Even if you only have a vague interest in Scotch whisky, you’re probably aware that The Macallan embarked on a massive and – literally – groundbreaking construction of a new distillery in recent times. Established on the Macallan Estate, just a short distance from the existing/old distillery, the new production facility is exceptional and unique in its design, its layout, its appearance, and its functionality. The new distillery is also unique in its approach to whisky tourism and how it goes about welcoming visitors. Visiting The Macallan as a whisky enthusiast can be a tricky venture at the present, and it’s not a simple exercise. If you’re wanting to visit the new Macallan distillery and to experience one of their tours, here are a few thoughts, tips, and comments following our visit in April 2024… Continue reading “Visiting The Macallan distillery in 2024”
Tag: Whisky Tourism
Visiting Scotland when your partner doesn’t like whisky
When planning a whisky trip to Scotland, most keen whisky tourists typically plan their itinerary by plotting out the key distilleries they want to visit, and then they crudely join the dots by shoehorning in the requirements and logistics of accommodation, transport, and food. That’s all well and good but, as you quickly discover, distillery tours and visiting times are generally condensed between the hours of 10.00am and 4.00pm – leaving you with some blanks to fill in your days. Also, as we explored in this article here (scroll down to point no. 7), trying to get your various distillery tours aligned without clashes or overlaps is a tough challenge. Another consideration is that – as a very general generalisation – it would be fair to say that most whisky enthusiasts who would plan such a dedicated whisky pilgrimage to Scotland often have partners that don’t share a love of whisky to quite the same level of fanaticism.
Accordingly, when planning a trip to Scotland with your partner, you’ll often need to incorporate stops, side-excursions, and other attractions to keep your other half happy….and not sentence them to the drudgery of sitting in the distillery car park while you’re inside having fun. To keep the mood happy between the two of you as you traverse around the country, here are some worthwhile destinations, attractions, and other things to do in Scotland that are all near distilleries or that you’ll pass through as you hop from distillery to distillery….
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The Speyside Whisky Trail
With travel opening up again around the world, and particularly in the UK, whisky tourism is slowly getting back into the swing of things. And no whisky pilgrimage to Scotland would be complete without swinging by Speyside and dropping into a distillery or two. Or three. Or twenty. In fact, for those looking to make a specific trip of it, Alastair Rooney’s new book, “The Speyside Whisky Trail” is the perfect guide for discovering a lot about Scotland and visiting 20 distilleries along the way.
The Highland Coast 700 Whisky Route – HC700
If you’re planning a trip to Scotland and you’re reading this blog, then there’s a good chance that visiting a whisky distillery or two will be part of your itinerary! Notwithstanding the whisky aspect, most guides or books for Scottish tourism naturally focus on the attractions of Edinburgh and the usual historic sites beyond such as Stirling Castle, etc. Unfortunately, when it comes to tourist guides and even online resources, it would be fair to say that there’s not a lot that gets devoted to the far north and the Highlands. Which is a great shame, since it’s the far north that boasts some of Scotland’s most stunning and dramatic landscapes, scenery, and attractions. The Highland Coast 700 is a fantastic resource and journey that addresses this imbalance, and is a must-have for any serious whisky enthusiast exploring Scotland. If you’re embarking on the North Coast 500 (aka NC500), the Highland Coast 700 is the obvious extension and guidebook.
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The whisky lover’s travel guide to Whistler
Like whisky? Like skiing or snowboarding? Travelling to Whistler anytime soon? Here’s your helpful and comprehensive Whistler travel guide for combining whisky and Whistler, as well as a whisky guide book for skiers transiting through Vancouver…
(If you’re an Australian reader, there’s a slightly different version of this article written specifically for Aussie skiers which you can read here. If you’re from anywhere else in the world, read on…)
Whilst planning your skiing holiday to Canada, any whisky lover who heads overseas always has the same questions: Where are the best whisky bars? Is there a distillery I can visit? What are the best local whiskies?
So, with all that to set the scene, this article is specifically aimed at that small niche of people who (i) love skiing; (ii) love whisky, and (iii) are heading to Whistler!
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