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Edinburgh Live
Edinburgh Live
National
Sian Traynor

Edinburgh Mary King's Close to offer spooky new gin tours for summer

The Real Mary King’s Close have announced they will be running a series of haunted gin tours in the streets beneath the city.

The popular Edinburgh tourist attraction will now be offering up a slightly more boozy alternative to the traditional tour, which will feature tastings and some spooky storytelling.

Operating between July 9 and July 30, the tours will be working with Edinburgh Gin to allow guests some tasty tipples as they hear about the city's dark past.

Taken down to Edinburgh's forgotten streets with a Mary King's Close guide, a tasting of four different gins will take place over the tour, with each having a historical link to the Old Town, Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh Castle’s one o’clock gun and gin trade at the port of Leith.

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Sharing some facts about the city as well as the drinks, the guides will explain some unusual facts, including that the botanicals used in Edinburgh Gin were actually originally used by the city's plague doctors hundreds of years ago for a very different purpose.

Paul Nixon, General Manager, from The Real Mary King’s Close said:

“We’re really excited to be teaming up with Edinburgh Gin to launch our new ‘Stories and Wonders’ gin tasting tours this July, as part of Scotland’s Year of Stories. Authentic storytelling is at the heart of everything we do at The Real Mary King’s Close.

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“On selected Fridays and Saturdays during the month, history enthusiasts and gin lovers will not only get the chance to enjoy one of our award-winning underground tours with a dedicated guide, but they’ll also get the opportunity to sample four truly unique gins carefully selected from the Edinburgh Gin range. Each one is linked or associated with Edinburgh’s medieval Old Town, Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh Castle’s one o’clock gun or the gin trade at the port of Leith.”

Jennifer Houston, Distillery Supervisor for The Edinburgh Gin Distillery, said:

“This is a really exciting opportunity for us to share and compare our love for history and storytelling with the team and guests of The Real Mary King’s Close, along-side being able to share our passion for showcasing our range of creative gins and gin liqueurs."

The one and a half hour guided ‘Stories and Wonders’ tour and tasting will start at The Real Mary King’s Close, Warriston's Close, at 5pm, 5.30pm, 6pm and 6.30pm on eight separate dates during July, including Friday 8, 15, 22 and 29, and Saturday , 16, 23 and 30 .

Tickets are priced at £35 per adult and are available to buy here.

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