Hooting Owl Distillery

Hooting Owl Distillery, artisan distillery in the historic heart of York

Hooting Owl Distillery is an artisan distillery based in York (North Yorkshire, England) that produces gin, vodka and rum in small batches. The company presents itself as the first distillery within the ancient city walls of York and makes its drinks by hand. Its range includes London Dry gins, fruit gins, Yorkshire vodka and rum, as well as the Tipsy Toad range.

The distillery has accumulated more than ten Great Taste Awards among a total of more than nineteen accolades, according to its own presentation. In addition to production, it operates a shop, offers guided tours with gin tastings and has a lounge bar with food service.

Gins inspired by the counties of Yorkshire

The company has developed a line of gins linked to different areas of Yorkshire, each with its own inspiration and botanical blend:

• North Yorkshire Gin: inspired by the North Yorkshire moors; its botanicals include heather and bilberry, associated with the habitat of the rare dwarf cornel.
• East Yorkshire Gin: inspired by the Yorkshire coast, it incorporates kelp, honey, dandelion, lavender, berries and hawthorn blossom. Its development was inspired by David Hockney's The Big Hawthorne.
• South Yorkshire Gin: with a fresh, herbaceous profile, it combines the earthiness of mountain ash with the sweetness of liquorice and cassia, plus a hint of mint and rosemary. Its development was influenced by the founder's time as a butcher and by the flavour of the Barnsley chop.
• West Yorkshire Gin: a spiced and aromatic gin inspired by Bradford, the hometown of founder and distiller Dom; it includes cardamom, turmeric, cumin, cubeb and grains of paradise.

Spirits and other products

Alongside the county gins, the range includes references such as Signature Gin, Rhubarb & Vanilla Gin, Mango & Passionfruit Gin, Yorkshire Raspberry Gin, West Yorkshire Spiced Gin, Botanical Spiced White Rum, Mocha Rum and Coconut Rum. A Tour De Yorkshire mini gin tasting set (4 x 5 cl), glasses and gift cards are also sold, as well as mixers and tonics in collaboration with Marlish. The online shop offers free shipping on orders over £79.

Tours, tastings and lounge bar

The distillery offers guided tours and gin tastings, and has a lounge bar where food is served. Bar tables are not reserved individually and are served on a first-come, first-served basis; reservations are managed for events. The company also serves wholesale customers through its trade catalogue.

Location and contact

The distillery is located at 1 Rougier Street, York, North Yorkshire, YO1 6HZ, near the train station and most hotels in the area. Enquiries about the distillery and orders are handled at info@hootingowldistillery.co.uk, while those relating to the lounge bar and bookings are managed at bar@hootingowldistillery.co.uk. The contact phone number is 01904 501911.

1 Rougier Street, York, North Yorkshire. YO1 6HZ · Phone: 01904 501911 · Email: info@hootingowldistillery.co.uk