Shakespeare Distillery’s Gin School has been named Experience of the Year in the West Midlands Tourism Awards.

The independent artisan spirit producer, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, picked up the gold award at a ceremony on 20 March at Bear Grylls Adventure in Solihull.  As a gold winner, Shakespeare Distillery will automatically be entered into the national VisitEngland Awards for Excellence, taking place in June.

The Gin School, which was launched five years ago, enables visitors to try their own hand at being a distiller. Attendees can create their own gin using a miniature copper still and an array of botanicals, alongside expert tuition. After three hours, visitors will have distilled, blended, bottled, sealed, and labelled their own unique bottles of gin to take away with them.

In 2020 and 2022, the company won gold and silver in the West Midlands Tourism Awards for their destination distillery experiences. A TripAdvisor Traveller’s Choice award winner, Shakespeare Distillery was also voted as Stratford’s Top Attraction in the Herald Business & Tourism Awards for the past two years running. The company was also named by the Spirits Business magazine in the top 10 UK gin distillery experiences in 2023.

Peter Monks, Director at Shakespeare Distillery, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to have won Gold in the West Midlands Tourism Awards. Winning this award is testament to our brilliant team whom we are so proud of, and who work incredibly hard producing our handcrafted spirits and delivering a five-star visitor experience.”

Shakespeare Distillery is Stratford-upon-Avon’s only working distillery and offers daily Tours, Cocktail Masterclasses, and River Avon Gin Tasting Cruises. The attraction also includes a shop, Tasting Rooms, and Rum School and is based in the historic 1 High Street, once the residence of Judith, William Shakespeare’s daughter, and her husband, Thomas Quiney.

For more information about Shakespeare Distillery please visit here.