Distill a Bottle of Rum on mini copper stills

Make your own Edinburgh rum. This three-hour class at Sip Antics turns a drink into a hands-on project, from choosing botanicals to sealing your finished bottle with wax. I like the tiny group size, limited to three people, and the chance to choose up to 10 ingredients for a rum that is truly your own. I also like that you do not simply watch a demonstration: you operate an individual mini copper still and take home 500ml of the result.

The main consideration is the price, $123.40 per person. That is a fair spend for a personal class with tastings, cocktails, instruction, and a bottle to keep, but it is more than a standard pub afternoon. You should also plan ahead, since the experience is booked an average of 41 days in advance.

• You distill a 500ml bottle yourself using an individual mini copper still.
• You can select up to 10 botanicals, including fruits, herbs, and spices.
• The class is limited to three people, giving the session a personal feel.
• You taste three rums and enjoy cocktails while your own batch is distilling.
• Gary and Neil are praised for their warm, clear hosting, with Gary’s Irish humor adding to the relaxed mood.
• Your bottle is named, labelled, measured for proof, and wax sealed before you take it home.

A Small Rum School Beneath an Edinburgh Pub

Your meeting point is The Cumberland Bar at 1 to 3 Cumberland Street, in Edinburgh’s New Town area. The class takes place in a cosy room beneath the pub, at the Sip Antics gin and rum school.

That setting matters. You are not walking into a large commercial distillery with a crowd and a polished visitor centre. This is a compact teaching room built around conversation, tasting, smells, and practical work. The atmosphere is informal, and the small scale lets the host answer basic questions without making anyone feel out of place.

The experience begins at 12:00 pm. You receive a rum and mixer on arrival, then settle in while your host explains how the afternoon will work. This opening drink helps ease you into the class, especially if you are meeting the other two people for the first time.

The tone is social, but the focus remains on rum. Guides Gary and Neil have both been praised for being friendly, funny, and easy to talk with. Gary is noted for his Irish charm and patient explanations, while Neil brings obvious enthusiasm to the subject.

Three Rum Samples Before You Make Your Own

The tasting portion gives you a useful starting point. You try three different rum samples before making any choices for your own bottle.

That step is more important than it may sound. If you normally choose a rum by brand or price, you may not have considered how much fruit, spice, or herb changes the final drink. Sampling several styles lets you notice what you enjoy before you start building a recipe.

The host explains rum, flavour profiles, and the ingredients used in mixed drinks. You can ask questions at any level, including the most basic ones. That is helpful for beginners, while people who already know their way around a bottle of rum can spend more time discussing balance and flavour combinations.

The tasting also gives the class a natural rhythm. You are not asked to make immediate decisions in a room full of unfamiliar ingredients. First, you taste. Then, you smell and compare. Only after that do you choose what goes into your still.

Choosing Up to 10 Botanicals for a Personal Recipe

This is the heart of the afternoon. You select up to 10 botanicals from the available ingredients to make a custom rum recipe.

The choices include fruits, herbs, and spices. You might build something festive with seasonal ingredients, as one pair did with a Christmas rum, or keep the recipe closer to the flavours you already enjoy. The key point is that each person creates a separate bottle rather than contributing to one shared batch.

Ingredient selection is where the host’s experience becomes useful. A large choice can be exciting, but it can also be confusing. Gary has been praised for having a fine nose for combinations and for explaining which flavours work together. You are not simply handed a tray of ingredients and left to guess.

I would take your time here. Smell everything carefully, and avoid choosing ingredients just because they sound unusual. Ten ingredients is an upper limit, not a target you must reach. A smaller, better-balanced recipe may suit you more than a crowded one.

You also need to tell the provider about allergies before the visit. The class uses a range of fruits, herbs, and spices, so this is not a detail to leave until you arrive.

Your Individual Mini Copper Still in Action

Once you have chosen your recipe, you use your own mini copper still. This is the part that gives the class real substance. You are learning by doing, not just listening to a talk about distillation.

The still produces a 500ml, or 50cl, bottle of rum. The compact size makes sense for a personal class. You can create something distinctive without producing more alcohol than you need, and the finished bottle is small enough to carry home comfortably.

The host guides you through the process and explains what is happening as the ingredients are distilled. This is a good balance for a practical experience. You get control over the recipe, but you are not expected to operate unfamiliar equipment without help.

The class does not present you as a professional distiller after three hours. Instead, it gives you an accessible look at how ingredients influence a spirit and how careful choices shape the final result. That is the real value for curious beginners.

While your rum is distilling, you enjoy a cocktail. This waiting period is not dead time. It gives the host a chance to continue explaining the process, and it lets you compare your developing recipe with the drinks and samples already served.

The drinks also mean you should treat the afternoon as a tasting event rather than a quick craft workshop. You receive a rum and mixer at the start, taste three samples, and enjoy a cocktail during distillation. Eat beforehand and pace yourself.

Tasting the Finished Rum and Sealing the Bottle

When the distillation is complete, you taste your new rum before it goes into the bottle. This is a satisfying part of the experience because you can compare the finished spirit with the recipe you imagined earlier.

The rum is measured for proof, then bottled, labelled, named, and sealed with wax. Those finishing touches turn the afternoon into a proper keepsake. You leave with a bottle that records your choices, rather than a generic souvenir bought from a shop.

Naming the rum is a small but worthwhile detail. It gives the bottle a personality and makes it more suitable as a birthday present, Christmas gift, or shared project with a partner or friend. Several people have used the experience as a gift, and that makes sense: the finished bottle is personal without requiring you to guess someone’s preferred brand.

You may want to let the rum rest for a few weeks before opening it. That advice has come up during the experience, and it is a practical way to make the most of the bottle. The class gives you something to take home, but it also gives you a reason to look forward to a later tasting with family or friends.

A Three-Person Class With Real Time for Questions

The maximum group size is three people. For this type of activity, that is a major advantage.

Small groups make it easier to handle ingredients, ask questions, and receive help with the still. You also avoid the awkwardness of standing at the back of a demonstration or waiting for your turn. Each person has an individual bottle and recipe, so the limited capacity directly improves the hands-on part of the class.

It is also a good choice for two friends or a couple. You can make contrasting recipes, compare notes, and leave with separate bottles. Solo participants can also fit into the social setting, since the host’s relaxed style helps strangers settle in together.

The small capacity has one drawback: there are very few places in each session. An average booking lead time of 41 days is a useful warning. If you want a particular Edinburgh date, especially during a busy visit, reserve well ahead.

The experience is offered in English. It is near public transport, and the activity returns to the same Cumberland Bar meeting point when it ends.

What the $123.40 Price Really Covers

At $123.40 per person, this is not a cheap way to have a few drinks. It is a structured, three-hour experience that includes several parts:

• A welcome rum and mixer
• Three rum tasting samples
• Instruction about rum, distillation, and flavour profiles
• Use of an individual mini copper still
• Your custom botanical recipe
• A cocktail during the distillation
• A 500ml bottle of your finished rum
• Proof measurement, labelling, naming, and wax sealing

I think the value depends on what you want from an afternoon. If you only want to taste rum, a bar or dedicated tasting may cost less and offer a wider selection. If you want a souvenir from Edinburgh, a bottle from a shop is also cheaper and easier.

This class earns its price through participation. You are paying for the host’s guidance, the equipment, ingredients, drinks, and a bottle that you helped create. The experience also has a gift quality that a normal tasting does not.

For a rum enthusiast, the price is easier to justify. You receive both an activity and a custom spirit. For someone who rarely drinks rum, the cost may feel high, especially since the result is a small 500ml bottle rather than a full-size bottle.

Who Will Enjoy This Rum-Making Afternoon

This is best for people who like flavour, conversation, and practical activities. You do not need previous distilling experience. The explanations are designed to make beginners comfortable, and the host welcomes simple questions.

I would recommend it for:

• Rum fans who want more than a standard tasting
• Couples or friends looking for a shared Edinburgh activity
• Birthday and Christmas gift recipients
• People interested in herbs, spices, fruits, and cocktail ingredients
• Curious beginners who enjoy making something by hand
• Small groups who prefer personal attention

It is less suitable if you want a fast stop between sightseeing visits. Three hours is a substantial block of time, and the experience includes several drinks, discussion, tasting, and hands-on work.

It may also disappoint someone expecting to produce a large bottle of aged rum. You take home 500ml of freshly distilled spirit. The pleasure is in the making, naming, and later tasting, not in leaving with a mature, cellar-aged product.

Practical Details Before You Book

The class starts at noon and lasts about three hours. Allow the full time, since the bottle must be distilled, tasted, bottled, and sealed before you leave.

You meet at The Cumberland Bar, 1 to 3 Cumberland Street, Edinburgh EH3 6RT. The activity ends back at the meeting point, which makes it simple to plan the rest of your day in central Edinburgh.

Mobile tickets are accepted, and confirmation is provided when you book. Service animals are allowed. The experience is near public transportation, though no specific route details are provided, so check your own map and departure point before setting out.

Tell Sip Antics about any allergies in advance. That is especially important because the recipe stage involves multiple botanicals.

Free cancellation is available if you cancel at least 24 hours before the local start time. Changes or cancellations inside that 24-hour window are not accepted for a refund.

The current rating is 5.0 from 36 ratings, with 100 percent recommending the experience. That strong record fits the most consistent strengths: friendly hosting, clear explanations, a relaxed room, and the chance to leave with a one-of-a-kind bottle.

Should You Book Sip Antics?

Book it if you want an intimate, social rum activity with something tangible to show for it. The best feature is the combination of tasting and making. You first learn what you like, then use that knowledge to create a recipe, distill it, and take home the result.

I would especially choose it as a gift or as an afternoon for two. Gary and Neil have both earned praise for making people feel comfortable, and that matters when you are spending three hours in a small room with new people.

Skip it if your main goal is a broad professional tasting, a historic distillery tour, or a bargain drink. At $123.40, the experience asks you to pay for instruction and participation. For the right person, that is the point. For everyone else, a pub and a bottle shop may do the job for less.

FAQ

Where does the rum-making experience start?

It starts at The Cumberland Bar, 1 to 3 Cumberland Street, Edinburgh EH3 6RT, UK.

What time does the experience begin?

The class starts at 12:00 pm.

How long does the rum-making class last?

It lasts approximately three hours.

How many people can join the class?

The maximum group size is three people.

How much rum do I take home?

You produce and take home a 500ml, or 50cl, bottle of rum.

Can I choose the ingredients in my rum?

Yes. You can select up to 10 botanicals from the available fruits, herbs, and spices.

Are drinks included during the experience?

Yes. You receive a rum and mixer on arrival, taste three rum samples, and enjoy a cocktail while your rum is distilling.

Can I cancel for a refund?

Yes. You can cancel for a full refund up to 24 hours before the experience start time. Cancellations or changes made less than 24 hours in advance are not accepted for a refund.