Blackwoods readies for distillery opening
Distil-owned Scottish gin and vodka producer Blackwoods is set to open the doors of its new distillery and brand home on 12 February, offering tours, a cocktail bar, shop and gin school.
Originating from Shetland off the north coast of Scotland, Blackwoods has been producing Scottish dry gin and vodka since 2003.
In 2021, Distil made a £3 million (US$4.13m) investment in the Ardgowan Distillery, and as part of the deal, was given the space on-site to develop the Blackwoods brand home.
As such, the new Blackwoods distillery and brand experience is housed in a renovated stable building neighbouring its whisky-making stablemate, located on the historic Ardgowan Estate on the west coast of Scotland.
Marketing director Sarah Kingsbury said: “The development of the Blackwoods brand home has been a labour of love, and designed to convey the sophistication, warmth and generosity that sits at the heart of the Blackwoods brand.
“We’re thrilled to now be able to invite guests in to enjoy the space, and look forward to sharing further updates, insights and exclusive releases with shareholders as the space develops.”
The renovation of the site has remained sympathetic to the building’s history and location, while ensuring the Blackwoods brand is communicated ‘at every touchpoint’, with interiors designed by Studio Percale.
The building boasts a traditional slate roof, original stone entrance arch, characterful concrete floors, and rustic dark woods. This is balanced with plush banquette seating, rich jewel tones, bespoke-crafted dressers, and a ‘show-stopping’ granite-topped bar.
The brand home will offer a range of tours and tastings, with prices starting from £10 (US$13.77), as well as cocktail masterclasses and the site’s gin school, which will offer visitors the opportunity to distil and hand-label their own bottle of gin.
Each tour guest will be welcomed with a Blackwoods Gin & Tonic on arrival, before being given a guided history of gin distillation and the Blackwoods brand.
Guests will also go behind-the-scenes to learn the workings of the 1,000-litre Scottish-made copper still used to produce Blackwoods Gin and Vodka.
Tours will end with a tasting flight of the Blackwoods core range.
Cocktail masterclasses will also run with guests receiving a miniature distillery tour, guided tasting, and mixology workshop, where they will learn tips and tricks to shake-up three classic Blackwoods cocktails.
Meanwhile gin school participants will be given a tour before selecting from a range of botanicals to craft their unique flavour profile and then guided through distilling their own 700ml bottle of gin, which they will be able to label and sign before taking it home to enjoy.
Recipes will be kept on file to enable guests to re-order their bespoke recipe.
The space will also operate as a cocktail bar and bottle shop, offering a range of Blackwoods signature cocktails to enjoy in the bar lounge, and a range of core and exclusive Blackwoods bottlings, gift sets and merchandise.
All tours will commence on 12 February, and experiences can be booked on the Blackwoods website.
Distil, which also owns RedLeg Spiced Rum, saw revenue fall by 26% to £173,000 (US$233,194) in the last three months of 2025.
Related news
Scotland's west coast to welcome new whisky distillery
