Monday April 10th 2023
The Secret Garden Distillery, located below the Pentland Hills have announced the reopening of their Distillery Gardens and Gin Tours to the public. After a temporary closure to the public over the winter, visitors are being welcomed back to the beautiful gardens and offer gin tours once again from Saturday 22nd April 2023.
During the closure, several landscaping improvements were made to the gardens to create a more immersive space for the community. These enhancements include the installation of an educational Juniper Woodland, and the completion of a Apothecary Rose Garden with additional seating to create a more enjoyable experience for visitors.
To help support the upkeep of the carpark and the Gardens, this year a small fee has been introduced to view and walk around the gardens. This fee will also help support new ticketed events throughout the year. The owners remain committed to providing a safe and enjoyable experience for all. However, the free access for those local community groups who experience the gardens as a source of well-being and serenity for their members will continue.
Community remains at the heart of the distillery and this year they will be introducing several community days throughout the year.
All these exciting projects are part of the shift the new owners are making to the Distillery estate.
“The business has grown so much that our emphasis for the garden must be in support of the beautiful botanics that inspire our gins and so we are now repurposing many of the ornamental beds to gin botanic production”, Imogen Armstrong, one of the new directors told us.
“This has meant rethinking the Nursery element of the business which was always an ancillary business when we grew planting for the ornamental gardens and sold the excess. Our decision to let the Nursery side of the business wind down was a difficult one but it allows us to use 100% of our garden team in maintaining the Gardens for our visitors and for the Distillery. Plant sales will be available for a limited time only this Spring as we finalise this switch in focus to the functionality of the gardens of the long-term growth of the distillery, creating a Secret Garden Visitors Experience.”
But it isn’t all change. The Secret Garden Café & Bistro are still an integral part of the Gardens, offering breakfast, lunch and afternoon teas and some of the best cakes in the area baked on site.
And the new entry fees only apply to the Garden: the Café, Shop and carpark are still free for everyone.
“We are thrilled to reopen the Secret Garden Distillery Gardens and Gin Tours and welcome visitors back to our beautiful space,” said Isobel Armstrong, the other new director.
“We have made significant upgrades to our grounds and look forward to sharing these with our guests. With the ongoing Distillery upgrades, we move to make the space more Distillery focused with plans to hold various events throughout the year.”
For more information about Secret Garden Distillery and to purchase tickets for the gin tours, visit their website at www.secretgardendistillery.co.uk.
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