Reykjavik: Eimverk Distillery Guided Tour with Tasting

GYG

Reykjavik: Eimverk Distillery Guided Tour with Tasting

★ 4.9(368 reviews)

• Guide works in English
• Duration per the operator: 1.2 hours

from $47

See dates, price and what is included at the operator

A working distillery tour that fits into an afternoon

This is a short visit to Eimverk Distillery, the family-run producer in Reykjavik that makes its spirits from local barley. The tour runs for 1.2 hours and starts in the city, so you can fit it between other plans without rearranging your day. You will be guided in English or Icelandic, and the guide takes you through the production process before you sit down to taste what comes out of it. At from 47 USD, it is one of the least expensive ways to spend an hour in the city with something to drink at the end. The distillery is the whole point of the trip; there are no other stops to factor in, which keeps the pace simple and the total time short.

Photographs from the operator Eimverk Distillery. They show the listing, not your day.

What the price covers and what it does not

The listed price of from 47 USD gets you the guided tour and the tasting that follows it. That is the entire transaction. The operator is clear that food is not part of the deal, and hotel pickup is not offered either, so you make your own way to the distillery and you eat before or after, not during. There are no admission charges or parking fees at any point on this tour, because there are no separate sights to enter. The only extra you might pay for is anything you choose to buy at the distillery shop after the tasting, which is not part of the listed price. Free cancellation is available if your plans change, and the exchange rate used for the price is 121.15 ISK per USD, so the cost in Icelandic kronur is roughly what you would expect from that figure.

A high score backed by a solid number of reviews

The tour holds a 4.9 rating, which is excellent, but the more telling figure is the 368 reviews behind it. That is not a handful of enthusiastic posts; it is a substantial sample, and it puts this tour third out of 21 listings in its category by volume of feedback. Only two other food-and-drink tours in Reykjavik have more people weighing in. A score that high with that many votes means the experience is consistently delivering what it promises, not just occasionally getting it right. In a category where some tours have fewer than 40 reviews, this one has a track record you can reasonably trust. The rank of 3 of 21 is by evidence strength, not by score alone, and it reflects the breadth of opinion behind the rating rather than a slight against the tour itself.

A year-round stop, best in the cooler months

Reykjavik's temperatures stay mild throughout the year, with highs ranging from 3 degrees in January to 15 degrees in July. The tour itself is indoors, so the weather outside matters less than it would for a glacier hike or a coastal boat trip. The short 1.2-hour duration means you are never outside for long even when you are moving between the meeting point and the distillery. The coldest months, from December through February, see highs around 3 degrees and lows near minus 2, which is cold enough to make you walk quickly, but the tour is brief enough that it will not wear on you. The warmer months of June through August, with highs of 13 to 15 degrees, are pleasant for the short walk, but they also bring more visitors to the city, so the distillery may feel busier. For a tasting tour, the darker winter months have a particular appeal, as the short daylight hours make an indoor activity with a drink at the end a sensible choice. The tour runs on a fixed schedule, so the time of day you book is up to you, and the indoor setting keeps it comfortable regardless of the season.

What happens when you arrive

You make your own way to the distillery, since pickup is not part of the deal. The tour is guided, so there is someone to meet you and take you through the process. The distillery is a working production site, not a museum with a front desk and a turnstile. You will be shown the equipment and the steps involved in making the spirits, and then you taste the results. The whole thing is contained in the 1.2 hours, so you are not left to wander on your own or wait around between parts of the visit. Because the tour is indoors, rain or wind will not change the plan. The only variable is the short walk to get there, and in winter that means dressing for temperatures around freezing. The guide speaks English or Icelandic, so there is no language barrier for most visitors.

Who this suits and who should look elsewhere

This tour is for anyone curious about how spirits are actually made, especially if you want to see a small-scale Icelandic producer at work rather than a large commercial operation. It also suits travellers watching their budget, since at from 47 USD it is among the cheapest options in its category, and it fits into a tight schedule with its short duration. It is not for anyone expecting a meal. Food is explicitly excluded, and the tour does not try to be a food tour. If you want to eat while you drink, the Guided Foodie Walking Tour with 6 Tastings runs for 3 hours at from 150 USD and combines food with drink, or the Icelandic Food Tour at from 145 USD covers similar ground. If you want a longer, more social drinking experience, the Beer and Booze Tour runs 2.5 hours at from 125 USD. This distillery visit is the focused, quick, and inexpensive option, and it is best treated as exactly that.

GYG

Reykjavik: Eimverk Distillery Guided Tour with Tasting

Dates, remaining places and the current version of what is included are at the operator. This page reflects the state of the catalogue, not the state of this morning.

from $47

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