The Red Door Gin experience - the region's first single site whisky and gin visitor attraction - has opened its doors at Benromach Distillery in Forres.
The new visitor attraction gives gin fans the chance learn the story of Red Door Gin, which was launched in 2018, from the history of the distillery to the secrets of how the distillers create each handcrafted batch of Highland gin.
Picture: Red Door Gin
Housed behind the distillery’s iconic red door, which also gives the gin its name, the one hour tour brings the distillation process to life while introducing guests to “Peggy” (named for Peggy Urquhart, wife of George Urquhart who was from the second generation of the family owners of Gordon and MacPhail) – the small copper pot still where every batch of Red Door Gin is carefully handmade by the on-site team.
After learning about botanicals and distillation, visitors are invited to test their knowledge by getting to grips with the botanicals found in the gin.
Each of the botanicals are available to see, smell and touch and, after trying some of the gin neat, visitors will be asked to plot out how much of each feature in the gin. The person that guesses correctly - or as close to the actual recipe as possible - can take home a sample of Red Door gin and a premium tonic.
After the botanical visitors can make their way to the Red Door Gin bar to sample the perfect Red Door G&T or signature cocktail.
Lizzie Haw, Red Door Gin’s flavour expert, said: “We’re immensely proud of our handcrafted Highland gin and are thrilled to – literally – throw open the red door and give gin fans the chance to see the distillery in action, while sampling the best we have to offer.
“We’ve worked with an incredible team to bring the Red Door Gin visitor experience to life and look forward to giving visitors a chance to learn about our handcrafted gin, while boosting the tourist offering in the Speyside region.”
The new experience is managed by Susan Colville, Whisky Icons Awards’ Visitor Attraction Manager of the Year. Susan will continue to manage the 5 Star Benromach Distillery tour alongside her role with Red Door.
Priced at £10 per person - including a Red Door G&T - the Red Door Gin Visitor Experience is open (Over-18s only) from Tuesday to Saturday, 9:30am-5pm until October and then 10am-4pm Monday to Friday from November during the winter season.
With only eight places per tour, guests are encouraged to book early and book in advance by calling 01309 675 968.
• Further information is available at reddoorgin.com/visitor-experience
Pulling back the curtain on the magic of whisky making with Benromach distillery
