I had the pleasure, along with 5 friends, of attending the first ‘Artisan Gin Tasting Cruise‘ put on by Dorset Cruises. It was set to be a stunningly gorgeous evening filled with gin, laughs, and the perfect way to bring in the longer evenings of summer…

A mad dash after work to Poole Quay later, it was all aboard the beautiful vintage Dorset Queen motor yacht for our voyage…

We arrived at our VIP table to find it decked out with a full bottle of Brighton Gin, Double Dutch tonic in various flavours, and some delicious vegetarian canapés. The canapés didn’t last long…

The cruise took us on a two-hour trip around the Dorset coastline, past landmarks such as Brownsea Island and Old Harry Rocks, giving us fantastic views and fresh sea air as the sun went down.

Inside the yacht was a happy and sophisticated party vibe; everyone was in good spirits (get it? 😛 ) and seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the cruise. I knew we were!

The other gin brands represented during the cruise were Conker, Twisted Nose, Pinkster, Bramley & Gage, Wight Mermaids Gin, Dà Mhìle, Salcombe Gin, Sir Robin of Locksley Gin, Shortcross, Black Tomato, Poetic License and Salopian. Unfortunately I didn’t get to try all of them; I would have been in trouble if I had!

We had three VIP drinks tokens each to use on mixed gin cocktails or drinks from the bar, as well as the whole bottle of gin between six of us. We definitely didn’t go thirsty 😉

A few goodies were given to take away with us at the end of the night as mementoes; including coasters, bottle openers, a Brighton Gin stick of rock and a couple of sample size bottles of gin from a couple of the brands we didn’t get a chance to try on the night.

We came away from the cruise a little bit merry, a big bit happy, and with some wonderful memories to last a very long time. Many thanks go to Dorset Cruises and the wonderful and attentive staff there on the night; they did a fantastic job.

Additional cruises are running throughout the summer – find out more information here.