One of Angus’ leading distillers has finally opened its new distillery experience and visitor centre.
Arbikie Distillery will initially offer three tours focused on showcasing its whisky, gin and vodka, and a cocktail making experience within its 1,000 square foot building.
The project, which has been several years in the making, has seem a significant amount invested into the business to welcome visitors in a new, unique way.
The build of the facility was started just before the pandemic and was anticipated to open late 2020, however has was postponed numerous times due to delays caused by the pandemic.
Arbikie Estate is a family-owned working farm distillery and inside the building lies a retail shop and a café and bar where many of the tastings are hosted. Customers will also be able to enjoy range of food and drinks here, too.
Renovated from the remains of an old cattle barn, the team at Arbikie are passionate about their field to bottle ethos.
When the Stirling brothers set up Arbikie Distillery in 2014, their plan was to combine the best of farming and traditional distilling with innovation. For the past few years the team has been working to make it as sustainable as possible.
To bring the vision to life 17 local people have been employed, with more to follow.
The Arbikie Distillery tours
Starting in the crop fields where the spirit journey begins, guests will learn how Arbikie distils from scratch using its homegrown crops.
They will also learn how the firm distilled Nàdar, the world’s first climate positive gin and vodka, and how they revived the first Scottish Rye Whisky in nearly 200 years.
The tours, which have a capacity of 10 people, last around an hour, run Wednesday through to Sunday, and include a range of tasters.
Guests will be treated to three spirits on the gin and vodka tour, which is priced at £20 and runs at 11am and 4pm. For those on the whisky tour, expect two drams included in the £25 price point. They run at 10am and 3pm.
Those interested in the cocktail masterclass at 1pm will be able to sample two cocktails for £25, too. Children on the tours go free.
See inside
The cafe and bar area
But its not just those on the tours who can enjoy the cafe and bar. The public is welcome to visit for lunch with salads, sandwiches and soups available, as well as tarts from local firm Coolinary Cafe.
The chef makes all of the baked goods in-house and there teas and coffees, too. The bar serves cocktails and mocktails.
Tickets are not required to access the bar, café or shop, however must be booked in advance for the tours.
Arbikie director, John Stirling, said: “With the pandemic, our new distillery experience has been a long time in the works.
“But it’s given us the time to really focus on how we can show the public our field-to-bottle approach and why it’s so important.”
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