gin journey chester

The Gin Journey to tour Chester bars this weekend

The tour includes five gin parlours, five samples of gin and five cocktails

• 14:57, 25 JUN 2021

Serve the food you really want to eat by signing up for our tips and recipes and never be bored by your cooking again

We have more newsletters

Gin lovers will be in their element as the Gin Journey returns to Chester this weekend.

The tour includes five gin parlours, five samples of gin, five cocktails and a little light-hearted but informative chat about the history and production methods behind every drink.

The Gin Journey was created in 2013 by former bartender Leon Dallway to promote gin tourism in London, and he’s since rolled it out to Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Brighton, Sydney - and Chester.

He says: “We’ll take you to the best bars with local and national gins to sip, tasty cocktails and a whole load of fun.

“The Gin Journey is chauffeur-driven. Our gin carriage (posh minibus) will chauffeur guests from venue to venue with the gin guardian providing chat and tunes along the way.

More from CheshireLive

Covid spray used by NASA invented in parents' Cheshire restaurant

Pet cat 'kicked' and 'thrown into garden with dogs'

Sandstone Ridge could become an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty

WW2 codebreaker Alan Turing's Cheshire home for sale

Strict new rules brought in to tackle street drinking

'Hero' dad's collapse causes daughter to raise money for community defibrillator

“We provide a boisterous insight into the world of gin while serving up delicious cocktails and samples of well-crafted gin. Guests are whisked around by gin carriage to world-class cocktails bars and era-defining distilleries while most importantly, having a really lovely time.”

It was designed as a fun way to learn about the juniper spirit - but it’s strictly no stags or hens - as many of the bars on the journey have a no stag/hen party policy.

Gin Journey Chester restarts on Saturday, with the next tour on July 31.

• Food and drink
• Most Recent

Gin Journey Chester

Sat Jan 27 2024 at 01:30 pm to 06:00 pm

Olive Tree Brasserie | Chester, EN

Want to go on the UK's number one rated gin experience? You've found it. We've sat at the top of the charts since the day we started in 2013. TripAdvisor, Google or Facebook, you name it we've scaled the reviewing mountains throughout.

With over 2000 tours completed and more than 40,000 guests entertained it's safe to say you lovely people love what we do. You never know you may end up joining 5 or more tours and make it to our hall of fame?

We know our gin better than anyone else out there and even better than that we know how to show you guys a good time while we're showcasing it. Visiting top little bars, secret drink dens and hidden gems. You'll get it all and more on the Gin Journey. Cheers.

• 5 mega venues
• 5 gin cocktails
• 5 samples of gin
• And one expert Gin Guardian

Plenty of knowledge and fun to be had along the way.

Where is it happening?

Event Location & Nearby Stays:

Host or Publisher Gin Journey Chester

It's more fun with friends. share with friends.

Take a tour of the Best British Gins at home with the experts from The Gin Journey

Last year we were lucky enough to be invited on a fabulous journey without leaving the city, enjoying an Epicurean Tour  of some of Chester’s best bars with The Gin Journey .

The Gin Journey is like the best posh bar crawl you’ve ever been on, a gin masterclass, a distillery tour and a cocktail session all rolled into one. If you’re a gin lover or not – this is a great experience and we absolutely loved it. It happened on a Saturday afternoon and included some of our favourite bars including Lono Cove, Barlounge, Craft & Company, Cabinet Club and Kuckoo.

Find out more about The Gin Journey, and when they’ll be returning to Chester here

We’re pretty excited about the Gin Journey returning to Chester one day soon, and in the meantime here is a word from Leon and the team about their favourite Great British Gins which you should be trying while under lockdown.

The best British Gins according to the experts from The Gin Journey …

Call me old fashioned (or stir me one) but I love my classic British gins. Bare in mind Britain is where the classic gins we know and love today began, it was through the spice trade that distilleries could get their hands on fruits and spices such as lemons from the med, limes from South America, Nutmeg from the Caribbean and cinnamon and cassia from South Asia. These were the sorts of ingredients that gave classic gin it’s flavour profile, imagine tasting a spirit with all that going in it for the first time in the 1800s, your mind would be BLOWN.

Plymouth Dry Gin: The Blackfriars distillery is as iconic for the City of Plymouth as the bottle of Plymouth Gin is for the bartender. The distillery has stood in the old Blackfriars since 1793 and the stills remain firing in 2016. Plymouth Dry sings with juniper vigour and brings citrus and cardamom to the party. A Martini made with Plymouth gin is one of life’s true pleasures.

Sipsmith VJOP: This bottle is the pièce de résistance of master distiller Jared Brown’s career. Triple-macerated juniper and a navy strength ABV of 57% would have you thinking the V.J.O.P (which stands for ‘very junipery over proof’ and doff it’s cap at Brandy’s determination VSOP) will blow your head off, but the genius of it is that it tastes smooth and goes down oh-so easily.

East London Liquor Company Batch #2: East London Liquor Company fired up their stills in the summer of 2014, and they wasted no time in announcing themselves to the world with this belter of a gin. Lavender, sage, fennel and thyme all provide lovely herbal flavours, producing an English summer garden style of gin, perfect for sunny afternoons and balmy evenings. Plus, it packs a delightful punch at 47% ABV.

Silent Pool Gin: Made in the Albury Estate in the Surrey Hills, this gin takes its name from the mystical pool that the distillery resides beside. The gin is a sublime distillation using two distinct styles of juniper, then lavender, orange, pear, camomile, elderflower, Essex-grown kaffir lime leaves, linden flowers and rose petals, among others, adding a touch of excitement. This is a new gin-making serious waves in the juniper world.

A final word from WLGT;

We couldn’t finish without recommending a local artisan distillery very close to our hearts here at We Love Good Times.

Three Wrens craft gins are produced just down the road in Tattenhall and this boutique operation is most definitely a family affair. Three Wrens is a Gold Medal award winner at the World Gin Awards and we are so proud to be supporting them on their very own gin journey.

Find out more here about their fabulous local product as well as their distillery tours and gin making experiences, which will be back up and running very soon.

Share this story

Gin Journey Chester

London Manchester Liverpool, Leeds Singapore

Upcoming (0)

Gin and Tonic Tasting and Masterclass at Deva Fest by Gin Journey

Sun, Aug 11, 6:30 PM

Check ticket price on event

Sun, Aug 11, 3:30 PM

Sun, Aug 11, 12:30 PM

Sat, Aug 10, 6:30 PM

Sat, Aug 10, 3:30 PM

Sat, Aug 10, 12:30 PM

Fri, Aug 9, 6:30 PM

Fri, Aug 9, 3:30 PM

Fri, Aug 9, 12:30 PM

Sat, Mar 23, 1:30 PM

Sat, Feb 17, 1:30 PM

Sat, Jan 27, 1:30 PM

Gin and Tonic Tasting and Masterclass at Deva Fest by Gin Journey

Fri aug 12 2022 at 01:00 pm to 02:00 pm, deva fest | chester.

Gin Journey is coming to Deva Fest!

Gin Journey will be hosting one hour masterclasses at Deva Fest Chester.

Enjoy 4 different gin samples, along with four G&T serves (that's 8 drinks for £20!!!), hosted by one of our amazing gin guardians who’ll provide you with lots of knowledge, prizes and general gin fun.

We're here Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 1pm, 3pm and 5pm each day.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Deva Fest, Church Road, Chester, United Kingdom

Sharing is Caring:

• in Articles & Posts
• in Locations
• in Slideshows

Jeff Chester

Find stories by jeff chester.

• Columns & Letters

Popularity:

• Most Viewed
• Most Shared

Latest Articles

Fox Flourishes

By Jeff Chester

Things To Do

Mild Riders Tuesday Night Rides @ Lunarium

Tuesdays, 6 p.m. continues through sept. 26.

•   All of today's events
• Staff Picks

Submit an Event

Browse all Film Times

• -All Categories- American Asian Bakery Barbecue Bistro Brunch Buffet Burgers Cafe Catering Coffee Comfort Food Diner Donuts Eclectic European Fine Dining Food Trucks French Gastropub General Restaurants German Gluten-Free Options Hawaiian Ice Cream / Gelato Indian Irish Italian Japanese Korean Local / Regional Chain Mediterranean Mexican / Latin Modern Northwest Pizza Pub Grub Sandwiches Seafood Slavic Small Plates Southern Steakhouse Sushi Thai Veggie-Friendly Vietnamese -All Neighborhoods-   Spokane - Downtown   Spokane - South   Spokane - North   Spokane - West   Spokane Valley   Coeur d'Alene/Post Falls   Sandpoint   Airway Heights   Cheney   Moscow/Pullman   Rural Eastern WA   Rural Idaho   Spokane - East   Liberty Lake   Montana   Canada
• -All Categories- CULTURE & ENTERTAINMENT   Bars   Casinos   Comedy   Dance Club   Galleries   Games   Live Music   Movie Theaters   Museums   Music   Theaters   Winery/Brewery/Distillery COMMUNITY & PUBLIC SPACES   Community Centers & Event Venues   Education & Learning   Faith & Spirituality   Golf & Country Clubs   Health & Wellness   Hotels   Libraries   Nonprofit   Parks & Recreation   Retail Outlets   Sports Venues SHOPPING & SERVICES   Bookstores   Financial Institutions   Marijuana Business   Market/Grocery   Pets   Public Services   Salons -All Neighborhoods-   Spokane - Downtown   Spokane - South   Spokane - North   Spokane - West   Spokane Valley   Coeur d'Alene/Post Falls   Sandpoint   Airway Heights   Cheney   Moscow/Pullman   Rural Eastern WA   Rural Idaho   Spokane - East   Liberty Lake   Montana   Canada
• Advertise With Us
• Jobs & Internships
• Submit "I Saw You"
• Terms of Use
• Submit An Event
• Find a paper
• Support the Inlander
• View Profile
• Edit Profile
•  Login

Gin Journey Manchester

The Gin Journey is the leading light in gin tours in the UK. We run our award-winning event in  London ,  Manchester , Leeds, Brighton, Chester &  Liverpool  with pop-ups in cities happening whenever we get the chance.

We bring a fresh approach to a classic subject. Our gin tours blend sumptuous cocktails, craft gins, banging bars, history with humour, a sleek gin carriage (your ride) and inspiring distillery visits, all hosted by our expert Gin Guardians harnessing more character than a Copper Carterhead concoction.

Collections

Upcoming (0).

Sat, Jul 27, 12:30 PM

Check ticket price on event

Sat, Jul 6, 12:30 PM

Sat, Jun 29, 12:30 PM

Margarita Journey Manchester

Sat, Jun 1, 2:15 PM

Sat, May 25, 12:30 PM

Sat, May 18, 12:30 PM

Sat, May 11, 12:30 PM

Sat, May 4, 12:30 PM

Sat, Apr 27, 3:00 PM

Sat, Apr 6, 12:30 PM

Tequila Journey Manchester

Sat, Mar 30, 1:00 PM

Sat, Mar 16, 12:30 PM

Gin and Tonic Tasting and Masterclass at Devafest

• Tequila Journey
• Gift Vouchers
• Private & Corporate UK
• Private & Corporate Aus
• Hall of Fame
• Virtual Gin Journey

The top rated gin tour ON THE PLANET! ????

“fun and intimate”

150 5 Stars on Google

7 Certificate of Excellence on TripAdvisor

“Friendly and animated throughout… A remarkable deal.”

What is the Gin Journey, I hear you ask?

The Gin Journey is an exploration into the world of gin. Be taken on a voyage of discovery by one of our expert Gin Guardians. We provide a boisterous insight into the world of gin while serving up delicious cocktails and samples of well crafted gin. Guests are whisked around by gin carriage to world class cocktails bars and era defining distilleries while most importantly, having a really lovely time.

London, Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Brighton and Chester

The Gin Journey currently runs in London (Soho and Shoreditch), Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Brighton and Chester. We're available for public bookings on Saturdays and feel free to get in touch to enquire about private bookings too.

All Over the UK

The Gin Journey was founded in London in Sept 2013. Since then we've hosted over 100,000 people on our gin tours throughout 7 cities in the UK, Singapore and Sydney.

Choose Your City:

Are You of Legal Drinking Age?

• Search Please fill out this field.
• Manage Your Subscription
• Give a Gift Subscription
• Newsletters
• Sweepstakes

• Celebrity Family

Ryan Reynolds' Parents: All About Mom Tammy and Dad James Chester Reynolds

Ryan Reynolds’ parents, Tammy and James Chester Reynolds, had four sons together before James’ death in 2015

Nicole Briese is a contributing writer at PEOPLE. She has been working at PEOPLE since 2022. Her work has previously appeared in Us Weekly, Brides and MTV News.

E. Neitzel/WireImage

Long before Ryan Reynolds was a Marvel superhero, an entrepreneur, a husband to Blake Lively and a father of four , he was just the son of Tammy and James “Jim” Chester Reynolds.

Born to the couple on Oct. 23, 1976, in Vancouver, Canada, Ryan completed the family of six.

“It’s intense when you’re the youngest of four boys ,” Ryan previously told PEOPLE. “You sort of cultivate all these other aspects, survival aspects, that you wouldn’t normally cultivate, you know, being the oldest.”

Ryan also struggled to connect with his father, James, who died on Oct. 25, 2015 . “My dad was a tough guy,” he shared with Mr. Porter in 2018. “He was good in many ways as well, but he was tough on us.”

For the actor, who dealt with anxiety as a child (" I've had anxiety my whole life really,” he told CBS Sunday Mornings in 2022), it was a tough environment. “Growing up in my house, it was never relaxing or easy and I know that, throughout my life, I’ve dealt with anxiety in different ways,” he told Mr. Porter .

Despite his struggles, Ryan maintains a close relationship with his family, including his mother Tammy, who supported him at his November 2022 awards ceremony for the American Cinematheque Award.

“We’re never splitting,” Ryan jokingly tweeted about his relationship with his mom amid split rumors with Lively in 2018. “She’ll always be my mom. No matter how much jazz-cabbage she smokes with her rollerblading friends.”

Here’s everything to know about The Proposal star’s parents, Tammy and James Chester Reynolds.

Tammy and James shared four sons

Frank Trapper/Corbis/Getty

Ryan was the last of four boys born to the Canadian couple, who also shared Patrick, Jeff and Terry Reynolds. “I wasn’t considered a younger brother, I was considered a moving target,” Ryan once told PEOPLE.

According to the Deadpool star, the Reynolds brood could be destructive . “My brothers and I … we would destroy the house,” he told EW Radio in 2016.

Ryan later cited their unruliness as his reasoning for wanting a house full of girls.. He shares daughters James, Ines, Betty and a baby, whose name has yet to be revealed, with Lively. “That’s part of the reason I don’t want boys, because I don’t want a wiffle house,” he explained. “I just want the house to be normal.”

Still, as Ryan told Mr. Porter in 2018, their shared experiences growing up brought them together. “My brothers and I are all very, very close and we all share a bit of that type of humor together,” he said.

He elaborated to David Letterman in 2022, saying, “Laughing can serve you in those dark moments and even help you crawl your way back out. There were times of real darkness. But I think I found those slivers of light, I think my brothers did too. I think we had each other."

The Reynolds’ humor also got them through James’ death in 2015. “ In my dad's dying moments, we were making him laugh ,” Ryan later shared with Men’s Health . “We were all in there together, me and my brothers, just joking with him.”

In November 2023, Ryan was appointed to the Order of British Columbia. He was joined by his mom at the ceremony and made sure to mention his brothers in his comical, acceptance-speech-style post on Instagram.

"Receiving the Order of British Columbia is the honour of a lifetime. I could have been born anywhere but I had the dumb and incredible luck to be made in Vancouver," he wrote. "Huge thanks to my three older brothers, Patrick, Terry and Jeff as well as my mom, Tammy… we’re always there for each other . No matter what. Love you."

James was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 1995

Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage

When Ryan was a teenager, James was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.

“My father really hasn’t ever said he has Parkinson’s disease,” Ryan told Today while doing press in 2014 for the Michael J. Fox Foundation , for which he serves on the board of directors. “He comes from a pretty prideful generation, and he doesn’t talk about it too much. He’s maybe said it once or twice out loud.”

Despite James’ lack of openness about his diagnosis, Ryan said that it brought his family closer. “It kind of galvanized everybody else, to sort of seek resources,” he told the outlet. “And for us, in a strange way, it’s really kind of brought us together.”

James died in October 2015 following a nearly 20-year journey with the disease. In an essay for TIME, published in April 2024, Ryan credited Michael J. Fox for helping his dad " feel less alone " while dealing with Parkinson's.

Tammy was James' primary caregiver following his Parkinson’s diagnosis

While talking with PEOPLE in August 2024, Ryan shared that his mom lived a " life of true isolation " while being the primary caregiver for James.

"When somebody is not necessarily speaking from their baseline or right mental state, they can make life really tough for the only person [there]. My mom was a backboard for my father during that time, but it really broke her," he said, adding, "Caregiver fatigue is very real — it’s one of probably the most unreported side effects of diseases like this."

Ryan regularly trolls Tammy on social media

Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty

Ryan is known for trolling his wife on social media, but he’s also been known to roast his own mother. In 2017, the actor shared a photo of himself on Instagram with the Reynolds matriarch from the TIME 100 Gala red carpet, in which he Photoshopped copious tattoos across her face and neck. “My Mom had the best time in the #Deadpool tattoo booth at Brazil Comic Con,” Ryan joked.

He struck again in March 2023 while announcing the sale of his company, Mint Mobile, to T-Mobile for $1 billion . "We are so happy T-Mobile beat out an aggressive last-minute bid from my mom Tammy Reynolds as we believe the excellence of their 5G network will provide a better strategic fit than my mom's slightly-above-average mahjong skills," he teased.

James worked as a police officer

Rick Madonik/Toronto Star/Getty

Prior to being diagnosed with Parkinson’s, James had several careers, including one as a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. "I would probably have been one [a Mountie] too, if it wasn't for this job,” Ryan reportedly told The Times in 2010. “Being a Mountie is actually a dirtier, rougher and a much more difficult job than you'd think."

As PEOPLE’s 2010 Sexiest Man Alive explained in his 2022 Welcome to Wrexham documentary , James changed careers later in life, however. "My dad started as a cop and then became a food broker, which sounds like a cover for a CIA agent or something but it's an actual job,” he said.

Ryan had a complex relationship with James

Ryan Reynolds Twitter

Ryan’s relationship with his dad was often fraught. He explained their dynamic to GQ in 2016, saying, “I had a rough ten-year patch with my father. So we were estranged.”

According to the Two Guys and a Pizza Place alum, he envisioned a father figure like Wilford Brimley, “who would put me on his lap and just dispense incredible life advice and guidance, and I would go out into the world and execute it beautifully,” he said. Instead, Ryan told the publication that his dad was “that stereotypical tough guy” who kept things inside. “The hardest part for me is that he was always kind of a mystery,” he said. “I just don't feel like I ever had a real conversation with him.”

Ryan has since reconciled that Parkinson's played a big part in their disconnect as father and son. James often experienced two of the disease's lesser-known symptoms, hallucinations and delusions , which the actor says "destabilized" their relationship.

"At the time I just thought, 'My dad’s losing his mind.' My father was slipping down a rabbit hole where he was struggling to differentiate between reality and fiction," Ryan told PEOPLE in August 2024. "And subsequently, everyone else in his life was losing the bedrock faith and trust that they had on his point of view."

The Red Notice star went on to express regret for the way he handled his remaining years with James.

"It was very easy for me to dine off the idea that my father and I do not see eye to eye on anything and that an actual relationship with him is impossible. And as I’m older now, I look back at it, and I think of it more as that was my unwillingness at the time to meet him where he was," Ryan shared. "I could have maybe been there with him toward the end, and I wasn’t. He and I just drifted apart, and that’s something I’ll live with forever."

Blake Lively lovingly teases Tammy, too

Ryan’s not the only one who has fun teasing Tammy. While making a loving speech about her husband before he was presented with the American Cinematheque Award in 2022, Lively thanked her mother-in-law and his late father for conceiving her spouse on what she called a “magical night in 1976.”

"I'm looking at you, Tam-Tam. You little hussy ," she joked.

Ryan named his daughter after his late father

Ryan revealed to Good Morning Britain in 2016 that he and Lively named their first-born daughter after the Deadpool star’s late father. “In the spectrum of weird celebrity baby names, I don’t really feel like we’re breaking new ground here,” he said, joking, “I didn’t call her Summer Squash Meadowlark.”

As the actor told Mr. Porter in 2018, James was also able to meet his namesake, who was born in December 2014, before his death. “ He got to see her , which makes me happy,” Ryan told the publication. “It felt right.”

Ryan credited his spouse for helping him get to a better place with his father at the end of his life. “She has a gift for foresight,” he said.

Tammy costarred in a commercial with Ryan

For Mother’s Day 2022, Tammy starred alongside her youngest son in an ad for his gin company, Aviation Gin.

In the clip, Ryan can be seen attempting to make a cocktail called “Mothers Ruin Punch” as Tammy critiques his every move.

“As this chills for an hour, you’ll want to spend that time reflecting on everything your mom has done for you over the years,” he says, as she cuts about his lack of coasters. “Or just add champagne while it’s warm and drink the ever-loving s— out of it,” he then deadpans.

Tammy trash-talked Chris Hemsworth at her son’s request

Patrick McMullan/Patrick McMullan/Getty ; Brendon Thorne/Getty

Ryan also enlisted Tammy to trash-talk Chris Hemsworth during a fantasy football battle between the two men for charity.

“ Chris Hemsworth is everyone’s least favorite Australian,” she read from a paper she said Ryan had prepared for her. “And as a reminder, Hugh Jackman still exists.” She added, “Chris is a no good asshat who looks like a bodybuilder f---- a platypus.”

Tammy, who jokingly confused Hemsworth for Chris Pine , closed by adding, "I loved you in Wonder Woman !”

Related Articles