Everyone has a bucket list, and I daresay most whisky drinkers would probably list visiting their favourite distillery for a distillery tour as a “must do” at some stage in their life. But if you’re really serious about your whiskies and you could actually get yourself to six distilleries before qualifying for your entitlement of the angels’ share, what are the Top Six to visit? In no particular order…
1. Glenfiddich
Is it because it was the first distillery to actively and commercially market its own single malt? Is it because it’s the largest selling single malt in the world? Is it because it’s one of the largest distilleries in Scotland? Is it because it’s still independent and family-owned? Yes, it’s all of those things, but there’s one other key reason to visit here: It’s actually a really good distillery to see and experience!
There are a range of tours on offer at the Visitor Centre, from the free Classic Tour (which, amazingly, still includes a dram of the 12, 15, and 18yo expressions), to the incredibly comprehensive Pioneer’s Tour (£75) that includes some very special tastings and warehouse visits along the way, plus you can draw and bottle your own 200ml sample from a selection of four different casks. The guides are professional, knowledgeable, and entertaining, and – despite the fact that this is a major tourist attraction – you do see and experience the real deal.
From a technical point of view, despite being one of the largest distilleries and brands, production is still very traditional – including direct fired stills and stillmen who take the middle cut when the strength and purity is right, rather than when the computer goes “bing”. All in all, it’s the perfect glimpse into the malt whisky industry.
2. Edradour
Edradour can no longer claim to be “the smallest distillery in Scotland”, (which it promoted for many years), but it can certainly lay claim to being one of the prettiest. Yes, it is small, and its production is quaint…..right down to the draff being hand-shovelled out of the mashtun and onto an old timber cart. But the valley, the stream, and the buildings are stunning, and the whole of production takes place in a building that’s smaller than most family homes.
Being in Pitlochry, it’s right on the tourist trail, and packed coaches pull up to the distillery with day-trippers from Edinburgh and Glasgow. Cashing in on this, the distillery has responded in the last few years with a new visitor centre, and a new tasting room and shop. Yes, it’s now very commercial, and some might argue that a touch of its original charm has been lost. But its tiny stills and ponded wormtubs still make it well worth a visit. And, if you can manage a further two hour drive north, you can visit Glenfiddich on the same day – thereby experiencing both one of the largest and one of the smallest distilleries in one hit.
3. Laphroaig
I could list any of the Islay distilleries here and be totally justified and satisfied with my choice. After all, Ardbeg looks after its visitors very well, and the Old Kilns café serves up some of the best food on the entire island. Lagavulin is in a stunning bay, has a great visitor centre, and the Warehouse Tasting with Iain McArthur is one of the best whisky experiences you can treat yourself to. Bruichladdich showcases some very old and traditional equipment, and Kilchoman is on a farm setting and at a scale that rivals Edradour in many ways. And Bowmore has both the floor maltings and the enigmatic No. 1 Vaults warehouse. Yes, they’ve all got something to recommend them. So why pick Laphroaig out as the one Islay distillery to visit?
Like most decisions in life, there are a number of influencing factors at play. Chief amongst these is the fact that the kilns at Laphroaig are not just for decoration: Laphroaig still malts a portion of its malt on site, and so you can see the barley laid out on the floor and you experience the old, traditional way of malting. If you time your visit just right, you’ll see the peat fire burning and perhaps even stand in the kiln and breathe in the peat reek. For the whisky geeks, this is about as good as it gets.
But the other factor is Laphroaig’s excellent visitor centre and tours, and – arguably its trump card – the Friends of Laphroaig scheme. At the conclusion of your visit, be sure to grab a pair of wellies and then head out to the peat bog where you can find your little square foot of Islay and plant your flag. Corny and contrived it may be – but it is SO much fun!
4. Loch Lomond
A controversial inclusion here, because I’m listing a distillery that’s not actually open to the public. Furthermore, I’m actually listing it in its capacity as a grain distillery. For how can you possibly appreciate the industry or get the perspective on pot stills and malt whisky if you’ve not visited a grain distillery? I could equally have listed North British, which is the most accessible of the grain distilleries, being in the heart of Edinburgh, but again, neither it nor the likes of Invergordon, Cameronbridge or Girvan have established visitor centres.
It’s almost worth getting a job in the industry just to gain a trade pass to Loch Lomond. For, in addition to the impressive grain distillery on site, you’ll see one of the most unique and amazing malt distilleries in Scotland, with four seemingly unrelated pairs of stills that create an enormously diverse range of whiskies. You may not have heard of them, but it is here that single malts such as Loch Lomond, Old Rhosdhu, Glen Douglas, Croftengea, Craiglodge, Inchmurrin, and Inchmoan are made. Add in the grain distillery, and this is one serious blending house. And you can sing that song all the way home again as you take the high road back.
5. Roseisle
Okay, more controversy, as Roseisle doesn’t have a visitor centre either. But if you want to see the future of distilling, this is where it’s at. Roseisle is absolutely state of the art, and employs some of the most efficient, energy saving, and waste recovery systems and kit on the planet. I was fortunate enough to undertake an extremely detailed one-on-one tour of the distillery in 2009 with one of the site’s engineers, and more than half of the visit and conversation revolved around the distillery’s green credentials. But it’s also the sheer size that blows you away – the two mashtuns have to be seen to be believed, and the washbacks are unrivalled anywhere for size, scale, and modernity.
Roseisle was built to enable Diageo to create a range of diverse whiskies with different characteristics on the one site. This is perhaps best illustrated with the condensors, where a number of stills actually have dual condensors fitted – one from regular copper, and the other made of stainless steel. Depending on the campaign being undertaken and the character of the whisky sought, the vapours are directed to the appropriate condenser, resulting in a completely different spirit, yet born from the same still.
6. Highland Park
The most northerly distillery in Scotland takes some getting to, but the journey – whether you fly it, drive it, or sail it – is worth the effort. Again, like at Laphroaig, you can see a real, working maltings floor and a walk in the kiln (when it’s not running!) is an amazing experience. There are a range of different tours available (no less than five!), but the pinnacle is the Magnus Eunson tour (£75). If you’re lucky enough to have either James Watson or the delightful Patricia Retson as your host and guide, you’ll not only have a thoroughly detailed and enjoyable tour and tasting, but you’ll leave the distillery content that the world is suddenly a better place.
Having made the effort to get to Orkney, you shouldn’t stop at just the distillery. The islands are a treasure chest of goodies, from ancient Neolithic remains (e.g. the Ring of Brodgar and Scara Brae), to World War II history (such as the Italian Chapel, Scapa Flow, and the Churchill Barriers) and more.
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A list of any such six distilleries will always be contentious, and yes, I’ve left out some gems – including most of my own personal favourites. But the above six were selected purely pragmatically and without emotion, based on the insight and experience that they give you into the whisky industry, the processes involved, and the people that make it. Honourable Mentions also go to Glenlivet (great visitor centre and new stillhouse), Aberlour (great staff, facilities, and drams), Auchentoshan (triple distillation), Springbank (traditional production), Aberfeldy (in combination with the Dewars’ World of Whisky attraction), Glen Grant (for the Major’s garden walk), Glenmorangie (for its stills and great whiskies), and – of course – Glenfarclas, for its family-run and understated brilliance.
It’s also worth mentioning that there are many different things that can make a visit to a distillery special. It can be the experience and quality of your guide / host; it can be the drams you taste at the end; or it can simply be the setting and the weather on the day. And if you have a strong opinion on which is the best distillery to visit, add your thoughts in the Comments section below…
Cheers,
AD
PS: You might also like to read our feature article, 10 things every whisky lover should know before visiting Scotland
PPS: And you might also need to read our piece, Visiting Scotland when your partner doesn’t like whisky
Got a comment to make or a different distillery to suggest? Scroll down to the Comments section below…
Smug and self serving to include Roseisle and Loch Lomond in a shortlist of six distilleries one “must” visit when these two aren’t open to the public.
I trust you read the text that justified why those two were included and what can be learned/gleaned from these distilleries? Even if you can’t get in their front doors, there’s plenty you can read about and study about them that will give you valuable insight into the industry and the role these two distilleries play within it.