“Always carry a large flagon of whisky in case of snakebite and furthermore, always carry a small snake”
WC Fields
Uisge beatha, the “water of life”, has been distilled in Scotland for many hundreds of years and “Scotch” is now exported around the world. At Scottish Highland Trails we can put together a Whisky Tour catering to your own personal tastes, whether it be for Lowland, Highland, Speyside or Islay malts – or a mixture of all four! As any whisky connaisseur will tell you, whiskies can vary dramatically from distillery to distillery. So why not explore some of the many distilleries, either on a specific Whisky Tour or as part of your Scotland vacation package.
There are literally hundreds of distilleries to visit in Scotland, and you can choose from Edradour in Perthshire (the smallest in Scotland where only 3 staff carry out the entire process) to Highland Park, the most northerly distillery in Scotland located in Kirkwall on the Orkney Islands. The Speyside Malt Whisky Trail in Speyside in the Grampian Highlands is the only whisky trail of it’s kind in the world, and takes in 7 distilleries plus a cooperage where barrels are made in the traditional way. The Speyside region itself is home to over 50 distilleries, many of which are open to the public, including the Macallan, Glenfiddoch, Aberlour and Glenlivet.
Or why not head to the beautiful island of Islay (pronounced “aye la”) off the west coast? This tiny island is home to no less than eight working distilleries including Lagavulin, Ardbeg and Bruichladdich. The peaty soil of the island along with the salt spray from the sea contributes to the dry, smoky, briny taste of the whiskies produced here, and they are among the strongest flavoured whiskies made in Scotland. Not for the faint hearted!
Or perhaps your vacation in Scotland will coincide with the Spirit of Scotland Malt Whisky Festival? Held in Aberlour every year in May this event goes from strength to strength and features pretty much everything you can think of that is whisky related, from tastings and tours to art exhibitions and cookery demonstrations. Islay also hosts an annual Music & Malt Festival.
We are also delighted to arrange private, tutored whisky tastings with our local expert for individuals or groups. Tastings are relaxed and informal, and usually held at the members only Scottish Malt Whisky Society in Edinburgh, and often followed by a visit to a nearby pub for some more sampling!
Whether you are a whisky novice or an experienced nose, no trip to Scotland is complete without a wee dram or two. Slàinte mhath! (Cheers!)
A short video follows from Glengoyne Distillery which shows you a little of what you can expect from a distillery tour! Glengoyne is frequently requested as a stop on our Scotland Whisky Tours and from the film you can see why – beautiful whisky, beautiful scenery and just a short hop from Glasgow. There are many, many more distilleries in scenic locations throughout Scotland and we are happy to advise on the best ones to visit during your stay.
