not just gin as this tasting tutorial will reveal. You will become experts in botanicals, and taste the difference between London Dry and Plymouth gin.

Of all alcoholic drinks, gin has the most dramatic and colourful history and when it comes to using the excuse 'for medicinal purposes only' then that really applies to gin because it was invented by a doctor to treat stomach ailments.

You will be given some nifty tasting tricks and teach you how to make some top-class cocktails at home. During the session, you’ll taste 5 premium gins, as the aim here is for you to sample the entire flavour spectrum gin has to offer.

Scotch whisky or uisge beatha, the water of life, is a wonderful spirit with a charasmatic and absorbing past. The lengths and methods a distiller pursues incorporating the long-maturation periods (10, 12, 15, 18 years old etc) define whisky, especially single malt whisky, as a high and wonderful quality product. Truly one of a kind.

But it's not a simple as that. There is detailed variation throughout regional Scotland, from the fruity and elegant Speyside, to the peaty and smoky Islay and from the delicate Lowlands to the robust and spicy Highlands. Then there's Ireland, America, Japan and Canada too.

For those of you who like some other distillations then our spirits evening is ideal. We will be tasting a selection of rums, tequilas, cognacs, armagnacs, grappas and calavdos.

This course is perfect for existing gin, whisky and spirit lovers or for those who want to learn more about these versatile spirits, in a relaxed environment.