East Lothian's Buck & Birch launch tours of their distillery, with tastings and nibbles

Discover the foraged ingredients that this brand use in their drinks

Whisky tours are all very well, but if you fancy something different, drinks makers Buck & Birch have just launched The Tasting Room.

This curated tour of their distillery at Macmerry in East Lothian is designed to showcase the company and the foraged ingredients that these ‘wild flavour alchemists’ use to make their liqueurs.

They run every Wednesday to Saturday, from 12-1pm and 3-4pm. Tickets are £10, which is refunded if you spend over £50 in the shop.

Tasting Room at Buck & Birch HQ

“At Buck & Birch we are fanatical about flavour – about refining the wilderness and serving it to you”, says creative director and co-founder, Tom Chisholm, who set the business up with Rupert Waites. “We have been so inspired by the support received and the love that has grown from people spending more time outdoors during the pandemic, that we wanted to give something back and let you into our world. For us these distillery tours are about showing our loyal fans – and hopefully converting some new ones – why drinking directly from nature is the key to the best taste.”

Guests will also discover how they create their products, which include wild elderberry liqueur, Aelder Elixir, which was launched in 2012 and has a Great Taste Awards star. There’s also their rosehip rum liqueur, Amarosa, birch syrup caramel liqueur, ANA, which is vodka-based, and the new Birch wild botanical spirit, with pure spirit, raw sap and birch flavours.

These are perfect for cocktails, but if you prefer yours ready-made, they recently launched a range of pre-bottled versions. These include the Thornstar Martini, but also a Berry Bakewell, with rowan shoot vodka, white beam blossom syrup, rowan berry bitters and blackcurrant.

The tours will also include perusal of the “wild flavour archive” and some foraged nibbles, which may remind some guests of the duo’s heritage of throwing supper clubs. You’ll also be able to pick up some new and limited edition bottlings that aren’t available elsewhere, and there will be samples to takeaway..

Designated drivers won’t be left out, as they can try the non-alcoholic versions that are available.

To book, visit www.buckandbirch.com ; www.tickettailor.com/events/buckbirch/550194/

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