beefeater gin distillery tour london

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Beefeater Gin Distillery

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BEEFEATER GIN DISTILLERY: All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

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Gin distillery tours in London

Gin is huge in London, with a new wave of amazing gin distilleries and tours to explore

London has a collection of amazing gin distilleries, while  a growing number of bars specialise in the fragrant spirit . But there are even more ways to get stuck into the juniper-based drink and distil your knowledge in London. Get to grips by making your very own variant on the spirit, learn the complicated and clouded history of London’s favourite tipple and test out more of the stuff than you can shake a stick at. It’s a dreamy gift to give to any gin lover in your life, should you be stuck for inspiration. Here's our pick of the best gin distillery tours and experiences in London, giving drinkers access all areas to mother’s ruin.    

RECOMMENDED: The best cocktail bars in London .

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Gin distillery tours in London for tasting the best botanical notes

1.  City of London Distillery

• Bars and pubs
• Blackfriars

Get up close and personal with the custom-made copper stills at City of London Distillery. Enjoy a £25 session that lasts an hour and 15 minutes and takes in London’s unique gin history. You’ll be fuelled by a flight of three gins, and you can purchase more gin tipples at the distillery's slick cocktail bar straight after.  Alternatively, you can design and distil your very own gin for £125 in the 'gin lab'.

2.  Hayman's Distillery

• Things to do
• Food and drink events

Take a tour of Hayman’s, a distillery that made its return to London in 2018, setting up shop in Balham. Tours cost £25, last 90 minutes and include an all-important G&T, plus a tutored tasting. Cocktail masterclasses are also on offer for £35.

3.  Beefeater Distillery

The granddaddy of London gin traces its origins back to 1829 and has been distilling on this site since 1958. Amazingly, London's oldest and most internationally renowned distillery is open to visitors. Tours last around an hour and a half and cost £25 (G&T included). Plus, there’s a particularly enlightening sniff-tour of the major botanicals that give gin its characteristic flavour.   

4.  Jensen's at Bermondsey Distillery

Easily slotted in alongside a visit to Maltby Street market, Jensen’s is made at the Bermondsey Distillery and you can drop in for a tasting on weekend market days. Admission is free, and you can bring in food from the market. If you want a proper tour, groups can email requests to gain access all areas on Wednesdays and Thursdays.

5.  Sipsmith Distillery

Sipsmith was the first of the new wave of London gin distilleries, and is still the best-known. The company runs tours (£25 including a G&T) at 6.30pm on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday, and at 4.30pm on selected Fridays. Sip a G&T while listening to a little history of gin in London, then tour the stills – Prudence, Patience and Constance – and get a tutored tasting. For £65 you can drink deeper with a two hour gin cocktail masterclass on Tuesday evenings.

6.  Gin Journey

For those who like their gin in the fast lane, it’s time to clamber on board The Gin Journey’s ‘gini bus’ . The chauffeur-driven evening tour, led by a gin-ius team, takes in five bars and one distillery for £75, with a gin cocktail served at each location. Tours take place on Saturday afternoons and take place across either Soho and Shoreditch . Chauffeur: provided. Ibuprofen: BYO.

7.  Half Hitch Gin School

They’re producing gin down by Camden Lock again for the first time in fifty years, and you have Half Hitch gin to thank for it. You can get hands on with this history at the micro-distillery’s very own Gin School. You’ll have a tutorial on the gin-making process before your chance to make your very own batch of the juniper-led spirit. You’ll leave with a bottle of your own booze, all for £70 per person. 

8.  58 Gin

Make your own small batch gin out east at 58 Gin’s Hackney Downs distillery. Over the course of three hours you'll settle in with a G&T before sampling three different gins to find what flavour profile most takes your fancy. Then select your botanicals and watch them as they work away in the still (with another gin cocktail in your hand all the while as well as some  charcuterie nibbles ). It costs £125 per person.

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The Foodie Travel Guide> London>  Beefeater Gin Tour

Beefeater Gin Distillery Tour: Discover London Gin History

by The Foodie Travel Guide | Jan 25, 2019

Beefeater Gin Distillery & Museum, Lambeth, London

Beefeater produces over 30 million bottles of gin every year and exports to 127 countries. Few Londoners realise that every single drop is distilled down a quiet lane in Stockwell, just south of the river.

How to Find the Beefeater Gin Distillery

Beefeater Gin Distillery and Museum, 20 Montford Place, Lambeth, London SE11 5DE

The Beefeater Gin Distillery

The Foodie Travel Guide

Sally is the founder and editor of The Foodie Travel Guide. She travels around the UK and beyond in search of the best foodie days out, tasting experiences and delicious places to stay. She loves a glass of English sparkling wine, afternoon tea with friends and escaping London for gastronomic adventures. 

Beefeater Gin Distillery Tour With The London Pass

• Buy a London Pass which includes entry to over 80 top London attractions and activities
• Includes the Beefeater gin distillery tour
• Download the pass and beat the queues
• Highlights include priority entry to glorious Westminster Abbey, a tour of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre and a visit to Kensington Palace

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*Full disclosure I was invited to do the Beefeater gin tour and tasting for free, all opinions remain my own*

Beefeater Gin tour & tasting

Beefeater gin distillery location.

Based in South London Beefeater’s Kennington distillery can be accessed from either Vauxhall or Oval tube stations with a 10-15 minute walk.

The outside of the Beefeater distillery

When you visit you’ll find out more about their history and why they’ve only been in Kennington since 1958, despite being established in 1820.

What to expect on the Beefeater gin tour

Yes this would be our album cover if we were a band!

Seeing as the tour has only just reopened since lockdown, there are some changes to how it normally operates:

• Limited numbers on each tour
• Everyone has to wear a facemask on the main tour (you are spaced out to be socially distant when tasting!)

Love my Persie gin mask! Beefeater said they could provide masks, but I don’t think they have branded ones!

• Floor markings to direct you and to encourage social distancing where there is space

• A limitation to how many people can use the toilets at the same time
• No iPads to interact with the exhibits

Despite this we still enjoyed the main exhibit about the story of gin in general, the history of Beefeater gin, the tasting (naturally!), seeing the stills and then enjoying a Beefeater gin and tonic at the bar, before finally returning to the shop and buying all the things!

Whilst the exhibition and tasting area & bar are accessible, the still area I don’t think was (as it’s an industrial working space). There are also a few chairs and seating areas dotted around, but if you can’t stand for long you may want to contact the distillery directly to ensure your requirements are met.

The Beefeater story

The story of Beefeater gin starts in 1820, when the Taylor family opened The Chelsea distillery on Cale Street. This distillery would become the first home of Beefeater gin, however the founder, James Burrough was only born in 1835. Although born in Devon, James starts a career as a pharmacist in Canada. Returning to England in 1863, he buys the Chelsea distillery and starts producing gin liqueurs, fruit gins and punches.

The actual recipe for Beefeater gin was developed in 1876. Inspired by the botanicals in the Chelsea Physic Garden nearby, it took James Burrough several years of experimentation to create this gin. When it was released it became an instant success and the company’s flagship product.

Historic gin distilleries in London through the centuries. The main exhibit in the Beefeater tour puts their gin in context of the general history.

Since then the company moved twice to be able to expand. First in 1908 to Hutton Road in Lambeth and then again in 1958 to their current location in Montford Place, Kennington.

In 1963 Beefeater gin counts for 3 out of every 4 bottles of gin imported into the USA. The Burrough family sells Beefeater to Whitbread in 1987 considered ‘a new beginning’. In 1995 Desmond Payne becomes Master Distiller, although it takes him until 2008 to create his first unique gin. Our tour guide Ryan did explain that when tasting current day Beefeater dry gin versus some older bottles, there is very little difference in taste. This is the true mark of  a Master Distiller – being able to recreate the same flavours year after year, with all the environmental changes that impact the botanicals. In fact Desmond selects the botanicals to be used in the distillation each year by smell alone – truly impressive!

2005 finds Beefeater acquired by Pernod Ricard with a new period of investment. This lead to the development of the visitor centre we visited!

Tasting Beefeater gins:

Our tour guide Ryan in the tasting room

In the tasting room we had our socially distanced tasting stands with individual pots of the 9 base botanicals that go into Beefeater gin:

Beefeater dry gin botanicals, three tasters of gin and some water

Beefeater London Dry

We started with the classic Beefeater London Dry, which has 9 botanicals:

• Juniper – we squashed the berries between our fingers and they were super juicy, piney, sticky, spicy and sweet. Beefeater keep them in cold storage so they are always used fresh in the distillation (as opposed to dried)
• Almond – Beefeater use ground almonds, which help with the mouthfeel and balances out the drier notes (for example from the angelica). The almonds are usually sourced from Germany
• Coriander – Beefeater use Eastern European coriander as it’s a colder climate. This brings out citrus notes and white pepper too. Coriander is the second most used botanical in gin
• Dried Seville orange peel
• Dried lemon peel
• Angelica root – the third most used botanical in gin. Angelica gives the dry finish typical to London dry, plus earthiness & depth – it sits at thee back of palate. Beefeater use angelica from France or Belgium
• Angelica seed – this has intense aromas and gives herbaceous celery notes. I don’t think I’ve heard of any other gins using angelica seed!
• Orris root – the most expensive botanical, its the root of iris flower and takes 3 years to grow, dry out and ground into a powder to be used. Chanel perfumes use the most orris as it’s a fixing ingredient or ‘flavour glue’. It also adds a floral sweetness to the gin
• Liquorice powder – we all took stuck a finger in to taste this, it’s sweeter than sugar! As you can’t add sugar to a London Dry Gin liquorice is used to add sweetness for balance as well as helping with the mouthfeel of the gin

The gins we tasted

Beefeater London Garden

Beefeater London Garden gin

Beefeater 24

Developed in 2008 this was Desmon Payne’s first creation at Beefeater – it only took 40 years! Beefeater 24 was inspired by Asia and includes Chinese green tea, Japanese sencha tea and grapefruit peel, in addition to the ‘standard’ nine botanicals used in all Beefeater gins. So 12 botanicals in total… so where does the 24 come in? Well it’s all about the process! They allow the botancials to steep in the alcohol for 24 hours before they distill them. However the actual distillation process is quicker than the other gins – this to avoid the tea from stewing and adding bitter notes.

So what does it taste like? It’s lovely and citrussy, really fresh and zesty. This gin is cracking in citrus based cocktails and my friend and cocktail guru Julian always has a bottle in stock to make cocktails with – including one of our favourites: the negroni.

Beefeater Monday’s gin

Monday’s gin

Burrough’s Reserve

Crown Jewel

Flavoured gins.

Beefeater’s flavoured gins

The Beefeater stills

Ryan talked us through the stills, old and new

Pot stills 9-11 are showing in this photo

The steps of distillation:

Step 1 – Steep the botanicals for 24 hours in pot still with 65% alcohol

Step 2 – distillation, which takes 7 hours. They raise temperature of the still with the steam jacket to 73 degrees – when the alcohol vapourises, but before the water content boils. The swan neck takes the vapour to condensers that cool it back into liquid.

Step 3 – the quality of the spirit is monitored throughout the distillation process and only the ‘heart’ makes the cut into the final product, which comes off at 80% abv

Step 4 – is the bottling process. First pure softened water is added to dilute the gin from 80% to 40% (depending on which gin!) and then finally the Beefeater gin is bottled and ready for sale!

Over 21.5m litres of gin are made every year by 4 still men. The total Beefeater team is 10 people, so this is pretty impressive!

Still 8 is the baby pot still that they use to make the limited edition gins. Burrough’s Reserve is made in tiny old still on the right hand side.

Sandra found the barrel used for aging the Burrough’s reserve!

Finishing up in the Beefeater bar

After seeing the stills where the gin is made we headed to the bar for a Beefeater gin and tonic to wrap the tour up.

A Beefeater gin and tonic in their branded glasses

The branded Beefeater bar area

Gin crew in front of the bar – very happy after our Beefeater gin tasting!

Exit via the giftshop:

We then had the opportunity to visit the gift shop and buy goodies to take away.

I bought a Beefeater gin pin (£3)

I bought a bottle of the distillery exclusive Monday’s gin, as well as edition 1 of the Burrough’s Reserve (not many of those left!)

How to book your Beefeater gin tour:

The tour I was gifted was their £16 1.5 hour tour and tasting. These run Friday afternoons from 1pm to 6:30pm and from 11am to 6:3-pm Saturdays and Sundays. You need to pre-book your tour in advance.

You can also book to do an Exclusive VIP experience, which is £40 and takes 2.5 hours. This promises additional access to the heart of the distillery and a spot the juniper challenge. These experiences are only available on select Fridays starting at 10:30am – get in touch with Beefeater to find out more.

Already done the Beefeater gin tour? Well take a look at my round up of gin distilleries you can visit in London:

Pin me to plan your Beefeater gin tour in London!

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Beefeater Gin Is Hosting Interactive Tasting Tours In Their London Distillery

Whether you’re a gin connoisseur or you’re just dipping your toe into the world of this botanical beverage, there’s a Beefeater distillery tour that’s perfect for you.

One of the greatest things about being a Londoner is knowing that there’s always somewhere new to discover. Whether it’s a charming cocktail bar or a local museum, this city has a never-ending supply of hidden gem spots for our enjoyment. And our most recent discovery is the Beefeater Gin Distillery in Kennington, a short walk from Kennington, Vauxhall or Oval tube .

Distilling the world’s supply of Beefeater Gin in London since 1863, this building is steeped in history. And you can learn all about how the World’s Most Awarded Gin is made on one of their gin distillery tours . Whether you’re a gin connoisseur or you’re only just dipping your toe into the world of this botanical beverage, there’s a gin distillery tour perfect for your taste.

1. Distillery VIP Experience

If you consider yourself something of a gin aficionado, the Distillery VIP Experience is a fantastic way to enjoy your favourite drink in exciting new serves. Starting with a walk through the interactive exhibition , you’ll embark on a journey of gin through the ages. All whilst sipping a delicious welcome drink!

This will be followed by a visit to the distillery and still house, an Edwardian building complete with original Victorian features. Here you’ll learn about how Beefeater gets its unique, world-awarded flavour, before heading to the private, speak-easy style bar. This is where all of your learnings will be brought to life, as your host provides you with various tastings. And once you’ve decided on your favourites, your host will transform them into show-stopping cocktails and G&Ts.

Price: £45 Duration: 2.5 hours

2. Beefeater Crown Jewel Tour

As implied by the name, this tour is perfect for the gin-lover seeking an experience with a little extra pizazz. Kicking things off with the pinnacle of the Beefeater gin collection, you’ll sip a Beefeater Crown Jewel & Champagne cocktail before exploring the interactive exhibition. Your host will then take you on a detailed tour of the distillery and still house for a guided tasting. Waiting for you in the speakeasy bar, you’ll find delectable canapés and one of our hero Crown Jewel cocktails. And to ensure you leave feeling like royalty, you’ll receive a gift bag including a bottle of Beefeater Crown Jewel and other exclusive gifts worth £75.

Price: £120 Duration: 3 hours

3. Beefeater Gin Distillery Tour

New to the world of G&Ts? The Beefeater Gin Distillery Tour is the best place to begin your journey. After learning all-things-gin in the interactive exhibition, you’ll be well primed to enjoy a guided tasting. Here your host will teach you about the components that make Beefeater the World’s most awarded. But believe us when we say, the flavours in the four London Dry Gins you’ll sample truly speak for themselves! Finally, you’ll visit the still house to see the distillery process in action. Then it’s time to head to the bar for a perfectly made G&T.

Price: £25 Duration: 1.5 hours

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Gin tasting in london at the beefeater gin distillery tour.

Gin is the most English of spirits, and one of my favourite tipples!  On my recent visit to London as #wombatsTraveller ambassador for wombat’s Hostels, I decided to visit the Beefeater Gin Distillery London, the most famous gin distillery in London.  Their gin distillery tour included a visit to the working distillery, access to their gin museum, a gin tasting and a gin and tonic at the end of your tour.  If you’re looking for a cool gin experience, then Beefeater’s London gin tasting and distillery tour is a fabulous option!  Here are all the details of how to book and what to expect on your London gin tasting experience.

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Gin Distilleries in London

London is home to several gin distilleries, but I booked the Beefeater Gin tour in London for several reasons.  The gin is iconic because of the Beefeater logo and brand, so famous because of the Beefeaters at the Tower of London (which I also planned to visit while I was in London). 

Beefeater Gin is the most awarded gin in the world, the distillery is easily accessible by public transport, they had availability on the date I was looking for, and for just £15 I thought the price was very reasonable!  

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How to Get to the Beefeater Gin Distillery

I took the tube to the distillery, the closest underground station is Oval on the Northern Line, from which it’s about 10 minutes’ walk to the distillery.  It’s also just over 10 minutes’ walk from Vauxhall Station on the Victoria Line.  The distillery is next to the Oval Gasholders which are visible from the Oval Cricket Ground, so if you spot those you aren’t far away!

How to Book Your Beefeater Gin Distillery London Tour

You’ll need to book your distillery tour and gin tasting in advance online on the Beefeater Distillery website here .  Although children over 8 years old are allowed to join the tour, they obviously aren’t allowed to take part in the gin tasting or get a gin and tonic, they’ll get a soft drink instead. 

The distillery is open 6 days a week from Monday to Saturday from 10 AM to 6.30 PM and is closed on Sundays.  Distillery tours run every hour from 11 AM to 5 PM, although opening times vary on Bank Holidays and Christmas.

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On the booking system, choose your date and preferred time from the available options.  It’s a good idea to book as far in advance as you can for busy weekend days, but I booked just a day in advance for a Friday afternoon gin tour and got a space.

Beefeater Gin Distillery London

Although it may seem like a strange place for a distillery, when you arrive in the distillery shop you know you’re in the right place.  A whole wall is covered with gin bottles available for purchase, including some rare and limited editions. 

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If you just want to buy a normal bottle of Beefeater gin then buy it at a supermarket as it will be cheaper, but I was told by fellow tour-goers that the Crown Jewel Beefeater gin is definitely worth the £50 price tag. 

The Beefeater Gin Museum

The first part of the Beefeater Gin experience is a visit to the gin museum.  An interactive museum charts the history of gin in London, from the beginnings of gin in England in the 1600s to the dark days when homemade gin often included turpentine, through to the roaring 20s and modern day.  There is a large section dedicated solely to Beefeater Gin, from its foundation and marketing to becoming the most awarded gin in the world. 

Beefeater London Gin Tasting & Distillery Visit

After learning about the history of gin-making, the tour continues upstairs where our guide explained the process behind gin-making, and we got to smell some of the botanicals used in Beefeater gin such as juniper and orris root. 

He then explained the different types of Beefeater gin that are produced in the distillery and gave us a sample of two gins to try.  The gins were mixed with water, but it was still pretty strong – I definitely prefer my gin with tonic! 

After sampling these gins, we were allowed into the working distillery.  We left all liquids outside, including water and perfume, and anything that could cause a spark – distilleries have a high alcohol content in the air as well as in the stills, so we didn’t want any accidents! 

The distillery was smaller than I expected, but the stills were still magnificent.  All of Beefeater’s 30+ million bottles of gin per year are distilled here, before being transported to Scotland to be blended with Scottish spring water to make the gin we know and love. 

There are only 5 stillmen who work at the distillery to make the gin, and one Master Distiller Desmond Payne.  I had expected it to be much bigger, but it was fascinating to take a peek inside.

Once we’d explored the distilling area we went back downstairs to collect our things and to enjoy a gin and tonic – made with Beefeater Gin of course!  It was garnished with orange and lemon to complement the botanicals in the gin – there is no lime in Beefeater Gin, so adding lime would be sacrilege our guide informed me! 

As we drank our very tasty gins I chatted to other people on the tour, who were telling me about the Crown Jewel Gin.  I decided not to splash out on a bottle but was sorely tempted!  On the way out I had one last look around the shop, then headed out to meet a friend at Mercato Metropolitano. 

If you time your visit right, Mercato Metropolitano is a great place to go afterwards, with lots of street food stalls and bars where you can continue drinking gin!  Also, down the road from the distillery is the Pilgrim Pub , which serves up a variety of food and drink, including some of the Crown Jewel Gin if you fancy a taste!

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Would I Recommend the Beefeater London Gin Experience?  

Overall I really enjoyed my foray into the world of Beefeater London Gin.  The gin museum was interesting, and the gin tasting was great value when you consider everything that was included.  If you fancy trying a London gin experience for a small price, then Beefeater Gin Distillery London does the trick!

Where to Stay in London

There are so many different options for where to stay in London it can be overwhelming to choose!  I love the area around Tower Bridge as it is walking distance to a lot of the attractions such as the Tower of London and Tower Bridge, while not being crazy expensive. 

It is also well connected by the Tube to the rest of London, being close to the underground stations Tower Bridge for the Circle and District Lines, and Aldgate East for the Hammersmith Line.

Hostels in London

I stayed at Wombat’s City Hostel London, a fabulous hostel close to Tower Bridge, and I have to say this had a massive impact on my enjoyment of London.  The hostel was spotlessly clean, the staff were friendly, and the location was unbeatable. 

Wombat’s London is about 10 minutes’ walk from Tower Bridge, the Tower of London and Tower Hill underground station, and is walking distance from Shoreditch, Borough Market and plenty more places to see in London. 

Dorm rooms are great for backpackers or visitors on a budget, or you can treat yourself to a private room for all the perks of being in a hostel, with the privacy of your own room. 

You can also read other reviews and book Wombat’s London on Hostelworld , or check out other hostels in London here .

FIND YOUR HOSTEL

Hotels in London

There are thousands of hotels in London to choose from, and you can find something for every budget, although getting the balance between good quality and good value isn’t easy!  Staying outside of the city centre is cheaper, so if you are staying in London for several days you could save money that way, but if you are short on time then somewhere close to central London is a must.

CitizenM Tower of London is right next to Tower Bridge underground station, and the rooms have great views of the Thames and Tower of London.  Guests loved the comfy bed, friendly staff and the views!

Hotel Indigo Tower Hill also gets great reviews for the friendly staff, comfy beds and quiet rooms.

Search for more hotels in London here:

You can also check out some other foodie tours and experiences from GetYourGuide here:

Want More London travel tips?

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• Beefeater Gin Distillery Tour in London
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Hi! I'm Claire Sturzaker, a 30-something foodie traveller who loves to enjoy the best of a destination without breaking the bank. I'm here to help you and all women backpackers to plan their best budget travel adventure. I am an avid supporter of female solo travel, and took my first solo trip 20 years ago! I love to write about travel, hostels, backpacking and van life.

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Beefeater Gin Distillery Tour (London)

Beefeater Gin is one of the most well-known and popular gins of the world. Despite the destillation takes places in the heart of London, you rarely fine their Distillery Tour in travel guides. In mid May 2019, I gave it a try, inspired by some very good reviews on Tripadvisor and other platforms. Here is my review of the Beefeater Gin Distillery Tour.

Beefeater Distillery – Location & Tour Prices

The distillery is located in Kennington. The next Underground Stations are Oval (home of the cricket ground) and Kennington. Kennington is likely slightly closer. Both stations are serving the Northern Line only. There are some lovely cafes around when you walk from the station to the distillery.

The adult admission for the tour is 15 GBP. There is a chance to bring children over the age of eight, but they are of course not exposed to alcohol then.

Beefeater Distillery – The Tour

Your visit at the distillery roughly lasts 90 minutes. It is split into three parts. The first part is a self-guided tour through the Beefeater Museum, which tells you a lot about the history of gin and James Burrough, who invented the drink and the brand. Thereafter, your tour guide catches you to show you how gin is made. Of course, you end up with a gin and tonic.

Beefeater Distillery Museum

The museum is really nicely done. There are a lot of exhibits, which tell the history of gin. Gin was a popular alcohol for the lower-class people – which also lead to the risk that it was not been properly done and could lead to severe health damages. The museum also features a lot of interactive screens with videos and facts. One room deals with the rise of gin and cocktails in general. After there is a section about the Prohibition in the United States , the final section of this part of the tour is dedicated to the Beefeater company and their worldwide success.

Guided Beefeater Tour – Introduction

The guided tour starts with a selection of gin ingredients. By definition, gin must at least have 37.5% ABV and be predominantly be flavored by juniper. However, it must not be produced by distilling juniper itself, but other agricultural spirits. Beefeater uses highly concentrated alcohol for that. There are a lot of other natural flavors added. Some Beefeater blends even contain green tea aroma.

Thereafter, you can taste two different gins. The two editions were exclusive to tours and the souvenir shop until a couple of weeks before our visit. A rather soft gin and a very strong one illustrate the different possible interpretations of gin.

Guided Beefeater Tour – The Distillery

After this introduction, the tour continues to the production of Beefeater Gin. Less than ten people work here for the worldwide production. All stills are made of copper. There is even the original James Borough still, which is even nowadays in use – any kind of limited edition is made in this comparably small production item. The guide tells you a lot how the stills are used and how the distillers create the perfect blend. It was not that busy as we visited the site on a Saturday morning. Nevertheless, one distiller had to check the process at one of the production sites.

Beefeater Distillery – Shop

The tour begins and ends in the souvenir shop. My wife and I felt that the store is definitely a nice one. There are some shirts and even skirts, which you might like or not. But for Beefeater fans, you can buy some editions exclusive to this place. The pricing is rather reasonable. If you prefer to go for some typical souvenir like magnets, coasters or similar, I am quite sure you will find something to take home with you.

Beefeater Distillery – My View

Visiting a Factory Tour and similar places is always some sort of risk. Some are really good – some others (e.g. visiting World of Coca Cola in Atlanta) makes you leave with the feeling you just have made it into a huge marketing place. Visiting Beefeater is definitely a top notch factory tour. Even my wife, who is not that much into gin, absolutely enjoyed being there. It reminded me a bit of the Farina original Eau de Cologne museum . The museum is well done, many interactive displays and a lot of information (of course, also about the brand). The guided tour is great. It is cool to see the compact factory and even the original still being in use. It is not too far away from Waterloo and other London Underground stops. I feel you should definitely dare this trip. It is an absolute Top Pick! to me.

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Beefeater The Home of Gin

Review Highlights

“ Came here because I had purchased the London Pass and thought it would be fun to check out the home of Beefeater gin. ” in 7 reviews

“ There's a nice walk through museum as well , explaining the beginnings of gin and how it has evolved. ” in 8 reviews

“ At the end of our tour, we were served a delicious gin and tonic . ” in 6 reviews

Location & Hours

Suggest an edit

20 Montford Place

London SE11 5DE

United Kingdom

Kennington, Oval

Amenities and More

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Overall rating

This tour was great, the experience was so well thought out! The first part of the tour was self guided and very interesting. Then the group gathered and we did a tasting (I believe our guides name was Matt, and he was fantastic) the tasting included three samples of different varieties of Beefeater gin and a lesson on the botanicals used in the distillation process. We got to see where all Beefeater Gin is distilled which I thought was really cool. Then the tour finished back in the bar with and amazing G&T. If you are in London I would highly recommend checking this one out! I also want to note I was on a solo trip and went to the experience alone! I felt super safe and comfortable the whole time, there were even other people in my group there by themselves as well!

So fun! I've done this tour twice now and it was different each time (2019 and then again in 2022). Staff are friendly and welcome questions as they tour your around the facilities. The tour starts with a walk though a small museum type area and then you're taken to the production side of the facility and get to do a tasting. The tour ends in the bar where your ticket includes a traditional G&T with the option to buy more if desired. There is of course a gift shop where you can purchase gin as well as barware and other trinkets. There are a few gins that are specific to the production facility which I've purchased each time I visited as we can't get them in the states. My favorite is the Monday's Gin. Beefeater is a bit off the beaten path if you're staying in central or west London though so just budget for time if you plan to go and know that it might be difficult to get a taxi back, you'll have better luck with Uber. Enjoy!

Super fun & educational experience. You get to taste 4 gins and a full cocktail. Our host Rob was awesome! If you're in London you should definitely go.

The Beefeater Tour was on our London Pass, so we decided "what they hell, let's check it out". Glad we did. If you go, know that part of the tour is self guided through a small museum that talks about the history of gin making and Beefeaters. After that you'll get a short talk on how gin is made and try some samples of 2 gins (we tried the Garden & 45). After that, you'll head into the factory - and honestly you probably won't see a ton there. I was shocked to learn that all the Beefeaters our there is made HERE (no other distilling locations) and that they employ only 20 or so people in the plant! So the factory is a lot smaller than you'd think but they make a lot of gin! If you visit in summer, the factory part will be very warm and it smells really nice - like the oranges and lemons that are used to give the gin flavor. After the tour, you'll enjoy a freshly made G&T - one of the best I've had. Of course, there's a shop where you can grab bottles of gin, some that aren't available in retail stores. Our guide was fun, and although there's not much else to do nearby (unless you're going to a cricket match) it's worth the trip for gin lovers.

See all photos from Joanna T. for Beefeater The Home of Gin

Had the London Pass and this spot wasn't too far from the hotel I was staying at. A surprisingly small distillery (just off a side street) for such a well known global brand. The first time I had come here there was a long wait for the next tour. This time, I went first thing on a Tuesday morning to ensure getting into the first timeslot. Despite getting into the 10am tour, I still had to wait at the "museum" for an additional 20 minutes before the tour-guide brought the first group around. Museum is filled with some facts about alcohol in London, it's evolution, and the rise of distilleries in London. Towards the end it's mostly a bunch of commercials/ads for the worldwide expansion. When the tour of the distillery itself finally started, we began at the ingredients portion (smelling what goes into the gin). Then there is a long talk about all the kinds of gin available for purchase (albeit with some nice tidbits about how the different ones are made). Next is a tour of the facility itself, where the alcohol is produced, and how it is done. Really cool learning about the history and some of the instruments being used. Finally you get to have a gin and tonic while discussing the topics covered. All in all, a nice run through of the gin-making process and of the distillery. They also give a coupon for a 2-for-1 cocktail at the nearby bar (in case the free one wasn't enough). Glad this is part of the London Pass as I probably wouldn't have done it otherwise.

See all photos from Shaji K. for Beefeater The Home of Gin

My husband and I enjoyed Beefeater gin before the tour but now are even bigger fans after touring the distillery and learning so much about their process! The tour starts with a self-guided walk through their museum where you learn about the history of gin in London and some other gin brands as well. Then, they do an intro talk for about 10-15 min and break down each of the herbs and botanicals in their blend. After that, you walk through the distillery and the process is explained in greater detail, and afterwards it concludes with a gin tasting and a complimentary gin and tonic! We wish we could've purchased gins to take home to the US but overall it was a really fun and informative experience! Only con is that it's far from public transit so give yourself enough time to get there from the tube!

See all photos from Jenny V. for Beefeater The Home of Gin

A ticket includes a self-guided tour through their "museum", as well as a fully-guided tour through the distillery, ending with a (yes, that's singular) gin and tonic in their tasting room. I use the term, "museum", loosely because it's very small. The main draw was probably the evolution of their bottles throughout the years. Once you finish your way through, they will take you upstairs where you get to smell all of the ingredients that go into their gin. I thought this was a nice touch - very brewery-like where they have you smell hops, so it was cool to be able to see, smell and touch some of the things that go into Beefeater. At the end of the tour, you get a glass of gin and tonic with very little gin in it. It would have been much cooler if they let us try samples of their different gins. That's what I was imagining it to be like, since they advertise a "tasting room". As for the tickets, if you have a London pass, it's included. However, you cannot reserve ahead of time. You have to physically go there and if you're lucky, you'll get a time slot for a tour. But the trick I used to see if they had slots available, was I checked their website. Each slot can have a max of 15 people, so you can go online and add tickets to your cart to see if the time you want is actually still available. Luckily, ours was - so it worked out. I would say go if you have the London Pass. Otherwise, take the 12 pounds elsewhere and get yourself two gin and tonics.

Pretty cool and interesting place! I didn't have the all-inclusive London Pass, but def wanted to stop by and check this place out. Its pretty easy to get to by subway w/a short walk. Tours are on demand, and with the steady stream of tourists, it was only a 5 minute wait before the tour got started. Tour starts with a self guided walk through museum about the history of gin. Afterwards, an employee took us up the elevator and gave us a quick explanation of the ingredients for gin and a small tasting. We were also able to smell the various ingredients. After that, we had a tour of their distillery. It was very surprising how such a small operation is able to produce so much gin. Seeing some of the original stills was pretty cool! Afterwards, they took us down for a free drink! Solid place if you are in the area or want to see how Beefeater is made!

Disappointing, watered down gin samples. If we had been served three actual shots of gin, instead of the diluted "shots," it would have been worth the admission charge. However, tour guide was knowledgeable and entertaining. I recommend skipping the £15 tour. Instead, experience their interesting and multi-faceted museum for free, and do your gin sampling in a pub.

Didn't know it required reservations, I had no idea. Make sure you call and reserve.. I walked a long long ways d to gEt here only to bee you urned away.. Oh well, there are other Gins I will be Drinking from now on.

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10 replies to this topic

If you are using Gatwick airport you can see a gin distillery in the airport https://www.gatwickairport.com/at-the-airport/shopping-eating/restaurants/nicholas-culpeper/

This predates COVID so may have changed https://www.timeout.com/london/bars-and-pubs/gin-distillery-tours-in-london

I would not go to a Gin Distillery just for a drink, what is the point?

I would go there for a tour, but if I could only have a drink, I would go to a Pub!

(also, Beefeater Gin is perfectly fine yet, IMNSHO, perfectly ordinary!)

Beefeater Gin was £20 for 70cl in my local Tesco this evening - IIRC!!

Jensens gin distillery at Maltby St do tours. Any good bar should have a range of gins to try. Large supermarkets also sell a good range from their cheapest own label which will be quite drinkable with tonic to specialty gins for sipping.

Yep, Tesco own Gin is perfectly acceptable (when ££ or 'special offers/Clubcard offers) are a bit lacking!!

https://www.bombaysapphire.com/distillery/plan-your-visit/how-to-get-here/

If you knew how gin was made you’d probably never go on a tour!

Compared with the far more complex processes needed to make beer or whisky gin is child’s play (roughly, buy in base alcohol, add herbs / spices / fruits aka ‘botanicals’, allow to stand for a couple of weeks, filter and bottle). Sure there’s skill in the blending bit, but nothing much to see.

Go to a gin bar and try a selection there!

The Distillery on Portobello Road is fun: https://www.the-distillery.london/

The food and drinks are above average for a nice pub lunch even if you don't do tastings, etc.

Gin is medicinal - it is a "Tincture"

(but there are other ways of getting the "Botanicals" in there too!)

Most decent Distilleries ferment then distil their own base spirit, so "Buy it in" is not quite right for all.....

Whisky is also a 'base spirit' just chucked in a barrel of some kind of interesting wood, to 'soak up' the resins and the other bits of "terroir" for probably at the least 12 years (if it is a single malt)

Not actually so different from Gin to start with!

And lots of Gin/whisky distilleries also produce Vodka - I wonder why!!

@9…. Whisky is a spirit made with (essentially) poor beer, the base for gin could be anything (including vodka), and whisky has to be kept for at least some years in a wood barrel. Gin is only kept long enough to acquire the flavourings from the botanicals in a sterile container. That’s why it’s so popular with distillers - the base ingredients cost nearly nothing, there’s no long term storage costs either, you could make it in your kitchen with only a glass bottle and a strainer as equipment (I have, it was good stuff) in less than a month.

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Beefeater London Dry Gin

Beefeater 24

Beefeater Pink Strawberry

Gin Cocktails

Frozen gin & tonic.

Intermediate Cocktails

Bitter Cocktails

Passionfruit Ginita

Sweet Cocktails

Gin & Pineapple Punch

Beginner Cocktails

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