the Absinthe Distillery on your doorstep...

Lost Loch Distillery is a craft operation based in the Deeside Activity Park, owned and run by locals Pete Dignan and Rich Pierce since 2017.

Starting small with a secret family recipe for Haroosh, a whisky, bramble and honey liqueur, the duo realised that nobody in Scotland was making absinthe.

Leaping on this glaring omission, they came up with Murmichan (an old Scots word for a wicked fairy), Scotland’s first absinthe, distilled with local honey for a smooth experience.

Next came eeNoo, as in “it’s time for gin eeNoo” made with local berries, honey, rosehips and heather flowers. Visitors are welcome, with tours and tastings available to book, plus an inhouse Spirits School, where participants get to create their very own spirits in mini stills to take home. www.lostlochspirits.com visitus@lostloch.com

This year other plans include a regular Lost Loch Live, where the distillery will open as a bar for the evening, showcasing local musicians and food.

So, if you’ve made it your mission in 2023 to find out more about your local area, or you’re looking for somewhere to go with friends, drop us an email or follow on socials, we’d love to see you.

We are now looking to welcome new faces to our 2023 volunteer team in three key areas in advance of our reopening on April 1st!

If you have an interest in a role in the following areas please get in touch!

Events Team - Volunteers on our events team help plan, set up, and host the events offered at the museum. Volunteers in this area are welcome to make as large or as limited a time commitment as they feel fits their personal schedule and capabilities. Whether you’d like to have an active role in event planning or would be happier serving cups of tea at our monthly coffee mornings, we’d be happy to have you join us!

Education and Children’s Activities - The museum hosts visits from schools and youth groups throughout the year, as well as offering our Museum Minis craft and storytelling sessions for ages 0-5. We are looking to expand these offerings and need to grow our volunteer team to do so. Individuals with a background in education or youth services are particularly welcome to apply, but full training will be provided so no formal experience is required. Volunteers in this role will be required to undergo a PVG check.

Front Desk Volunteers - The front desk team are crucial to the museum being able to open to the public every week during our April-October open season. The museum will be open from 12-4 pm every Thursday through Sunday from April 1st to October 29th this year and our front desk volunteers are there each day to welcome museum visitors. Front desk shifts are from 11:30 am to 4 pm, typically one day per week. No relevant experience is needed for this position, but confidence in a public facing role and willingness to learn to use our gift shop payment systems will be necessary. Reliability is important for this role, but availability can vary - in addition to our weekly front desk regulars we will also be looking to create a bank of volunteers who are willing to train to provide sickness and holiday cover for our core volunteer team. Notes of interest or requests for additional information can be emailed to volunteers@alfordheritagemuseum.com with follow up meetings offered in person at Alford Heritage Museum.