I can still remember the days when I used to knock on distillery doors asking for a look around and often the workers couldn’t understand why anyone would be interested. Today visiting distilleries has exploded exponentially as interest in single malt whiskies and investment in the industry has gone through the roof. As well as standard tours, there are dedicated whisky and food pairings, bonded warehouse tastings and extras like whisky bars, restaurants and even whisky-themed hotels. Settle in now with a dram as I share with you five of my favourite whisky visitor experiences.
Ardbeg
This glorious Victorian distillery has totally reinvented the distillery experience on Islay. I first visited two decades ago when the ever-energetic Jackie Thomson was just kicking off her iconic café. Now they have this Old Kiln Café, tasting rooms and even a funky food truck outside in the courtyard. I’ve visited Ardbeg half a dozen times over the years and love that they always innovate at this peaty wonder. I’ve hiked with stillmen to the loch that is their water source and enjoyed tastings deep within their dunnage warehouse. Their shop was a pioneer too, with far more than just great whisky, with all sorts of whisky paraphernalia. Choose to be clad in everything from an Ardbeg polo shirt through to a cycling top. Watch this space as the people behind Ardbeg have bought the Islay Hotel, so next year you’ll have a whisky-themed place to bed down nearby in picturesque Port Ellen – Ardbeg House.
The Cairn
Not content with curating and bottling fine malts, Gordon & MacPhail, opened their own Speyside distillery in 2022. The first new distillery in the Cairngorms National Park is strikingly set into the landscape, with its aspen roof alive with flowers and wildlife. Gordon & MacPhail have used all their industry experience to craft this state-of-the-art distillery. The Scottish tapas menu is awash with local produce, created by TV chef Tim Maddams. We’re talking carrot hummus and fresh asparagus with wild garlic and parmesan.
Bravely, the distillery are not aiming to release any whiskies until their 12-year-old, so you get the chance to see what they reckon will be a ‘classic Speyside malt’ evolve. Until those drams emerge you can try their CRN57 range (the distillery lies at 57 degrees north) of blended malts in an epic tasting room with views over the Spey. If you want to splash the cash try their 57 and 70 year olds. Handily Grantown-on-Spey is just five minutes away by taxi.
Macallan
Over the last decade Macallan has undergone massive change, not least moving away from its almost total reliance on sherry maturation. Coming to the landmark Speyside distillery has been transformed too since 2019 when they opened a new £140 million new distillery and visitor experience near Craigellachie. The grass-roofed Hobbit-esque creation built into the landscape was designed by RSHP. It made the shortlist for the Stirling Prize and the 36-still distillery won the RIAS Andrew Doolan Best Building in Scotland Award. They call their tours ‘experiences’ and they really are, exploring the stories, tastes and influences with their ever-expanding range of whiskies. Settle in at the Macallan Bar, witness the Macallan Whisky Wall and dine at Elchies Brasserie as you delve into the world of one of the world’s biggest selling whisky brands.
Glenmorangie
So much more than just a distillery. For the full experience stay in nearby Glenmorangie House, their boutique bolthole where the rooms and spectacular public areas are whisky-themed: even the candles are whisky-scented. Bespoke whisky flights tempt, as does a tasting menu alive with local produce. And whisky. Extras include a wee walk to the soaring Cadboll Stone, coastal rambles and foraging with their chef. Nearby Glenmorangie Distillery was revamped earlier this year with an enhanced visitor experience and a similar bold new colour scheme. The best tour is the ‘World of Wonder’, which offers a detailed tour, then a four whisky flight with food pairings for each dram. Be cheeky and ask what they’re up to in their top secret new glass ‘Lighthouse’ distillery within a distillery. This is a distillery that constantly likes to innovate and experiment. There is a very well stocked shop too. Glenmorangie may be further north, but its visitor experience is up there with anything in Speyside and the team could not be more welcoming.
Port of Leith
This is the wildcard for you and it’s handily located in a city, with Edinburgh’s trams easing down here to the banks of the Forth. Leith used to be a hotbed of whisky production and the dynamic team have resurrected the tradition with Scotland’s first vertical whisky distillery. This Darth Vader-esque tower soars over the Forth, offering a totally different post-industrial whisky experience. Epic views sweep all around. Different floors house different parts of the production process. There is the option of a 90 minute tour, or an hour-long ‘Dash’. They only opened last year so you really get to see a new whisky distillery emerge. The highlight is the double-storey rooftop Distillery Bar. Dramtastic at sunset. Decent eats too.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here