If your business tagline is «the world’s first liquid deli» I’m going to get a bit excited. I’ve actually been into Demijohn a few times but have never committed to buying until last week. Normally I get a bit too overwhelmed, look around for a few seconds and then leave again. Not this time though! If you’re not sure what Demijohn is all about, it’s a shop which sells some lovely spirits, oils, vinegars as well as jam and chutney. I was in looking for a gift for friends for a housewarming and the customer service was great — the guy talked me through what is popular just now(Seville gin!) and suggested a nice gift rack with three mid-sized gins(the Apotheker 200ml rack). They’ll even do a custom message on the bottles if you like. Sure, it’s a little pricey but a great place to buy a gift for yourself or someone else. Well worth a visit. I believe they’ll also let you have some samples although I wasn’t offered any on this visit(sad times).
David P.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Glasgow, United Kingdom
This is a lovely little place in the West End that have a wonderful range of local produce. I’ve tried their raspberry vodka, which is particularly nice but my main reason for visiting them is for their flavoured vinegars, which are just amazing! Our favourite at the moment is their Tayberry but their Bramble and Lemon vinegars are also gorgeous. We mix them with flavoured olive oil and use this to pour over a salad — it really perks up the flavour a lot, I couldn’t eat another salad without Demijohns vinegar on it! I also like the fact they do the recycled bottles so you only pay the bottle cost once then you can take it back and get a refill, which is great value for money. Even if you’re buying for yourself they still wrap each bottle up individually in paper and tie it with string, it’s a nice little extra touch! Their gift packs are also great presents, we’ve bought a few sets here for people and they’ve been very impressed by them.
Lucy B.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Glasgow, United Kingdom
What a wonderful shop this is. It’s a real place for the artisan fans. They have a wide range of mostly locally produced oils, vinegars and also very fancy alcohols. I have my beady eye on some dark spiced rum, as well as the organic rhubarb vodka liqueur. Mmm mmm. Or Gooseberry Gin liqueur! You just will not find Demijohn’s stock elsewhere — it really is niche and wonderfully specialist. Last time I was in, I bought some beautiful olive oil and some bramble vinegar. I’d also highly recommend the Yorkshire lemon rapeseed oil — it is absolutely delicious over salad or bread. The chap who served me was great — he really knows his stuff, and told me all about the hertigage of what I was buying, and made some recipe suggestions too. The packaging is a lovely touch too — the bottles are wrapped in layers of tissue paper, and bound with raffia ribbon. Great fun to open when you get home, and also lovely if you’re buying a present.
Kelly R.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Glasgow, United Kingdom
Lovely shop with variety of whiskeys, gin, liqueurs, balsamic, red wine vinegar, Olive oil, etc. We purchased a whiskey and the Orange Seville gin. I’m completely enamoured with the gin and think the stacking glasses are such a great idea. We previously didn’t go in because we thought it only sold olive oils and things like that. We will definitely be back. The staff was also incredibly helpful.
G B.
Rating des Ortes: 5 North Ayrshire, United Kingdom
Amazing place to get that unique combination of something different, beautiful, yet safe as a present for almost anyone! Really simple premise, go in, choose an attractive shaped bottle(or maybe a few if they stack together) and get it filled with the liquid of your choice! Well, booze, oil or vinegar… Excellent too for the eco friendly booze hound who will get to fill said attractive bottle time and again with their own home made wines etc! I went in with a vague idea of what i wanted. A set of three stacked mini bottles, filled with complimentary flavours and colours. The staff could not have been more helpful, taking the time to go over all of the options with me, and even letting me taste some of the more unusual offerings! Added to that the presentation of a handwritten bottle and rustic wrapping and my present was good to go. Only wish I could give the same gift every year!
Lauren F.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Chicago, IL
Demijohn is definitely one of the most unique shops I’ve ever stepped in to, but in a very good way! We were visiting Glasgow and had a few weeks ahead of us on our trip so we didn’t buy anything due to transport issues, but I so wish we could have! As you can see from the pictures, inside the shop they have a bunch of huge glass containers. Inside these containers they have an awesome variety of homemade wines, and flavored gins, whiskys and vodkas along with a few interesting vinegars and oils-so exciting! You just fill up a smaller container with whatever you want. They also have cute container sets that would make a perfect gift! Such an interesting little shop… definitely recommend checking them out.
Katie A.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Manchester, United Kingdom
If you’re looking for a quirky, locally sourced and non-pretensious thrill — you couldn’t do much better that Demijohn. Describing itself as a «liquid deli» — this place is the perfect companion to Heart Buchanan’s, the traditional Deli next door. The shop is pretty small(but well stocked!) and consists of wooden shelves filled with attractive large glass containers. In each of these containers is a different kind of fabulous liquid — including oils, vinegars and alcohols. Once you get over the excitement enough to actually buy something, you’ll find that all liquids(alcohol included) is for sale by the 100ml. You buy a glass container, style and size of your choice, and then the nice man in the shop will fill it with whichever liquid you fancy. And if you’re being kind enough to buy it for someone else — the nice chap will even wrap it up for you!(Although it may be too nice for you to give away…)
Gillian M.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Glasgow, United Kingdom
A liquid delicatessen! Demijohn is amazing. I first discovered it when a friend of mine had been given a gift from here for his birthday — a bottle of vodka split into two mini bottles(though appearing like one) and each bottle containing a different flavour of vodka. Plus it had a personalised message on the bottle! What a novel gift. The next time I was seeking a gift I came straight here. I was a little apprehensive thinking it might be a pretentious little shop but it was the opposite — so friendly. I was buying for a couple so I picked a drink that I thought each one would like and then had their names written on their own half. Perfect. They even wrapped it all up for me. It isn’t cheap but pretty reasonable and you can pick any size of bottle you like so can fit it to your budget. Amazing wee place.
Catriona M.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Glasgow, United Kingdom
I’m ashamed to say that I walked past this shop every day for two years with not only failing to go in, but not really knowing what this shop was about. I guessed it was something to do with liquids(the giant glass bottles in the window gives it away) but I failed to experience the delights of this shop until recently. Now that I have, I’ll definitely be going back. Demijohn– a liquid delicatessen– sells locally sourced alcohol, oils and vinegars for you to buy per 100ml and choose your own bottle. It’s not cheap, but it’s of such a high quality and the concept is unique. I’ll definitely be buying a couple of Christmas presents in this place.
Darryl R.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Glasgow, United Kingdom
As an avid alcohol enthusiast, ahem, I absolutely love Demijohn and everything they stand for! From locally sourced and produced alcohols, to home brews, to oils and vinegars, this place is awesome. I have been here several times to buy presents for people — generally I go for the alcohol,(which you get to sample… yummmm!). The guy behind the counter knows all and sees all — he’s brilliant. He’s also very good at the old gift wrap. Personally, I go for the flavoured gins and vodkas — the lime vodka and raspberry vodka being favourites(they both have a bit of a zing!) — but the balsamic vinegars are also worth a try. Best part is, you pay per 100ml, and you can choose your own bottle, BUT, once you finish the bottle, you can take it back, and you get a discounted refill — recycling at its best! Fantastic? I think so.
Lisain
Rating des Ortes: 5 Glasgow, United Kingdom
Demijohn’s the ‘liquid’ deli sells oils, vinegars, spirits and liquers. The liquids are all stored in large barrels and they have some really interesting flavour combinations. You can pick your liquid and your bottle so that the purchase is unique to you. They can write personal messages on your purchases making it a great option for birthday or other commemorative occasions. It is worth nothing that there is a sister store in Edinburgh. The location of this shop is ideal as it is on Byres Road just across from Somerfield. As it is on the ground floor it is easily accessible. Although the liquids are more expensive than in a run of the mill store it is a great place to go for something a bit different, where you can either treat yourself or someone you love.
Spacer
Rating des Ortes: 5 Glasgow, United Kingdom
Demijohn is a ‘liquid deli’, selling unusual and very lovely liqueurs, spirits, olive oils and more. It’s a small, cosy store with helpful staff who can tell you who made each drink and where it was produced. Inside there’s big glass barrels filled with different coloured drinks — you pick which one you want(and they’re always happy to let you try a sample if you’re having trouble deciding!) then pick a glass bottle and ask them to fill it up for you. The pricing is very transparent and they quote the price per 100ml. They’ll write the name of the drink on the outside of the bottle and wrap it up in tissue paper making it into a really great gift. Once you’ve drunk it all(which surely won’t take long) you can take your bottle back and have it refilled at a cheaper price than you paid first time. Excellent!