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Gin School, distill you own gin, cocktails, tastings, food
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From €120 per person
Stillgarden Distillery in Dublin 8 runs one of the most hands-on spirit experiences in the city. This isn’t a passive tasting where you sit and sip - you get behind the still, select your own botanicals, and distil a 500ml bottle of gin or spirit that’s entirely your own creation to bring home.
The session starts with a welcome drink and a walk through the distillery’s history and process. Then comes the wall of 120 botanicals. Juniper, coriander seed, pink peppercorn, hibiscus, lemongrass - the combinations run in all directions, and the distillery experts guide you through what works together and what doesn’t. You build your recipe, run it through the still, and bottle the result yourself.
In between, there’s a tasting flight of Stillgarden’s own range and a cocktail-making masterclass where you learn the techniques behind proper mixology. A gourmet food box keeps things fuelled throughout, and drinks flow from start to finish. Two hours later, you leave with a bottle that nobody else in the world has - your own signature spirit, distilled by your own hands at one of Dublin’s most exciting independent distilleries.
Take your time at the botanical wall. The experts are there to guide you, but it’s worth pausing and smelling individual botanicals before you commit to your recipe. Hibiscus and pink peppercorn together produce something quite floral and spicy - if you prefer a more classic profile, lean heavier on juniper and citrus peel. There’s no wrong answer, but the result really does reflect your choices.
Label your bottle properly before you leave. Stillgarden gives you a blank label to customise. If you’re bringing it home as a gift or want to remember the botanicals you used, write it down on the day - you’ll have forgotten the exact recipe by next week.
This works brilliantly as a group activity. The session is designed for groups celebrating something - hen parties, birthdays, team days. Each person makes their own bottle, so you end up with a table of wildly different gins by the end. The comparison tasting at the end of the process is always entertaining.
Dublin 8 is worth exploring after your session. Stillgarden sits in the Liberties area, one of Dublin’s oldest neighbourhoods. Rascals Brewery is nearby, and the area around Thomas Street and Francis Street has good independent food options if you want to extend the afternoon.
Pace yourself during the tasting flight. The cocktail masterclass comes after the distilling, and making cocktails after three or four gin samples requires a steadier hand than you might expect. Eat from the food box throughout rather than saving it for the end.