THE Stirling Gin Festival will return for a sixth year, with a change of venue in store for visitors.

Organisers from the Stirling Spirit Company are hoping to follow on from last year's overwhelming success.

The 2018 festival attracted a record amount of gin lovers to the Stirling Highland Hotel, although this year it will be hosted at The Golden Lion.

Lara Williams, distillery manager, said everyone involved in organising the event was excited.

She said: "I'm thrilled to announce that tickets have gone on sale for the sixth annual Stirling Gin Festival and after the incredible success of last year's event – including the enormous financial benefit to Stirling City – we think this is exactly the kind of news we should be shouting about.

"We believe that the success of our festival lies in the creativity of the gin brands we invite to take part. We ensure that a variety of styles, distillation processes and flavour compounds are represented each year.

"Visitors to our festival are guaranteed to try something they haven't had before and to learn something along the way."

Lara added that the economic boost to the local area was a welcome side-effect to the festival.

She continued: "Our festival is as much a hit with the gin brands that attend as it is with the customers. Some brands, including Lussa and Misty Isle, only rarely take part in outside festivals and ours is one of the lucky ones.

"Stirling city also benefits from the two day event - last year brought nearly £250 000 into the local economy and saw a surge of customers in city bars, hotels and B&Bs."

The Stirling Gin Festival will take place this year on Friday, November 1, and Saturday, November 2, at The Golden Lion Hotel on King Street.

More information can be found on the Stirling Spirit Company Facebook page, where tickets can be bought directly.