Back in the bustling capital, East London Liquor company produces British wheat vodka, three London Dry-style gins and whisky. Based in a historic glue factory in Bow Wharf, the distillery has a bar attached where guests can enjoy a drink while watching production through a glass wall.
“What beats sitting here having a martini, watching it being made?” says founder and ex-bartender Alex Wolpert.
Wolpert says he founded East London Liquor several years ago to democratize booze, producing something local, independent and affordable. The company offers a whisky, a gin and a mixed distillery tour, and Wolpert says everyone leaves with a bottle.
“When they’ve had that kind of sensuous, tactile involvement in the process, they’ve been behind (the scenes), they’ve picked up the juniper berries … there’s a relationship there,’’ Wolpert says. “So, you’re kind of almost by default building advocates of what we do by having them in the production space.’’
Carter advises spirit enthusiasts to sit at the bar and talk to the bartenders.
“If you can find your favorite watering holes where you can trust the bar team to recommend stuff, that’s always a great starting point,” he says.
Finally, no spirit tourism trip is complete without a visit to Scotland.
Dewar’s Aberfeldy Distillery in the Scottish Highlands has been producing Scotch whisky since 1898, and offers traditional whisky tastings, a luxury blenders tour, and a whisky and chocolate tasting tour.
“We’re seeing people really want to get in depth. They want to get under the skin of how the whisky is produced, and they want to taste different ones,” says in-house whisky expert Simon Robinson.