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 Speyside Whisky Trail is the second book by Alastair Rooney that presents a travel guide that’s aimed at the whisky tourist. The first book, the North Coast 700, was previously reviewed by Whisky & Wisdom (you can read our review here), and a third book – the Islay Whisky Trail – is currently in the works.
The Speyside Whisky Trail is a curious, eclectic, and multi-faceted read that combines many different features. It is, first and foremost, a guide and travel itinerary for visiting 20 whisky distilleries in a loop that sets off from Edinburgh up into Speyside, and finishes at Balmoral four days later. However, reminiscent of the old “Let’s Go” travel books of the 1990’s and 2000’s, it also presents a healthy and helpful slice of Scottish history; some background and insights into Scottish culture (including a guide to Scottish phrases and slang); a food and accommodation guide (including tips and recommendations for various pubs, hotels, restaurants, and even fish’n’chips outlets); and plenty of information about whisky in general (e.g. terminology, production, and even details on costs and taxes!) It seems a “light” read in the hand, and yet is remarkably comprehensive in the aspects of whisky and Scotland that it covers and explores.
For the mild whisky enthusiast, or perhaps a novice just starting to explore the subject of whisky, the Speyside Whisky Trail is the perfect “go to” reference. By the time you complete the suggested itinerary or even just rely on the book as a whisky textbook, you’ll leapfrog into a higher plane of whisky appreciation and knowledge.
The list of 20 suggested distilleries to visit on the route is an interesting mix of old and new, small and large. For example, things start off in Edinburgh with Holyrood Distillery, jumping over to Lindores Distillery on the approach north to Perth. There’s the obligatory stop in Pitlochry (Blair Athol is nominated, noting that Edradour is currently closed to the public) as well as a jump sideways to Aberfeldy, before getting up into the heart of Speyside. The expected heavyweights are all featured (Glenlivet, Glenfiddich, Glenfarclas, Macallan, etc), but also some newer-name inclusions such as Ballindalloch. Once peaking at its northern-most point with Elgin and the Glen Moray distillery, the suggested route home then takes you east across to the distilleries of Keith and Huntly, before returning south on the eastern side of the Cairngorms and finishing at Royal Lochnagar.
There’s some background information on each of the 20 featured distilleries and details for their respective Visitor Centres and tours, and also helpful guidelines for the travel times between each destination. And there’s also lots of tips and recommendations for other attractions, eateries, shops, and accommodation relevant to each day’s travel.
The Speyside Whisky Trail is, all in all, not just a travel guide, but a great whisky reference to boot….and it’ll fit nicely in the side console of your car as you’re driving around Speyside. To grab your copy, you can purchase the book here, either as hardcopy or in digital format for Kindle. Keep your eyes peeled later this year for the upcoming Islay Whisky Trail book which will complete Alastair Rooney’s trilogy.
Cheers,
AD
Did you enjoy this article or get something out of it? You might like to check this page here, which lists Whisky & Wisdom’s best and most popular, widely read, liked and shared articles.
PS….planning a trip to Scotland soon? You should also check out Whisky & Wisdom’s articles…
10 things every whisky lover should know before visiting Scotland
The Top Six things to do on Speyside
