Heads & Tales Gin Bar

Heads & Tales Gin Bar is a small bar attached to the Edinburgh Gin Distillery at 1a Rutland Place in Edinburgh's West End, Scotland. Its focus is gin: the bar offers tastings and cocktails built around the distillery's own spirits and flavoured gins, and it is linked to distillery tours, so the visit can combine a short education in how gin is made with a drink at the end. The location is close to the western end of Princes Street and Lothian Road, and it is convenient for a drink before a ceilidh at Ghillie Dhu next door.

The crowd is a mix of visitors on distillery tours, couples, small groups of friends and people on the way to other West End venues. Ages are mostly adults from their twenties upwards, and the atmosphere is relaxed and specialist, with the emphasis on tasting and conversation rather than dancing. There is no dress code; casual clothes are the norm. Music is incidental and the room is quiet enough for conversation.

The drinks programme is centred on gin. Tastings let visitors sample several expressions side by side, while cocktails typically cost about £11 to £15 (roughly $15 to $20) and include gin and tonics, classic gin cocktails and house creations that draw on the distillery's botanical-driven range. Staff are generally happy to explain flavour profiles and suggest pairings for guests who are unsure where to start. Non-gin options are available, but the gin range is the reason most people come.

Opening hours vary and are tied in part to the schedule of distillery tours, so it is wise to check the venue's current times before visiting. There is no cover charge for the bar itself, although distillery tours are separately ticketed and should be booked in advance, particularly at weekends and during the August festivals. Reservations for the bar are not usually essential for small groups, but larger parties may wish to ask in advance. Weekday afternoons are the quietest, while Friday and Saturday evenings are the busiest.