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BOMBAY SAPPHIRE DISTILLERY

Laverstoke Mill, Hampshire, RG28 7NR

Bombay Sapphire, distilled: On the banks of the River Test, a once

industrious paper mill that produced banknotes has been given a

new lease of life as the Bombay Sapphire distillery. You can take a

self-guided tour with a map, and neat little speakers dotted around

the buildings tell you what you're seeing. The crowning glory is two

glasshouses, designed by London 2012 Olympic cauldron designer

Thomas Heatherwick. One houses tropical botanicals and the other is

home to Mediterranean botanicals - and both are heated by hot water

from the stills. You can go in and have a closer look at what makes gin

tick. In the botanical room, you can sniŒ, touch and even taste Bombay's

dried botanicals and map your  avour preferences - very handy when it

comes to choosing the right cocktail.

Bit on the side: This picturesque stretch of the river is home to all kinds

of wildlife and you can see brown trout enjoying clear water, as well as

rare birds and, at dusk, the odd bat emerging from the distillery's own

bat boxes. If  y shing is your thing, it is available, but you'll need deep

pockets because it costs almost £4,000 a season.

How much: £22, including a cocktail or a takeaway G�T for drivers.

Stay over: Enjoy your takeaway G�T in a hot tub next to your log cabin

at nearby Blackwood Forest. forestholidays.co.uk

distillery.bombaysapphire.com

ADNAMSSole Bay Brewery, Southwold, Su„olk, IP18 6JW

Adnams, distilled: If you're a fan of beer and spirits, this is the one-stop

shop for you. Behind the Victorian walls lies a modern brewery, and on

a one-hour tour you can learn how beer is made. For us, the following

30 minutes is the best bit - a tutored tasting of the brewery's beers.

See if you can try Spindrift, it really is a gem among beers. The distillery

tour follows the same format and Adnams makes all kinds of tipples,

from whisky and vodka to triple sec orange liqueur and even absinthe.

If you're a gin fan, though, we recommend upgrading your experience

to the Make Your Own Gin package. As well as the tour, it includes

an expert masterclass on making your own gin - from picking the

botanicals to coming up with a name and label - and you get to take

a 70cl bottle of it home.

Bit on the side: There's no need to stare enviously at those famous

coloured beach huts dotted along the coast: you can rent one. For

about £200 a week, you can be one of those smug beach hut owners,

enjoying your newly created gin avec tonic from your very own deck

chair. beach-huts.com

How much: £12, brewery; £70, Make Your Own Gin experience.

Stay over: Keep it in the company at The Crown - Adnams' bijou hotel

with well-stocked bar, naturally. adnams.co.uk/hotels/the-crown

adnams.co.uk

BOLNEY WINE ESTATE

Bolney, West Sussex, RH17 5NB

Bolney, distilled: Although English wine seems like a relatively new

thing, this vineyard has been going since the early 70s. Today, it's home

to almost 40 acres of vines and it specialises in red wine. Remember,

two of the three grape varieties used to make Champagne are red -

so expect to see similar sparkling wines here, as well as still reds and

whites. It's best to make an afternoon of your visit and no afternoon is

Clockwise, from top: glasshouses of botanicals

at the Bombay Sapphire distillery; Adnams

brewery; the Penderyn Distillery; on the beach

in Southwold; Bolney Wine Estate vineyard