Hooting Owl Distillery York: Distillery Tour & Gin Tasting

The distillery's 25 artisan spirits come from one man's fictional journey across Yorkshire.

The Hooting Owl Distillery tour in York is a guided tasting experience where you walk through the distillery, learn the distillation process, and sample spirits from the operator's range of gins, rums and vodkas. A live guide leads you through the story of Sir Owlfred Tyton Hodgins and his recipes, a welcome drink arrives at the start, and the tour ends with a full measure of your choice. The bar stays open after the tour finishes if you want to linger.

The experience

York's Hooting Owl Distillery sits ready for a 75-minute tour that starts with a welcome drink: gin, rum or vodka with a mixer you choose. Your guide, a live distiller, walks you through how the spirits are made, then takes you on what they call a virtual Tour de Yorkshire, tracing the path of the fictional Sir Owlfred Tyton Hodgins as he developed the recipes you're about to taste. The story is part history, part myth, and it frames each spirit you sample along the way.

By the end of the tour, you've tasted across the range and you pour yourself a full measure of whichever spirit caught you. The distillery bar stays open from 11am to 11pm every day, so if the tour lands early in the afternoon or you want to sit with what you've learned, the space is yours to stay in. The whole experience runs 1 hour 15 minutes from start to finish.

What’s included

• A welcome gin, rum or vodka with a mixer of your choice.
• a guided tour of the distillery led by a live distiller.
• tastings of Yorkshire gins and samples of the rum and vodka range.
• and a full measure of any spirit you choose to finish.

Before you book

Days and timesMonday to SaturdayDeparts at 15:00

Book up to1h before

AgesAdult (18 and older) · Under 18: can't be booked

GroupUp to 12

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated yesterday

Good to know

Wheelchair accessibleAccessible transportStroller-friendlyPets welcomePublic transport nearbyNot recommended during pregnancy

Operated by The Hooting Owl Distillery York

Is this one for you?The tour is led in English by a live distiller, so you follow the story and the process as they unfold, not a recording, not a self-guided walk, but someone who makes the spirits talking you through why they taste the way they do.

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Top questions

What spirits does the Hooting Owl Distillery make?

The Hooting Owl produces gins, rums and vodkas across a range of 25 artisan spirits. The tour includes tastings of the Yorkshire gins and samples of the rum and vodka, and you finish with a full measure of whichever one you choose.

Who leads the distillery tour?

A live distiller guides the tour in English, walking you through the distillation process and the story of Sir Owlfred Tyton Hodgins and his recipes as you taste.

What's included in the Hooting Owl tour price?

The tour includes a welcome drink (gin, rum or vodka with your choice of mixer), the guided walk through the distillery, tastings of the Yorkshire gins and samples of the rum and vodka, and a full measure of any spirit from the range at the end.

Can I stay at the distillery after the tour?

Yes. The Hooting Owl bar is open from 11am to 11pm every day of the week, so you're welcome to stay and soak up the atmosphere once the tour finishes.

Is the Hooting Owl Distillery accessible by wheelchair?

The distillery is wheelchair accessible. All areas and surfaces are accessible, and transportation options nearby are wheelchair accessible as well.

What's the minimum age for the distillery tour?

You must be 18 or older to join the tour and participate in the tastings.