Meet at York Distillery (within Middleton’s Hotel); check your booking confirmation for the exact room or entrance.

How long is the tasting?

The session runs approximately two hours.

Is the event age restricted?

Yes—guests must be 18 or older to participate.

Tickets are refundable up to the start time of the event; after the session begins refunds are not available.

Are dietary restrictions accommodated?

Contact the host ahead of time—alt cheeses or adjustments can often be made if notified in advance.

The tasting is typically seated or semi-seated in the distillery tasting room; check with the operator if you need specific accessibility arrangements.

Christmas Cheers: Wine, Beer, Gin & Cheese Tasting at York Distillery | Food Tour | Wine

Christmas Cheers at York Distillery (within Middleton’s Hotel) in York, England, serves a compact, convivial tasting that celebrates festive drinks and cheese across two hours. Set inside a welcoming tasting room a short walk from York Minster and the River Ouse, this event turns familiar flavours into a small urban tasting route: a welcome York Gin cocktail, three craft beers, and four wines (including a sparkle and a fortified wine) each matched to artisan cheeses and introduced with practical pairing know-how.

Drinks expert Emma Moore leads the session, mixing lively presentation with technical tasting notes and approachable service. Expect a guided progression from lighter profiles to richer, fortified styles, punctuated by palate-refreshing cheese pairings that illuminate texture, acidity and finish. The format is equal parts social and educational—ideal for couples, friends, and solo visitors who want an insider’s take on how producers think about balance and mouthfeel.

The meeting point is York Distillery (within Middleton’s Hotel), centrally located so you can arrive on-foot after wandering the city’s narrow medieval streets. York’s tangible history—stone facades, cobbled lanes and riverside views across the Ouse—makes the tasting feel like a stop on a broader city exploration. For context, York’s urban fabric stretches back to Roman times, but the tasting itself focuses squarely on modern craft production and local hospitality.

Practical details: the experience runs about two hours, is for guests 18 and over, and includes the welcome cocktail, the beer and wine flights, and guided pairing commentary. Tickets are refundable up to the event start; after that refunds are not available. The space is suited to people who enjoy sensory experiences rather than strenuous activity—no special fitness required, though booking early is wise for weekend dates.

Why this event stands out: it’s rare to find a compact tasting that brings together gin, beer and wine under one narrative voice, especially inside a distillery venue embedded in a historic hotel. The session is as useful for beginners—who gain tasting vocabulary and pairing tips—as it is for enthusiasts chasing new producers and tasting tricks.

Book this if you want an intimate, well-paced tasting that doubles as a cultural stop in York’s center: short, spirited, and thoroughly approachable.

Before you go, consider arriving early to explore nearby Museum Gardens or to watch peregrine falcons that often patrol the sandstone towers of the Minster; they make for memorable urban wildlife sightings. This tasting also works well as a pre or post dinner activity — follow it with a short riverside walk or a stop at a local bakery. If you have dietary restrictions contact the host ahead of time; the tasting format can often accommodate alternatives. Small groups are encouraged, and tickets sell quickly during holiday weekends.