If you love the outdoors, Warner’s Distillery’s ‘Taste Of Nature’ Tour is a one of a kind experience

If you’re a lover of all things cocktails and countryside, put Warner’s Distillery’s Taste of Nature Tour at the top of your summer bucket list. 

Warner’s Distillery is a gin distillery nestled in the Harrington countryside in Northamptonshire, about a 15-minute cab ride from Kettering Station. It’s 16 acres of verdant, botanical beauty with three gardens, vast farmland and friendly, mooing and baaing farm dwellers. 

I’ve never been a gin drinker. My Mexican blood runs tequila silver, but the email for Warner’s caught my eye. This was different than the repetitive look-arounds of rooms with copper containers and spirit flights that I’d never buy. I was actually interested. I’ve never seen a distillery in the English countryside – much less one attached to a farm. And after this miserably long winter and grey skies, a trip to the sunny country was desperately in order. 

To arrive, book the Eastern Midlands Railway train from London St. Pancras to Kettering. Once in Kettering, it’s a short cab ride straight to Warner’s. Stepping out of the car on your left is Warner’s HQ – its offices within charming country cottages. Look to your right and you might break your neck. Warner’s hilly farmland stretches far and beyond. 

We start with a pre-tour cocktail in Warner’s tasting room while I tell Sam, one of our guides, that I know fuck all about gin. “We’ll have to start with the basics then,” he laughs, pulling out a bottle of Warner’s Harrington Dry Gin. 

She shakes up a classic gin and tonic, but with a twist, literally. She squeezes every ounce of essence from a slice of lemon, then twists the peel and tosses it in the glass as the final garnish. What’s that line from the film, Bridesmaids, when Kirstin Wiig takes that first sip of that wealthy, pre-wedding lemonade? “Fuck, that’s fresh” – especially when you’re basking in the sun in Warner’s BG1 or Botanical Garden One – because yes, there are multiple. Three, to be exact. 

Once we loosen up, it’s time to hop in (what I call) Warner’s tractormobile – a green, makeshift wagon pulled by a John Deer tractor. It’s bumpy, tottering and extremely fun, like a Falls Farm Disney ride, except better since there’s liquor. We stop on a piece of land, learn about its history and the ecological steps that Warner’s staff take to protect it, ensuring sustainability. When it’s time to hop back on the wagon, a herd of curious, mooing cows sneaks up to bid us a quick adieu. 

Back in the wagon, we’re coasting along BG3’s borders outlined by sloeberry hedges. Perfect timing for Jonny to pull out a bottle of Warner’s Sloe gin and pour each of us a shot. It goes down heavier than the gin and tonic, with a thicker consistency thanks to the infused sloes in the distillery. Like a plum, it’s sweet yet tart. Unlike a plum, it hits my liver and I’m feeling good. 

We arrive at the last garden, BG2 , and find outdoor tables with rows of cocktail glasses, ice, mixers, shakers and more gin. Remember those boxes of herbs we picked earlier? They’re going into the cocktails we’re about to shake up. Today, it’s the Lemon Balm Smash – fresh, citrus-heavy and ridiculously good. It’s the right amount of liquid courage to encourage us to zip into some protective suits and visit Warner’s bee farm, kept by Jonny, himself.

Today, he shows how to move a swarm of bees into one of Warner’s man-made hives

“The trick is to swiftly relocate the queen. Then, the rest will follow,” he says, explaining that Queen Bees release special pheromones that allows her workers bees to know her exact location – nature’s original GPS. Jonny scoops up god knows how many bees from the branch and gently pours them onto the honey-filled hive. Suddenly, thousands upon thousands of bees shoot into the air and fly around us frantically. The unison buzzing takes over, almost zen-like. If it weren’t for these suits, we’d “bee” fucked.

Jonny realises that the Queen is still afoot, so he takes another scoop. This time, in a matter of seconds, the bees calm down and crowd together at their new home’s entrance, ruthlessly marching in to protect Your Highness. We watch in awe.

Out of our bee gear, we return to the tasting room, toasty from the sun and spirits. We gulp cold water, browse the stocked retail shelves of Warner’s various gins from rhubarb to honey and look back on these few hours outdoors.

Before my taxi arrives, I take one last look at Falls Farm, open and infinite. I am a little tipsy, very content and officially a gin drinker. 

Warner’s ‘Taste of Nature’ tour dates are June 15, July 20, August 17 and September 7, 2024.

To book, visit www.warnersdistillery.com.

Warner’s Distillery is located at Falls Farm, 34 High Street, Harrington, NN6 9NU

Warner’s Gin Recipes

Find Warner’s Gin at a Waitrose or Tesco near you.