The Portsmouth Distillery: Gin and Rum in a Fort

If you like a bit of history with your drinks, The Portsmouth Distillery is worth a look. It's inside the casemates of Fort Cumberland, a Grade II* listed building and scheduled monument at Eastney Point, on the southeastern tip of Portsea Island. The fort was started in 1747 and completed in 1812 to guard the entrance to Langstone Harbour, and the sea is less than 100 metres away. The distillery was founded in 2018 and makes its gin and rum on site. You'll find it at Coastguard Casemate, Fort Cumberland Road, Southsea, PO4 9LD.

The range is the main draw. The Fort Gin uses locally foraged botanicals such as elderflower, gorse flower and sea radish, and costs £36.00 to £39.00. The Cinnabar Spiced Rum, priced at £37.50 to £40.50, is lightly spiced and takes its name from the cinnabar moth found at the fort. The Tudor Gin (£36.00 to £39.00) is made with botanicals found on the wreck of Henry VIII's flagship, the Mary Rose, including cherry, hemp seed, dandelion and hazelnuts, and a donation from every bottle goes to the Mary Rose Trust. For rum fans, the 1812 Rum is aged for three years in bourbon casks, and the distillery says it is one of the few in England to make three-year-old rum from scratch. Other bottles include the 1968 Rum, an unaged white rum made from pure sugar cane syrup, the 1747, a five-year-aged rum added in 2024, and the Mutiny Coconut Rum, also added that year. The Dark Navy Rum was launched in 2025 to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day. If you can't decide, a Gift Box with two 20cl bottles is £27.00.

The guided tours cover the distillery, the fort, the bar and the shop. Each one includes tastings of gin and rum and a complimentary drink. If you want to try making your own spirit, the Gin/Rum School is a masterclass that covers copper distillation and the use of your own botanicals, and includes a welcome drink. It costs £95 per person with one distiller, or £125 for two people. The distillery also runs private tours, gin or spiced rum sessions and cocktail masterclasses for groups of 8 to 20 people.

Opening hours are Monday to Thursday from 09:30 to 17:00, Friday and Saturday from 09:30 to 22:00, and Sunday from 10:00 to 18:00. Today is Tuesday, so it's open until 17:00. You can call on 023 9273 3339 or email info@theportsmouthdistillery.com to check details or book a session. The Mary Rose Museum, which holds over 19,000 genuine Tudor artefacts from the ship, is at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard if you want to continue the theme.