Highlights
- 3-day whisky tour around the Speyside region of Scotland
- Small-group tour, with a maximum group size of 15, ensures a more personalized experience
- Visit a minimum of four famous malt whisky distilleries inluding Dalwhinnie, Benromach, Cardhu and Glenlivet
- Travel along scenic routes through the Cairngorm National Park
- Two nights B&B accommodation in the quaint village of Grantown on Spey
Useful Information
3-Day Speyside Whisky Tour from Edinburgh
Your base throughout your 3-day whisky tour is the idyllic village of Grantown on Spey, near Aviemore, where your charming B&B accommodation is located. From here, all the Speyside whisky distilleries and sights are within easy reach.
Enjoy visits to four of the region’s famous whisky distilleries, Dalwhinnie, Benromach, Cardhu and Glenlivet, and enjoy tastings and samples galore. Speyside is home to another 42 operating distilleries, so there’s certainly plenty more to see if time permits! You will also visit Gordon and MacPhail’s legendary whisky shop in the Royal Burgh (town) of Elgin where you can shop for some of Speyside’s finest malts.
The return to Edinburgh takes in the classic sights of the Cairngorm Mountains, Balmoral Castle (official Scottish home of the British Royal Family) and the village of Braemar in the Cairngorm National Park.
Itinerary
Leaving Edinburgh in the morning, your small-group tour will head northwards to the heart of the Scottish Highlands. There will be a stop at the popular village of Dunkeld, which is famed for historical links to the Jacobite rebellion, before enjoying a relaxing lunch in the wee town of Pitlochry. Tour the famous Dalwhinnie Distillery, and sample a few drams of its smooth, full-bodied whisky (known as the "Gentle Spirit of the Glen"). Following a route through the rolling hills of the Cairngorm National Park, your whisky tour will continue up to the small town of Grantown on Spey. This will be your base for the next two days – conveniently located in the heartland of the exciting Speyside whisky region.
Day 2 (B)
Take a scenic drive towards Scotland’s north-east coast, for a day of exploring the best that Speyside has to offer! Your first whisky stop of the day is at the Benromach Distillery for a personalized tour with an expert guide. The whisky here is made from the finest Scottish malted barley and water from the Romach Hills. The effect is reflected in the taste, and luckily you’ll have ample opportunity to sample a wee dram or two!
A short drive away is the Royal Burg (Scottish town) of Elgin for a spot of shopping and lunch. Elgin is the home of Gordon and MacPhail, the legendary whisky specialists to those in the know. Take this great opportunity to browse their shop, which reputedly has the largest selection of malt whiskies in the country! After your afternoon in Elgin, you will travel along the River Spey to reach the Cardhu Distillery for another tour. The Cardhu Distillery is the only Scottish whisky distillery to have been founded by a woman, and its produce is used in Johnnie Walker Black Label whiskies.
Time permitting, your small-group tour may take a brief tour of the fascinating Speyside Cooperage in nearby Craigellachie. A cooperage is a warehouse that produces whisky casks by an ancient art known as "coopering". The Speyside Cooperage is the last working one in the UK, so it is well worth a look!
Day 3 (B)
Passing through the dramatic scenery of the Cairngorm Mountains, your route down to Edinburgh allows time for one last whisky tour at Glenlivet. Besides seeing the wonderful Glenlivet Distillery, you will have a chance to walk through the glen and take in sights of the natural wildlife all around. Continue south past Balmoral Castle, and enjoy a final stop at the village of Braemar in the heart of the Cairngorm National Park before reaching Edinburgh in the early evening.
Reviewed by John H, September 2012
Excellent tour, MAC, was the best guide/driver with many stories and tales to tell! His knowledge of 'Speyside' just made the tour spin along with distilleries 'thrown' in for good measure...The B and B in Granton was wonderful and the local bars never short of the best range of whiskies....thanks Rabbies....
Reviewed by Mark N, June 2012
Excellent tour by Rabbies. Tour guide Eric very good. Very helpful, full of information. My wife doesn't like whiskey but can't stop talking about the trip.
