Beefeater Gin to open distillery visitor centre

Beefeater Gin has been given the green light to open London’s first gin distillery visitor centre.

The development at the Beefeater distillery in Kennington, south London, will open later in 2013.

The new centre will give visitors the opportunity to see Beefeater being made and learn about the history of the brand and London gin. Called “Beefeater London – The Home of Gin” the visitor centre will house a series of interactive showcases and allow people the chance to see, touch and smell the botanicals used in the production process.The experience will culminate in the opportunity to watch the gin production process in the distillery’s cathedral-like still house.

Desmond Payne, Beefeater Gin’s master distiller, said: “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.”

Work will start later this year on the 600sqm, two-level visitor centre, which Beefeater hopes will become “a major addition to London’s iconic tourist scene”.

An artist’s impression of the Still room at the proposed Beefeater Gin visitor centre