Listoke: Ireland's first gin school

When you think if Ireland and pubs, I’m sure whiskey, Irish coffee and Guinness are at the top of your list. But gin has come into its own with with Dingle Gin’s award winning brew….and now LIstoke north of Dublin. And not only does Listoke distill gin…they have a gin school, where you can spend the evening learning the craft and crafting your own.

They have individual stills at work stations around the classroom. Each has its own still. You learn the basics of gin and then you are offered everything you need to make your own.

“What you like when you bake and cook and eat, the flavors you enjoy together are often what you want in a gin. Chocolate an orange, or florals blended with just the right spices add up to your own blend,” says Teresa Holland one of the teachers at the gin school.

While your concoction is distilling down you tour the larger facility and learn all about the business, the different categories of gin and their logo, an owl.

You see the matriarch of Listoke owned owls herself. In fact she had two, one was named Gin and the other Tonic.

So you leave with a knowledge of gin, a few anecdotal stories, and a bottle of gin specific to your taste, brewed by you.