There are so many Distilleries to choose from , here we give you a brief insight in to  15 of the most popular well known and well visited Distilleries in Speyside.

GLENFIDDICH DISTILLERY

Based in Dufftown, Glenfiddich , which means The Valley of The Deer is the world’s best-selling single-malt Scotch whisky.

Glenfiddich Distillery was built by hand by William Grant and his family over 130 years ago and is still owned by the same family today and the Glenfiddich Brand has been a tremendous ambassador for quality Scottish Whisky all around the World.

Glenfiddich has managed to keep it’s traditional processes and distillery charm.

Should you decide to take a tour here you will find copper tuns, impressive washbacks and stone warehouses where the magic of maturation happens. The tours here are all led by expert guides and at the end of the tour you will be able to sample 4 drams ranging from the 12 year old to a 21 year old.

The Glenfiddich whisky lounge is a lovely place where you can sample tastings of all the Glenfiddich range as well as samples of The Balvenie which is also owned by the Grant Family.

Colour , Nose and Tasting Notes.

Glenfiddich 18 year old

Warm amber in colour , there are orchard fruits on the nose , entwined with raisins , cinnamon and ginger. The palate has a fusion of sticky toffee pudding sweetness with some oak , spice and toffee apples. The finish is long , spicy and fruity.

GLENLIVET DISTILLERY

“The Glenlivet” Distillery was one of the first licensed distillery in the Speyside area and in 2024 they celebrate their 200^th Anniversary. Before whisky making was legal in Scotland, there were around 150 illegal stills around this area and the name “Glenlivet” was used by many other distilleries who were in direct competition with Glenlivet.

When Glenlivet’s owner, John Smith, was in the process of licensing his distillery he carried a pistol with him because the smugglers did not want him to be licensed and they were making threats against him , around the distillery there are Smugglers trails.

Glenlivet Whisky is distilled very slowly and the brand name is recognised around the world as one of the best.

Glenlivet offer excellent tours and their lovely bar is stocked by many different brands of the Pernod Ricard range.

Colour , Nose and Tasting Notes.

The Glenlivet 21 year old.

Rich Mahogany in colour . The nose offers aromas of Christmas pudding , ripe raisins , cinnamon and spice. The palate denotes the heavily sherried casks , with nuttiness, spices and creamy toffee.  The finish is sweet and warm with hints of oak.

THE MACALLAN

The Macallan Distillery sits high above the River Spey with majestic views across to Ben Rinnes.

Macallan has always produced whisky of exceptional quality , ensuring all their casks are imported from Jerez in Spain after first being used for Oloroso sherry , making it one of the most popular single malts globally. 

This year ( 2024 ) The Macallan are celebrating their 200^th Anniversary.

Around £140 million was spent on the new Macallan distillery which opened in 2018 and has won prestigious awards for its design and architecture.

The Macallan Whisky Wall is absolutely amazing and holds more than 800 bottles of various Macallan Whiskies.

 Macallan offer different experiences from Thursdays to Sundays that can be prebooked and also offer Private Bespoke Experiences from Mondays to Wednesdays.

The Macallan experiences that can be prebooked range from 2- 4 hours and are guided by a local whisky expert, there are a few options to choose from for your Macallan distillery tour and we can advise you and assist you in making a booking.

We can also give you information regarding their Private and Exclusive Bespoke experiences.

There is also a bar at The Macallan where you can book a 1 hour slot and choose from a huge range of whiskies and cocktails, many of the limited edition whiskies and Distillery exclusives available here can not be found anywhere else in the world.

The Macallan boutique shop is fantastic and stocks their core range as well as a great range of Merchandise.

Colour Nose and Tasting Notes

The Macallan Gold

Clear bright gold in colour , the nose has citrus fruit of lemon and orange , combined with hints of fresh green apple and sweet vanilla. The palate has sweet vanilla , a gentle oak and a presence of citrus and baked apple.  The finish is dry with some spice and oak.

GLENALLACHIE DISTILLERY

Glenallachie Distillery is one of the few remaining Independent Distilleries in Scotland.

Nestled in a picturesque location of Speyside Glenallachie is now owned by The Master of Wood Billy Walker a legend of the industry who is also in the Whisky Hall of fame, Glenallachie is also home to some of the countries finest whiskies.

Colour , Nose and Tasting Notes.

Glenallachie 15 year old

A watchful eye throughout the maturation journey ensures the whisky is bottled at its optimum. With an intense mahogany hue, this single malt exudes sheer indulgence with layers of cinnamon, orange zest, vanilla toffee and dark chocolate.

Glenfarclas Distillery

Glenfarclas Distillery was founded in 1836 and bought by the Grant family in 1865 , now being run by the sixth generation of the family it is one of the few Scottish Distilleries still in private hands

Glenfarclas was one of the first Distilleries to introduce a cask strength whisky , it was ahead of its time as it was thought there would not be a market for a cask-strength single malt.

Glenfarclas also led the way in being one of the first to create a visitor centre and their tasting lounge is a lovely wood panneled room , the pannels were once the pannels in a smoking room on an old ship called The Empress of Australia.

Colour , Nose and Tasting Notes

Glenfarclas 10 year old

Warm amber in colour , there is plenty of sherried fruit on the nose with ripe raisins and cinnamon. On the palate there are spiced fruits butterscotch and nuttiness.  The finish is fruity and spicy.

CRAGGANMORE DISTILLERY

Cragganmore nestles in a pretty glen close to Ballindalloch Castle.

It was founded in 1869 by John Smith.

The first whisky special train ran from Ballindalloch to Aberdeen in 1887 with 25 wagons carrying 300 casks of Cragganmore.

Cragganmore is unusual in that its stills are flat topped and along with the worm tubs that cool the vapours this creates a very complex aromatic whisky.

Colour , Nose and Tasting Notes

Cragganmore 12 year old

Straw gold in appearance with floral and herb aromas on the nose , it is a dry whisky with woody maltiness notes. The finish is a little smoky and peaty.

ABERLOUR DISTILLERY

Aberlour Distillery was built in 1826 by grain merchant James Fleming .

James Fleming was a man who believed in putting something back in to the community and he financed the construction of Aberlour Town Hall , The Cottage Hospital and The Penny Bridge.

Aberlour is gaelic for Mouth of the chattering burn which probably refers to the Lour burn from which Aberlour draw their water.

Aberlour double cask most of its whisky , this means some is matured in Sherry butts and some in Bourbon casks before being married together to produce an excellent Speyside Single Malt.

Colour , Nose and Tasting Notes

Aberlour 18 year old.

A deep rich amber gold colour . The nose is creamy with vanilla , rich fruit and honey.  To taste you sense fresh orange and apples alongside sherry and vanilla.  The finish is complex with plummy sultanas , raisins and smooth butterscotch.

THE BALVENIE DISTILLERY

The Balvenie is the sister Distillery to Glenfiddich and they share the same water supply.  It is most interesting that The Balvenie produces a very different whisky from its sister , maybe because it is one of the last Distilleries to produce and malt its own barley in the traditional way.

They mature their whisky onsite in American Bourbon and Oloroso Sherry casks.  They have their own Coopers and Coppersmiths , all ensuring the whisky is consistent in its quality.   The 21 year old is finished in Port wood casks and is widely considered one of the best single malts.

Colour , Nose and Tasting Notes.

The Balvenie 12 year old Doublewood

The Balvenie,s style is honeyed and soft , often matured in two different woods.  Rich Amber in colour , with orange fruit , Sherry and honey on the nose , the taste is nutty with spice , rich sherry flavours , hints of vanilla and very subtle peat. The finish is long , warming and dry.

STRATHISLA DISTILLERY

Strathisla Distillery is situated in the town of Keith and is one of the oldest in the Speyside region since it was founded in 1786.  It is now owned by Chivas brothers a subsidiary of Pernod Ricard and they have invested substantial sums of money to restore and maintain the historic buildings to a high standard as well as increasing the number of stills to boost output.

Colour , Nose and Tasting Notes

Gold in colour with rich aromas of spice , plump raisins and malt.  On the palate there are hints of toffee and oak , with Sherry definition and a little smoke.

GLEN MORAY DISTILLERY

Glen Moray Distillery was originally a brewery but has now been producing whisky for over a century.

Glen Moray sits in the shadow of Galley Hill where executions used to take place.

Glen Moray uses Bourbon casks to mature the whisky although some are finished in Madeira , Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc casks to create different expressions.

Colour , Nose and Tasting Notes

Glen Moray 12 year old

Mid gold in colour , with aromas of vanilla and malt and pears.  The taste is smooth , balanced and rounded with flavours of vanilla , malt and some toffee , leading to a long pleasing finish.

BENROMACH DISTILLERY

Benromach Distillery is the smallest Distillery on Speyside producing between 200,000 to 250,000 litres of spirit annually.

Benromach was the first Distillery to produce an Organic Whisky fully certified by the Soil Association.

Owned by the whisky brokers Gordon and Macphail they are continually trying new and innovative ways of adding different expressions to the brand and have released whiskies from single barley varieties and also Madeira and Port Pipe finishes.

Colour , Nose and Tasting Notes

Rich gold in colour , with light smoke on the nose , hints of Sherry and creamy vanilla , subtle spices such as ginger on the palate with ripe raisins and a delicate smokiness , all beautifully balanced and with a good length of finish.

GLENDRONACH DISTILLERY

Glendronach Distillery is classed as a Highland Distillery but sits on the fringes of Speyside

Producing whisky for close to 200 years at one point Glendronach paid the most duty of any Distillery in Scotland.  Around 40 years ago it was one of the top five selling Malts in the World.

The Distillery is unique in that its mash tun is made of copper , something no longer seen in Distilleries.

Colour , Nose and Tasting Notes

Rich Gold from being matured entirely in Oloroso casks , strong aromas of Sherry and orange fruit. Flavours of Christmas pudding , spices of nutmeg , cinnamon and influences of toffee with a lengthy finish to savour.

GLEN GRANT DISTILLERY

Glen Grant Distillery was founded in 1840 by brothers James and John Grant.

The Distillery has had several owners over the years including Chivas Regal and Diageo but it is now owned by Campari.

The Gardens at Glen Grant are beautiful and it is lovely to sit outside in the gardens on a fine summers day sampling their fine single malts.

Colour , Nose and Tasting Notes

Light gold in colour . The nose has light citrus and green apple notes.

The palate is light , apple fruit , softly creamy and the finish is dry with oak and a hint of toasted nuts.

CARDHU DISTILLERY

Cardhu Distillery was started in 1824 by John Cummings , a former whisky smuggler , the Distillery was mainly run by his wife , Helen who would sell the whisky from the farm house.

The Distillery was sold in 1893 to Johnnie Walker and sons to be used in their blends.

Cardhu continues to produce a single malt.

Colour , Nose and Tasting Notes

Pale straw in colour with light floral notes , hints of orchard pears , a malty nutty palate with toffee and a hint of peat.  A medium length of finish that is crisp.

SPEYBURN DISTILLERY

Speyburn Distillery was founded in 1897 by John Hopkins.

The location presented John Hopkins with a number of challenges with the main one being that it had to be built over 3 levels.

Drawing its water from The Granty Burn the Distillery has changed hands a number of times in its 125 year history.

Colour , Nose and Tasting Notes

Speyburn 16 year old.

Amber colour with a sweet fruity Speyside character , full bodied with a charming long finish.

We can tailor your tour to include visits to any or all of the above Distilleries.

Lunches

There are a number of places that we could stop at for lunch including :

The Highlander Inn , Craigellachie

Craigellachie Hotel

Dowans Hotel , Aberlour

The Mash Tun , Aberlour