Best Breweries and Distilleries in Devon
Posted 16th Nov 2022
We love helping visitors to have the best experiences in Devon and recommending our favourite local hotspots. If you’re after an activity for grown-ups then there are many fun things to do in Devon. Our area is renowned for producing some brilliant tipples. One of our favourite things to do is to sample the local made alcoholic drinks – we like to call it market research!
From dark, full flavoured pints of ale and light, citrusy notes in gin, to silky rum, Devon boasts a range of breweries and distilleries. Whether you’re a drinks connoisseur, someone trying to refine their pallet or are just looking for something fun to do, you’ll find the perfect experience for you.
A visit to Devon for adults isn’t complete without getting a proper taste of the county. Here, we give you our top picks of the best breweries and distilleries in Devon.
Salcombe Distilling Company
Salcombe Distilling Company do gin… and they do it well. Their coastal spirits have won multiple awards and are stocked by a multitude of stores, including high street heavyweights Waitrose and John Lewis. If you’re a gin lover, then why not visit their base of operations: The Boathouse. Their distillery was recently awarded ‘Best Small Visitor Attraction’ at The South West England Tourism Excellence Awards.
Here, you can enrol at the most fun education institute you’ll come across: Gin School. You’ll learn the art of distillation and have a go at the process from beginning to end. Start by creating your very own recipe – choosing from a range of citrus, herbal, floral and spice botanicals, before taking charge of a mini copper pot still to develop and distil your gin! You’ll come away with a 70cl bottle, which you can personalise with a label and a presentation box. You’ll conclude the experience by tasting your very own gin in their waterside bar.
If you’d rather not turn your hand to making Gin, but rather learn about it, then a Distillery Tour and Tasting Experience might be ideal for you! You’ll start the experience with a ‘Salcombe & Tonic’ in hand by meeting ‘Provident’, their 450L copper still. Salcombe will then continue with an informational tour of the facility, before you are led through a tutored tasting.
Whichever experience you decide to enjoy, you’ll have ample time to visit The Boathouse afterwards. Enjoy the full range of Salcombe Gin with mixers or as cocktails, made by the experts themselves. Enjoy your silky spirits with a stunning backdrop of the Devon Waters behind you.
Find out more on the Salcombe Gin Distillery website.
Directions from Beverley Holidays to Salcombe Gin Distillery
Exeter Gin
Exeter Gin: the creation of a city gin by a family who values Exeter’s heritage. Developed from listening to customers at their pop-up gin bar, the family affair has grown to become a household name in the UK. If you are visiting Devon, then why not take the short trip to Exeter to meet the experts.
Just like their family-orientated business development, Exeter Gins’ Teignmouth based distillery is steeped in family history, too. At Granny Garbutt’s Gin School you’ll learn the art of distilling and have a go at making your own gin. After enjoying a complimentary G&T on arrival you’ll meet ‘Isabelle’, their 450L copper still, and be guided towards producing your very own 35cl bottle. Following the session you’ll also have the chance to try your creation!
If you prefer theory to practical learning then why not book a ‘Gin Tasting with Tour’? On the 90-minute experience you’ll try 6 delicious gins and be guided through the best tonics and garnishes to have with each!
Alternatively, if you have something to celebrate, you might like to hire their gin bar for a private party of up to 20 guests! Private functions don’t get much classier than that.
Whether you choose to have a go at making gin or taking a tour of the distillery, we recommend that you pay a visit to Granny Garbutt’s Gin Bar. Enjoy some excellent gin straight from the source – poured by the highest quality mixologists.
Find out more on the Exeter Gin website.
Otter Brewery
If you’ve visited a few local pubs and sampled some Devon brews then it’s likely you’ve come across Otter before. Named so because the water for their drinks is drawn from the River Otter, this brewery is another which has been kept firmly in the family. Now with 5 generations working on the ‘labour of love’, Otter have grown to supply an extensive range of local watering holes since their inception in 1990. Otter brew gin, cider and lager, but they are most popular for their brilliant real ale. Along with their excellent locally-produced drinks, Otter support local charities such as Dartmoor Zoo, and have partnered up with Devon Wildlife Trust to help save Devon’s treescapes after 30 years of sustainable brewing. Tastes good, does good.
Some favourite beers of ours include Amber and Head, which are ABV 4.0 and 5.8 respectively. We recommend giving a number of their beers a taste – all are excellent!
Otter Brewery are proud of their Luppitt Valley Brewery. However due to their rural setting, if you’d like to book a tour of their traditional brewery, you must have a party size of 15-25 people. If you can gather the numbers then this is the experience for you!
Find out more on the Otter Brewery website.
Two Drifters
We couldn’t complete our list without mentioning our favourite rum distillery. If you enjoy rum and/or place importance on sustainability, then you’ll love Two Drifters. They proclaim that their distillery ‘is the perfect blend of rum, science, innovation and passion’. As you take a look at their history and practices, it becomes clear that this is a perfect representation of how Two Drifters operate.
Two Drifters are the world’s first carbon negative rum company. We recommend you read up on their practices and how they have already removed 36,000 tonnes of CO2 at the time of writing. Although they see themselves as a small rum company in the grand scheme of things, they are already ‘influencing how the drinks business thinks about their production with a view towards their carbon footprint’.
Incredibly, Two Drifters make up to 80,000 bottles of rum a week! They have four product offerings; Signature Rum, Pure White Rum, Lightly Spiced Rum, and Overproof Spiced Pineapple Rum. In their Exeter aircraft-style hangar they offer a reasonably priced tour of the distillery. To commence the 90-minute experience you’ll enjoy a Devon Stormy cocktail, before learning about how they achieve a carbon negative footprint, their distilling processes and then finish with an informative and fun tasting session of various rums!
Find out more on the Two Drifters website.
Bays Brewery
Our honourable mention goes to Bays Brewery. Although the Torbay-based brewers don’t currently offer brewery tours, we simply had mention them because their multi-award winning beer is among the best in Devon! A favourite of ours, we recommend purchasing their beverages online, and enjoying them in your cosy accommodation at Beverley Holidays or relaxing on one of our local sandy beaches by the sea.
If you are planning an event in the local area, why not employ Bays to host an outdoor pop-up bar to really bring the party!
If beer isn’t your poison of choice, you’ll love their extensive range of ciders, gins, rum and wine!
Find out more on the Bays Brewery website.
Activities for Adults in Devon
Aside from the excellent breweries and distilleries, Devon also plays host to a range of other fun activities for grown ups in Exeter and Devon. Here are some of our favourites:
Get your thinking caps on
Escape room – Red House Mysteries.
Get active
Foot Golf – UK Foot Golf
Coasteering – Rock Solid Coasteering
Get pampered
Spa visit – Couples HarSPA
Staycation at Beverley Holidays
Following a wonderful trip to a brewery or distillery you’ll no doubt need a place to store your haul after inevitably raiding the gift shop!
Luckily, Beverley Holidays offers the perfect base to enjoy an adults staycation in Devon. Choose to stay on one of three parks – all of which are situated in Goodrington, on the outskirts of Paignton. We’re very lucky to be a stone’s throw from the South Devon coast on the award-winning English Riviera, where the highest concentration of Blue Flag beaches in the UK are set!
Here, you’ll find more than 40 local attractions and sandy beaches. Whatever time of year you choose to visit us, you’re never far from the ideal attraction for your loved ones! In autumn and winter we can’t think of many better things than a hot tub holiday in Devon. Choose to bring your camper or tourer and really be at one with the famous Devon coast, or stay in one of our cosy caravans or lodges on our dog-friendly holiday park in Paignton.
We highly recommend visiting the bustling local area and exploring the excellent attractions…but if you don’t fancy going out for a the day, we’ve more than got you covered.
Holiday Home ownership in Devon
Do you love the Devon coast as much as we do? Why not explore the possibility of owning a holiday home here! As an owner, you can enjoy a range of additional benefits within ‘The Beverley Experience‘.
Find out more about taking the next step into making a more permanent base for yourself in beautiful Devon. We can’t wait to help you find your perfect holiday home on the coast!