Private Tour: Gin Tour of London

Learn all about gin, the sophisticated juniper-flavored liquor, on a 3.5-hour walking tour of London! Led by a charismatic guide – a specialist in alcohol history – the tour includes visits to a Victorian gin palace and one of the capital’s first distilleries. Hear about the so-called ‘gin craze’ of the 18th century, and learn about the drinks resurgence in popularity while savoring two glasses of the much-loved London beverage.

Meet your guide in near St Paul’s Cathedral in the City of London, and then take a stroll to an authentic gin palace (a lavish Victorian pub) built over the dark and cramped cells of an old prison. As you walk your guide will entertain you with fun facts and trivia about the herby liquor that traces its origins to London in the 18th century.

Originally created as a medicine, gin credits its early popularity to the taxes that King William of Orange levied on French brandy; it was an act that encouraged Victorian drinkers to turn to the juniper-toned liquor as their drink of choice instead. Now enjoying a renaissance in the capital’s pubs, gin is back in demand and there has never been a better time to learn about it.

Stop for a drink inside the gin palace, swapping feedback with your gin expert, and then walk further into the City of London to an 18th-century gin distillery – said to be the first of its kind in London. Follow the master distiller on a tour of the building, learning how gin is made before sampling a glass of its wares. Hear of the ‘Gin Craze’ when the drink’s popularity reached its peak, and there were more than 1,700 distilleries in a city of less than 1 million people.

Enjoy a leisurely paced stroll, retracing your steps back from the distillery while discussing the merits of different gin brands like Bombay Sapphire, Tanqueray and Sipsmith. Your tour then finishes at a location near the start point.

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