Intro to Bombay Sapphire Gin Tour

If you enjoy a tour and you enjoy gin, then this is for you. Find out about the history, wander the beautiful greenhouse and find about the botanicals that make up this delicious tipple and more.

Visiting

You need to book online and adults are £17.50. We used Virgin experience days and got a package for two and had a 20% discount.
Opening Times are:
11am-6pm Monday – Thursday
10-8 Friday Saturday and Sunday
The car parking is free
If coming from the Overton Train Station it’s a 2.5 mile walk. If you are getting a cab from either station, you need to book as there are no taxi ranks there.

Before you go in

From the carpark, you have a lovely stroll, through some windy path lined with greenery, across the bridge and down to the entrance.
We visited on July 21 which was after lockdown, and we had our temperature checked on entry, to ensure we were covid free.
Then we waited for our tour in the reception area, we had a group of about 15-20 in our group.

Off we went from the reception to one side one of the buildings that house two of the larger stills and then we got a good overview of how the business developed (which we won’t go into as we want you to enjoy your experience)
While taking in the oration, you are also standing in front of the iconic greenhouse, which you will recognise if you have looked on any social media or the main website.
Then onto the greenhouse, this was completed in 2014 and was designed by British designer Thomas Heatherwick, there are 893 panes of glass, not one of which is the same. Made in Spain, it was assembled and disassembled and transported back to the UK. You can go into the greenhouse and see some of the ingredients used in the Gins today.
Then, into a lab/kitchen area where you can get to assess which cocktail you would enjoy. This is a really interesting part, we enjoyed this experience and you get a great understanding of how the botanicals are decided.
Before we get to taste our chosen cocktail, we head into the shop, yes, say bye to your money here, it was great. Quite a range of things to buy from sapphire stirrers to cocktail making instruments and obviously the Gin itself.
Then, onto the Mill Bar to experience a Gin cocktail that you chose from the aromas you experienced in the lab kitchen. For those designated drivers- you get a virgin cocktail and a little goodie bag with a miniature and tonic ( which we appreciated as a nice touch).

Other Things to Know

Address – Laverstoke Mill, London Rd, Whitchurch RG28 7NR
Nearest stations – Overton or Whitchurch
Cost – as above at the time of article (July 21)
Places of interest nearby – Whitchurch silk mill, Hardy’s cottage garden plants , Winchester and the science centre there
Traveltaggers top Tip – check for discounts on virgin experience day,there are also do overnight stays and different packages. We enjoyed our time here.