Elrick House Gin

A proper working gin distillery tucked away near Newmachar, just outside Aberdeen. Elrick House is the real deal - you're not walking through some sanitised visitor centre, but watching craft gin actually being made on-site. The spirit (literally) here is all about small-batch production, and they'll walk you through the process from botanicals to bottle. It's genuinely interesting if you care about how things are made, less so if you're after a quick Instagram shot and a gift shop browse. The tasting room lets you sample their own gins and a few others, which is where the experience becomes proper enjoyable - the stuff tastes thoughtfully made, not mass-produced. Allow an hour minimum, longer if you want to sit with a G&T and actually chat with the folk running it. They're chatty types. You'll want to call ahead though - it's not a major tourist operation with set opening times plastered everywhere, so ring them to check they're open before driving over. If you're based at Seaview Caravan Park down the road, this makes a cracking afternoon detour. It's the sort of place that works better if you actually like gin rather than just collecting distillery visits, but for the right person, it's well worth the short drive from your pitch.