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Beefeater Gin to open visitor centre

Beefeater Gin is to open London’s first gin distillery visitor centre at the distillery in Kennington later this year. For the first time, visitors to the city will have the opportunity to see a world famous gin brand being made and learn about the history of London gin.

Capitalising on the recent renaissance for gin in the UK, the new experience, named Beefeater London – The Home of Gin, will offer guests the opportunity to learn about the history of gin through a series of interactive showcases and see, touch and smell the botanicals used within the production process. The experience will culminate in the opportunity to watch the live gin production process in the distillery’s cathedral-like still house.

Work will begin later this year to create the 600sqm, two-level journey that also marks a significant milestone in the career of Desmond Payne, Master Distiller for Beefeater Gin, renowned as the world’s leading expert in gin with over 45 years’ experience.

Desmond comments: “We have decided to push open the doors for the very first time and share some of those secrets with visitors to London, and locals, who are interested in seeing just how much expertise goes into making one of London’s most successful and famous brands.”

“The Beefeater Gin Distillery is one of the city’s best kept secrets. This is a magnificent opportunity to celebrate the heritage of gin in London, something that has been at the heart of the capital’s history for more than three hundred years. I am proud that Beefeater Gin will be the first distiller to tell the full story.”

Beefeater London – The Home of Gin will be built within the existing distillery complex, and involve a new extension to the site to allow visitors to travel from the ground to the second floor. Guests visiting the new centre will learn how Beefeater Gin, and its sister gin Beefeater 24 - which are sold in more than 100 countries throughout the world - is made, by going behind the scenes at the distillery. The tour will cover a host of facts on the history of gin, and its place in London life, and take visitors through the unique process by which the iconic gin is still made using founder James Burrough’s original recipe of nine natural botanicals, which employs his distinctive 24-hour steeping process before distillation.