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Cragganmore Distillery & Visitor Centre

From its beautiful Spey Valley location to its unique flat top stills, Cragganmore distillery is well worth a visit. Book your tour online today to start planning your visit.

From its beautiful Spey Valley location to its unique flat top stills, Cragganmore distillery is well worth a visit. Book your tour online today to start planning your visit. The distillery's unique flat topped spirit stills and slowly condensed in traditional worm tubs, promotes Cragganmore's complexity.

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FREE DELIVERY FOR MALTS CLUB MEMBERS OR ON ORDERS OVER £75

THE DISTILLERY

From its beautiful Spey Valley location to its unique flat top stills, Cragganmore distillery is well worth a visit. Book your tour online today to start planning your visit.

Advanced booking for tours and experiences is highly recommended to avoid disappointment.

If you plan on visiting us with your dog, please view our full policy here .

TOUR OPTIONS

CRAGGANMORE: A TASTE OF SPEYSIDE

Join us for a guided tour of Cragganmore distillery. Following your tour, you can enjoy a tutored tasting of 3 of Cragganmore's finest Single Malt Whiskies, showcasing the diversity of flavour within the Cragganmore range.

Select a Date

CRAGGANMORE: THE PINNACLE

Discover the complexity of Cragganmore's aromas and flavours during this warehouse tasting experience where you can draw and taste a duty paid cask. Your experience is complete with a tasting in our Clubroom where you'll be guided through a tutored nosing and tasting of 3 Cragganmore drams and a delicious Old Fashioned cocktail.

Cragganmore at The Spirit of Speyside Festival

Join us at the Spirit of Speyside Festival from 1st-6th May for a range of behind the scenes tours, special events and tastings. Exclusive to the festival, join Cragganmore Distillery Manager or Stillman for a special tour, explore whisky & beer with Cragganmore and Spey Valleys finest craft beers and even join our Global Luxury Brand Ambassador, Ewan Gunn for a guided tasting to discover why Cragganmore is described as 'one of the Speyside's greats'.

Book Cragganmore's Manager Tour Book Cragganmore Stillman's Tour Book Cragganmore: A Perfect Pairing Whisky & Beer Book Cragganmore Tasting with Ewan Gunn https://tickets.spiritofspeyside.com/sales/events/2024-festival/cragganmore-tasting-with-our-g ) Browse more experiences

Visit our sister distillery, Cardhu

Located just a 15 minute drive from Cragganmore is our sister distillery Cardhu where you can discover the warm-hearted spirit of the Speyside home where premium whisky is created, evoking ripe orchard fruit, fresh grass, and mellow cereal. Come experience the warmest of welcomes, the heartfelt embrace of Cardhu. Cardhu Distillery was successfully run by two generations of pioneering women. Helen and Elizabeth Cumming were treasured for their determination, skill, generosity, and loyalty to the community, forever defining Cardhu as a whisky with heart. This was the first distillery to partner with John Walker & Sons, and for 200 years, the elegant, smooth, sensual character of Cardhu has been at the centre of shared celebrations around the world. Book your distillery tour online today or visit the bar, The Tasting Kitchen, to enjoy cocktails, drams, coffees and sharing platters.

Find out more

The Whisky Gift Card

Give the gift of whisky. The Whisky Gift Card lets your loved ones shop all of the top whiskies and merchandise at our visitor experiences in Scotland including Johnnie Walker Princes Street, Talisker, Lagavulin, Singleton and more. Available to purchase at the retail area at the distillery now. View full terms and conditions and visit your nearest distillery to purchase yours.

VISIT CRAGGANMORE

Cragganmore Distillery Ballindalloch, Banffshire, AB37 9AB, UK

T | 01479 874715 E | [email protected]

OPENING HOURS

27th March - Oct | Mon - Sun | 10:00 - 17:00 Nov - Dec | By Appointment Only. Please book your tour online. 25th Jan - 3rd Feb 2024 | Open 10:00 - 16:00 **4th Feb - 26th March | Closed

A tour of Cragganmore distillery followed by a guided tasting of Cragganmore's finest Single Malt Whiskies, showcasing the diversity of flavour within the Cragganmore range.

Cragganmore

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ACCESSIBILITY

We’re pleased to be consulting with Euan’s guide to ensure that we provide disabled access information to give all our visitors the confidence to visit our distillery and enjoy the experience as part of our refurbishment. Please do let us know if you have any specific requirements at the time of your booking and a member of staff will be in touch.

GETTING HERE

Visit Traveline Scotland's website to plan your route and for up to date transport options.

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Cragganmore Distillery

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Cragganmore Distillery is known for producing the most complex single malt whisky on the Speyside. Its whisky is high in demand but limited in production hence the company now works around the clock to meet up. This relatively small distillery makes condenses its whisky traditionally in the worm tubs – a reason it is revered. The distillery lies on the shores of the River Spey, overlooking the pristine lake.

There are three types of tour that you can book on this distillery.

The Cragganmore distillery tour  

Where a guide will take you around the distillery as you enjoy a special whisky dram of their single malt.

The Cragganmore Taste of Speyside Tour

On this tour, you’ll go round at least two other distilleries in the whisky distillery-laden Speyside . You can also have a taste of these distilleries single malt and signify how they fare against the Cragganmore single malt.

The Range tour

A guide takes you around the distillery and when you get to the state-of-the-arts clubroom, you are served tea immediately. You will also visit the warehouse where you can take a sample dram from one of the casks. You will be taken through a special nosing tour where you will be offered special drams of the whisky alongside complementary foods.

• Listing categories Amateur / Connoisseur
• Location / Region Speyside

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Cragganmore Distillery

Cragganmore distillery, on the banks of the river Spey, is home to one of the most complex and characterful malt whiskies of the Speyside region. Take a peek at the ins and outs of our working distillery, from its beautiful Spey Valley location to its unique flat top stills. Cragganmore takes its rock face of a name from the mountain in whose shadow its distillery sits. And this is a whisky with many high approaches and hidden valleys of flavour. Known as the most complex aroma on Speyside, it must also be one of the most delightful because the distillery can’t keep up with demand.

In 1869, Big John Smith – said to have been the most experienced distiller of his day – founded Cragganmore. He lobbied for a railway siding, and using this, his business acumen and skill as a distiller, turned Cragganmore into a popular, high-quality single malt whisky. Uncover the history behind the liquid.

Ballindalloch, Banffshire AB37 9AB

This distillery is included as part of our South Speyside Tour .

Directions by car: From Aberlour head North on the A95, take the first right after Ballindalloch Distillery. Drive straight on for 1 mile and you will reach Cragganmore Distillery.

Opening Times:

• Opening hours vary. Please visit Cragganmore website for more information

CRAGGANMORE: A TASTE OF SPEYSIDE from £20

Join us for a guided tour of Cragganmore distillery. Following your tour, you can enjoy a tutored tasting of 3 of Cragganmore's finest Single Malt Whiskies, showcasing the diversity of flavour within the Cragganmore range.

CRAGGANMORE: THE PINNACLE from £30

Cragganmore takes its rock face of a name from the mountain in whose shadow its distillery sits. And this is a whisky with many high approaches and hidden valleys of flavour. Join us to experience the complexity of Cragganmore.

As part of your guided tour, you will visit one of our warehouses where you will draw and enjoy a small taste of our duty paid cask. You will then return to the Clubroom where you will be guided through a tutored nosing and tasting of 3 Cragganmore Single Malt Whiskies and an Old Fashioned cocktail, discovering the complexity of Cragganmore’s aromas and flavours. 

Cragganmore Distillery

Cragganmore Distillery was founded in 1869 by John Smith, the son of George Smith who founded the Glenlivet Distillery. The word ‘cragganmore’ is Gaelic for ‘the great rock’, and in fact a large rock stands at the entrance to the distillery. John Smith who was a huge man is reputed to have ploughed up this very rock on his farm, personally moved it out of his way and supposedly found a large treasure buried underneath the rock in the process.

When John Smith founded Cragganmore he was by no means a newcomer in the industry; he had already worked at for example The Glenlivet, Macallan and Glenfarclas distilleries. With his knowledge of whisky making and of the surrounding countryside he found the perfect spot for his new distillery by the river Spey in Ballindalloch, close to where Spey meets the River Avon. As he built Cragganmore he also ordered a short stretch of railroad tracks to be laid down which connected his distillery to the Ballindalloch railway station. A few years later, Cragganmore was the first distillery ever to freight their whisky by rail.

After John died, the distillery was run for a time by John’s brother George, but John’s youngest son Gordon was soon appointed general manager. Gordon ran the distillery until 1923 when it was sold to a consortium which later became a partly owned subsidiary of the Distillery Company Ltd (DCL). DCL bought the remaining shares in 1968 and became the sole owner of Cragganmore. This was the last time Cragganmore itself was sold; it is through a series of mergers and acquisitions that Cragganmore has been brought into the care of Diageo, its current owner. Diageo was formed in 1997 through the merger between Guinness and Grand Met.

Cragganmore is promoted by Diageo in the Six Classic Malts series together with Dalwhinnie, Glenkinchie, Lagavulin, Oban and Talisker. The Six Classic Malts concept was created in 1989.

Production at Cragganmore

Cragganmore draw their water form the Craggan Burn. Their lightly smoked malt is brought from one of Diageo’s central malting facilities. Mashing is done in a modern lauter mash tun which was installed in 1997. The mash tun is made from stainless steel but has been fitted with a copper top and wooden side to look more ‘authentic’. The six washbacks are all made from European larch. The distillery has had four stills since 1967 when two additional stills were installed. The wash stills are lantern shaped and the spirit stills are of the boiling ball model. An unusual detail is that the top (lye-pipe) of each spirit still is flat or ‘T-shaped’ instead of having the more normal curved shape. This supposedly increases the reflux of condensed spirits into the heated liquid below and contributes to a milder, smoother whisky. The whisky is filled into bourbon casks which are stored in the three on site warehouses. Bottling is done in Leven, Fife three kilometres due east of Glenrothes.

Contact Cragganmore

Cragganmore Distillery Ballindalloch Glenlivet Banffshire AB37 9AB Scotland

Cragganmore SignPhone: +44 (0) 1479 874700 Fax: +44 (0) 1479 874703

Distillery Manager: Mike Funn

Visitors: Visitors are welcome after advance booking between July-September, Monday-Friday. There are three guided tours every day. Admission is £8 of which £3 are refundable on purchase in the gift shop. The tour includes a video presentation, an extensive tour and a tasting session.

Owner: Diageo

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Cragganmore Distillery

• 01479874715
• Visit the Cragganmore Distillery Website Book Now

Cragganmore Distillery, on the banks of the River Spey, is home to one of the most complex and characterful malt whiskies of the revered Speyside region.

The distillery’s unique flat topped spirit stills and slowly condensed in traditional worm tubs, promotes Cragganmore’s complexity.

From its beautiful Spey Valley location to its unique flat top stills, Cragganmore distillery is well worth a visit. Book your tour online today to start planning your visit.

Advanced booking for tours and experiences is highly recommended to avoid disappointment.

Opening Hours: April – October Monday – Sunday 10am – 5pm

• Bikers Welcome
• Cyclists Welcome
• Walkers Welcome

Getting Here

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Cragganmore

Cragganmore was the first distillery in Scotland to have its site selected and be built specifically to take advantage of its proximity to the Strathspey Railway. John Smith, who had previously been involved with Macallan, Glenlivet and Glenfarclas distilleries, founded Cragganmore in 1869. Cragganmore distillery is one of the most prolific in the Banffshire region of Speyside, where the distillery is located. Cragganmore has a reputation as the most complex Strathspey Single Malt.

Cragganmore distillery is one of the most prolific in the Banffshire region of Speyside, where the distillery is located. Cragganmore has a reputation as the most complex Strathspey Single Malt. However the spirit is in quite limited supply as it is one of region's smallest distilleries. The distillery has a small but distinct range of official bottlings, which includes a 12 year old (which is the distillery's core expression), a 21-year-old Vintage, a 25-year-old special release, a Cragganmore distiller's edition, and a Friends of the Classics Malts Limited Edition Bottling. There have been a series of independent bottlings performed at the site, which have been performed by such bottlers as Signatory Vintage and Douglas Laing. It is also possible to find older official bottlings, although these are not directly stocked by the distillery.

Before the launch of the 'Classic Malts' range, Cragganmore was mainly used for blending. The first blend in which it was used was the James Watson Number 10 blend. Today, most of the Cragganmore Malt Whisky is used for it's own Single Malt as well as for the Old Parr and White Horse Blends.

The Production

The Cragganmore distillery draws its water from the mineral-rich Craggan burn, which lies next to the distillery. The production capacity of the distillery is 1.52 million. The distillery allows the wash to ferment for a very long time in it's traditional wooden wash backs, made of European Larch, which is a vital contributor to the spirits taste. Cragganmore is one of the distilleries which still use wooden wash backs. The distillery works 7 days a week to keep up with the high demand. 

The Pot Stills

Cragganmore's distilleries have a very distinctive pot still shape, which is an essential contributor to the distinctive taste of the spirit. Instead of the normal, conical neck of a pot still, Cragganmore's pot stills have a flat top and a relatively short neck. The distillery has 2 wash and 2 spirit stills, which power the production at the distillery. 

The Maltings

Lightly peated malt is used in the production of Craggenmore, which is now sourced from Diageo's central maltings. The practice of using floor maltings was ended at Cragganmore in the late twentieth century. Diageo are meticulous about where they select their barley from, and usually select it from a range of Lowland and Speyside farms.

The Warehouse

Cragganmore has three on-site warehouses, which house over 360'000 casks. They were built in 1925. The distillery uses a combination of Bourbon, Sherry and Port Wine casks. The distillery's warehouses are of the dunnage type. Bottling is performed at a site in Leven, Fife.

The History

John Smith, who had previously been involved with Macallan, Glenlivet and Glenfarclas distilleries, founded Cragganmore in 1869. Smith was said to be one of the finest and most experienced distillers of his day, which seems to be an understandable title, when we take into account that he was the managing director of Macallan, Glenlivet and Wishaw distilleries. Smith persuaded his landlord, Sir George MacPherson-Grant, to lease him the land to build a new distillery at Ballindalloch beside the Strathspey railway.

Cragganmore was the first distillery in Scotland to have its site selected and be built specifically to take advantage of its proximity to the Strathspey Railway. Famously, after the private station was built at Cragganmore to accommodate the distillery traffic, Smith wanted to ride on the train, but as he was a larger gentleman, he couldn't quite fit, and had to ride in the Guard's van instead. In 1887, the first 'Whisky special' left Ballindalloch for Aberdeen, with 300 casks of Cragganmore on board. In 1886, Smith passed away, leaving the business to his son, Gordon, who was only 21 at the time. In 1901, Charles Doig, the famous distillery architect, renovated and refurbished Cragganmore, bringing the site into the twentieth century with style. Tragically, Gordon only managed to run the distillery for a couple of decades, dying young in 1912.

In the wake of his death, Mary Jane, Gordon's widow, took over the running of the distillery.

The distillery continued to operate successfully, only stopping production in 1917, due to the restrictions that First World War domestic rationing in Britain has placed on the use of barley. However, Cragganmore didn't suffer too heavily from the conflict, with production resuming just a year later, in 1918. Determined to stay with the time, Mary Jane had electric lighting installed, driven by a Kholer generator. In 1923, the distillery was sold to the newly formed Cragganmore Distillery Co, where Mackie and Co and Peter Mackie sharing half ownership with Sir George-Macpherson-Grant making up the other half of the ownership. In 1927, due to a corporate merger, DCL comes to own 50% of the Cragganmore distillery. In 1931, hit by the recession of the 1930s, the distillery is forced to close. Limited production began again in 1934, and these levels of production were increased again in 1935. With the outbreak of the Second World War in 1941, restrictions on the use of barley limit the production that can be done by the distillery for the next five years. In 1961, the coal fired pot stills were converted to a heat steam system, and in 1964, production capacity doubled, with the number of stills increasing to four. One year later, in 1965, DCL finally bought out the other 50% of the company, becoming the sole owner of the distillery. In 1974, all of the stills were converted to steam heating, being at the forefront of distillery innovation. In 1988, the Cragganmore 12 year old became one of six malts carefully selected to become part of United Distiller's Classic Malts Range, which was met to enormous critical acclaim. Continuing with this trend, in 1998, Cragganmore Distillers Edition Double Matured was launched for the first time. Now under the ownership of Diageo due to its acquisition of DCL, Cragganmore has continued to go from strength to strength. In 2006, a 17 year-old from 1998 was released. Hopefully, as we begin to progress into the twentieth century, such releases will keep coming.

Visitor’s Centre

Cragganmore has an award-winning visitors centre, which was opened in 2002. The centre offers a tour of the facilities, and also includes a gift shop and café.

The Cragganmore Distillery Ballindalloch Banffshire AB37 9AB Tel: +44 ( 0)1479 - 874715 Email:  cragganmore.distillery@ remove-this. diageo.com  

User Notes about the Distillery

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Guide to Moray Speyside

Cragganmore Distillery

Cragganmore was established by John Smith in 1869 who had previously worked at Glenlivet, Macallan and Glenfarclas. Quite a CV! He chose the location at Cragganmore, to take advantage of the new (now closed) railway. Cragganmore means Great Rock in Gaelic.

The distillery has unusual spirit stills in that they have flat tops which further contribute to Cragganmore’s complex flavour and distinctive style.

Cragganmore is a little bit out of the way and hosts distillery tours and tastings in its own unique style. It’s not unusual to be on a tour with walkers who are walking the Speyside Way or even kayakers making their way down the River Spey.

Cragganmore Tours

Cragganmore Distillery Tours and Whisky Tastings are subject to availability particularly in the current Covid-19 climate. Always check their website to check latest opening times and availability on tours. It’s recommended you book in advance.

Cragganmore was one of the few distilleries in Scotland to offer a whisky and food pairing tour which explored the Cragganmore range and the interaction of Scottish food such as cheese and ham. It was also a distillery where you could taste from the Diageo range. Depending on what bottles were open you could find yourself tasting whiskies from Mortlach to Ben Rinnes to Blair Athol.

The Taste of Speyside Tour is a guided tour ending with the opportunity to experience the diversity of flavour in  the Cragganmore range. The Cragganmore Range Tasting Experience Sample 6 whiskies including one drawn from a duty paid cask.

Cragganmore Shop

The Cragganmore shop sells a wide range of Cragganmore styles and you are very likely to find distillery exclusives. In addition you will find single malts from the wide Diageo portfolio. Depending on availability, examples include Caol Ila, Talisker and Oban.

For the latest information about tours available at Cragganmore Distillery  visit their website.

Highlights and Summary

• Range of distillery tours
• Wide range of whiskies from other distilleries
• Rural location, off the beaten track
• Shop – Cragganmore, Mortlach, Ben Rinnes etc
• Flavour profile – known for its complexity
• Food & Whisky pairing tour
• Look out for tours ending in the Cragganmore Club Room

How to get to Cragganmore Distillery

Cragganmore Distillery is situated deep in Speyside. You can use a local taxi service as there is no public transport to reach it. Cragganmore is on the Speyside Way long distance walk and is a popular stop. If you are driving, please note that drink driving laws in Scotland are extremely strict and there is a zero tolerance policy. Check with Cragganmore before booking as to how they cater for drivers.  For detailed directions click on the link within the map.

Sister Distilleries

Cragganmore Distillery is owned by Diageo. There are other distilleries you can visit within the group, each with its own distinctive single malt character and tour type. These include Blair Athol Distillery and Oban Distillery.

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Undiscovered Scotland

Cragganmore distillery.

Cragganmore Distillery is one of the more retiring and reclusive of Speyside's distilleries, certainly of those with visitor centres, though it is easy to find. It is reached along a well signposted road that leaves the A95 a little to the west of the major kink where the A95 crosses the River Avon and meets the road coming north from Tomintoul.

The road to Cragganmore is actually the B9137, which at three quarters of a mile long in its entirety must be a contender for Scotland's shortest "B" road. As it passes the site of the long closed Ballindalloch railway station the road becomes declassified, and it then continues, increasingly pot holed, for another third of a mile past Cragganmore Ballindalloch Farm to the distillery itself and to neighbouring Cragganmore House, which offers B&B accommodation.

"Cragganmore" can be translated from the Gaelic as "big rock", and the distillery takes its name from the 475m (almost 1,600ft) mountain, Craggan More, whose summit can be found a mile and a half to the south. What you find on arrival at the distillery is a collection of buildings of considerable character, with the main elements collected around the sort of courtyard which is now often lost within more recent expansion at other distilleries. The distillery is enclosed by the steep southern side of the River Spey valley, while the river itself flows past a short distance to the north.

Contributing considerably to the charm of Cragganmore is the sense of it being very well tended. The main distillery buildings are white: and woodwork, both on the white buildings and on the stone bonded warehouses, is an attractive shade of dark green not far removed from the one used by Undiscovered Scotland. Parking is set aside for visitors, and from there you proceed into the courtyard through a wrought iron gateway which spells out the distillery name in gold lettering in a form that will be familiar to anyone who has ever seen a bottle of the product.

The visitor reception and shop is small but nicely presented and well stocked. You commence your tour on the far side of the courtyard, in the Cragganmore Clubroom, a beautiful and atmospheric room fitted and furnished to give visitors the sense they have become house guests in a Victorian shooting lodge on a grand estate. Here you can watch an introduction to the distillery: and you will end your visit in another nice room nearby set out for meetings or for tasting the product. At the risk of straying from the normal focus of our guides to distilleries, it is worth nothing that you might, while in the Clubroom, want to visit the neighbouring loos. These are exercises in recreated Victorian decadence, with superb fixtures, fittings and tiling. And the gents comes complete with a fox's head mounted high on the wall above you.

Your tour starts with an explanation of the milling process, and a view of the malt mill which was manufactured by Porteus. In common with most you find in Scotland's distilleries, it appears to have been made some considerable time ago, and it is perhaps no surprise that there is a story (whose truth we've never been able to establish) that Porteus ceased to be a viable independent company simply because they made products that were too good, and never needed replacing.

The mash tun at Cragganmore has an impressive copper top and comes with a stainless steel body with a wood outer face, which adds considerable character. The tun room is home to six washbacks, which some sources claim to be made of Oregon pine, while others say they are Scottish larch. Either way, once the brewing process has concluded the wash makes its way through to the still house. You can find out more about Making Malt Whisky from our series of feature pages showing the stages in the process.

The still house at Cragganmore is a fascinating place which runs along one side of the courtyard. There are four stills: two pairs each comprising a wash still and a spirit still. The upper parts of the stills sit within the ribbed roofline of the building. From a photographer's point of view this makes gaining a clear view of all of them at the same time almost impossible, but it also adds a certain intimacy to the feel of the space. At a much more practical level, it also means that the spirit stills, even though they are considerably smaller than the wash stills, have their tops chopped off flat in order to avoid impacting the roof. Rather than continuing from the stills in a smooth swan neck (as they do in the wash stills) the lyne arms stick out just below the truncated top of the spirit stills in a way that looks decidedly make-do-and-mend.

As with so much else in distilling, all is not necessarily what it seems. We suspect that the first spirit still used here had a chopped off top for reasons of expediency, but it soon became clear (or was soon assumed) that one of the reasons why the whisky produced by Cragganmore was (and is) among the most complex and highly rated produced by any Speyside distillery was because of the effect of the flat top of the spirit still on the processes taking place within it, and on the lightness of the spirit that eventually emerged. As a result, when the number of stills was increased from two to four in 1964, the new spirit still had a the same chopped off top as the original, even though it would doubtless have been possible at this point to build a roof that did not get in the way of the tops of this stills.

Another possible reason for the depth and complexity of Cragganmore's whisky is said to be the presence, out through the back wall of the still house, of worm tubs: large water tanks in which the distillate coming from the stills is passed through a coil of tube known as a worm. Worms are now a relatively rare form of condenser in Scotch whisky distilleries, but it is often said that they give a better, more refined, product than the more usual vertical stills. Those at Cragganmore can be seen from the windows in the tun room. After the still house the tour moves on to a dunnage warehouse before concluding in the tasting room.

Cragganmore Distillery was founded by John Smith in 1869. He was a man with experience in a number of Speyside's distilleries, and he chose the location at Cragganmore to take advantage of the, now long closed, railway line which passed beside the site. As a result materials could be brought in, and the product moved out, much more effectively and economically than would otherwise be possible. Today the line of the railway is followed by the Speyside Way long distance footpath. The distillery was purchased by the Glenlivet Distillery Co. Ltd. in 1923, which later became part of Distillers Company Limited and more recently Diageo. Until the 1980s much of the distillery's output went into blends, but from 1989 it was the marketed as the Speyside representative in the owner's "Classic Malts", and has not looked back since.

Cragganmore Distillery

Top ways to experience Cragganmore Distillery and nearby attractions

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Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

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Cragganmore Distillery - All You MUST Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

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Cragganmore distillery

In the small distillery, which is picturesquely situated on the banks of the beautiful river Spey, you get a classic and representative single malt. Take an interesting tour including a video show and take part in a tasting. The distillery is located on the official Scotland’s Malt whisky Trail. There are eight different distilleries and a cooperage on this hiking trail.

The stills are not too big but rather unusually shaped. Even when the distilling capacity was doubled when the two stills were expanded to four in 1964, strict attention was paid to the original shape of the copper stills. The result is a fruity, complex malt that is very subtle smoky. Nevertheless, Cragganmore is one of the smaller distilleries, but has already won several awards for its single malt. Five dunnage warehouses still exist on site, but most of the production is stored elsewhere in Scotland.

The 12-year-old standard bottling is part of the Classic Malts of Scotland range from Diageo and represents the Speyside area. The original bottlings are good, but there are also some independent bottlings for the fans of this distillery.

After John Smith gained experience at Glenfarclas, Glenlivet and Macallan, in 1870 it was time for him to start his own distillery. He got his water from the nearby Craggan spring, which also ensured the energy supply in the form of two water wheels. A few years before the distillery opened, the area’s First Railroad had opened with its own train station nearby. So perfect conditions for Mr. John Smith’s young enterprise. His malt was so popular that many blenders wanted to use it for their own blend and were happy to do so.

Cragganmore factsheet

Cragganmore timeline:.

1870 : Founded by John Smith (born 1833, formerly lessee of Glenfarclas) who persuaded Sir George Macpherson-Grant, his landlord, to lease him the land to build a new distillery. It was situated beside the Strathspey Railway Line along which a private siding was built (1869 mentioned as well)

1886-93 : John Smith died and the distillery was continued by Smith’s trustees

1902 : The distillery was rebuilt by Gordon Smith (1901 mentioned as well)

.... : Gordon Smith died

1923 : Purchased at the expiry of the lease by the Cragganmore-Glenlivet Distillery Co. Ltd., owned equally by the Ballindaloch Estate and by White Horse Distillers Ltd.. A different story is that Gordon Smith’s widow sold the distillery to Cragganmore Distillery Co., a subsidiary of White Horse Distillers

1927 : The White Horse share passed to the Distillers Company Ltd. (DCL)

1964 : Extended from two to four stills. Licensed to D. & J. McCallum Ltd., Edinburgh

1965-66 : White Horse Distillers merged with Distillers Company Ltd. (DCL), who acquired the remaining shares

1972 : Stills became steamheated

1988-1989 : The single malt is being chosen by United Distillers (UD) to represent the Speyside in their Classic Malts Series

1992 : Licensed to MacDonald Greenlees Ltd.

Can I tour Cragganmore?

Yes Cragganmore distillery is tourable. On Trip Advisor the distillery has been rated as excellent by 380 of 448 tours to date. This gives Cragganmore an overall rating of 5.0

Latest reviews

Booked a Distillery tour for me and my partner with 7 tastings which was amazing. Firstly it was very easy to book via email. Lauren the person who organised it was very helpful and friendly. Once we arrived onsite we headed into the shop where we took our temperatures for covid and we greeted in a very friendly manner. We were the only people on the tour so it was like our own private tour and tasting.Our tour guide Natasha was very knowledgeable and friendly, and answered all our questions very well while we were on the tour. The tasting was great and it was lovely to be able to taste all the whisky's they had, next to one another, my partner was driving so he even got to take the whisky away in little bottles to try when we got home. Definitely worth a visit!

We visited Cragganmore at the end of September, because of covid and the rain we had the place to ourselves. I've never been into whiskey, but the tour was fascinating learning about the process that's so much a part of the local heritage and industry and, with Susan's expert commentary I really enjoyed tasting all the whiskeys. A real treat and definitely helped me on my way to being a whiskey drinker!

A great tour even during the current restrictions, Kay was a great guide and still took all the time even though there were only two of us. Perfect introduction to Cragganmore whisky.

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Best Speyside Whisky Distillery Tours – Travel Guide

Last Updated:  February 23, 2024

If you want to visit Speyside distilleries but are unsure where to go, you must read our Speyside Distillery Tours Travel Guide. We have done the research and have come up with the optimal strategies, whether you are self-driving, catching public transport, or would like to have someone else organise a whisky tour for you. We've also researched accommodation options, tour options, and other things to see and do while you're adventuring in the Spey and Moray regions of the Scottish Highlands.

Map of Speyside Distilleries

Map pins shown in  black  are distilleries  not open to the public . While there are a lot of whisky distilleries in Speyside, half of them are not accessible to the public. They're on the map, as you might want to take a photo if you're going past (you might not get further than the front gate, though!).

Visits to distilleries with map pins shown in  orange  are only open to the public by appointment.

Distilleries with  green pins  are usually  open to the public , and most of the time, you can stop by for a tasting, have a look around, or purchase a bottle. However, most distilleries in Speyside now require advanced bookings for tours . Keep on reading for more information.

Click on the map below to zoom in and out, or click the [ ] top right corner to 'open larger map' in Google MyMaps and plot your routes. Please see our  Scotland Distillery Map  if you need further information on  how to use our interactive Google maps.

List of Speyside Distilleries Open To The Public

The Speyside Distilleries that you can actually (usually) visit are:

• Aberlour Distillery (tastings only at the moment)

Ballindalloch Distillery

• Balmenach Distillery (tours of the gin distillery only)

The Balvenie Distillery

Benromach distillery, the cairn distillery, cardhu distillery, cragganmore distillery.

• GlenAllachie Distillery

Glen Grant Distillery

Glenfiddich distillery, the glenlivet distillery, glen moray distillery.

• Knockdhu Distillery (not currently doing tours)
• The Macallan Estate  (tours by appointment only)

Strathisla Distillery

• Speyside Distillery (tours by appointment only)

Tomintoul Distillery

But i don’t want to (or can’t) drive.

The following distilleries are accessible by public transport (bus) from Elgin via the Stagecoach No 36 service , which runs approximately hourly (Monday to Saturday) from Elgin Bus Station to Dufftown Square, via Aberlour and Craigellachie. These distilleries listed below only have a short walk from the bus stop to the distillery (less than 0.3 mile / 500 metres).

• Aberlour Distillery (tastings only at present)
• The Benriach Distillery (advanced booking essential)
• The Balvenie Distillery (advanced booking essential)
• The Macallan Estate and GlenAllachie Distillery are also on the Stagecoach No. 36 route, however you will need to walk approximately 1.5 miles / 2.4 km from the bus stop to the distilleries. The Macallan advise against trying to walk to their distillery.
• Strathisla Distillery is located in the town of Keith which is accessible via train or bus from Elgin or Aberdeen - for more information see Traveline Scotland .
• Glen Moray Distillery is located in the town of Elgin and is approximately 1 mile from the nearest bus stop. If you're staying in Elgin, you can either walk to Glen Moray Distillery , or find a taxi or uber.

Organised Whisky Tours

Rabbie’s Tours offer a number of organised small-group tours to Speyside from Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Inverness in their 16-seater mini buses. Each of the following small group tours visits at least one distillery and is a fantastic way of visiting the region without having to drive yourself.

Speyside Whisky Trail - 1 Day Tour From Aberdeen

One day tour from Aberdeen visiting Speyside Cooperage and Cardhu Distillery via Royal Deeside and a walk in the woods of the Cambus O’May forest.

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Speyside Whisky & Moray Firth - 1 Day Tour From Inverness

Inverness to Moray and Speyside, visiting Glen Moray Distillery , Elgin Cathedral, the Gordon and Macphail Whisky Shop, and Cardhu Distillery .

Speyside Whisky Trail - 3 day Tour From Edinburgh

Departing Edinburgh, head towards the Cairngorms via Lindores Abbey and Royal Lochnagar Distilleries . Then two nights in Grantown-on-Spey, stopping in at Glen Moray Distillery , the Speyside Cooperage, Cardhu Distillery and finally, home again via Dalwhinnie Distillery .

Islay, Edinburgh & Speyside Whisky Holiday - 8 day Tour From Edinburgh

The Ultimate Whisky Region Holiday!! Departing Edinburgh, spend three days on Islay ( Bowmore, Ardnahoe, Kilchoman, Laphroaig*, Lagavulin, and Ardbeg ), head back to Edinburgh for a night, then onwards to Speyside via Lindores Abbey (Lowlands), Royal Lochnagar (Highlands), Dalwhinnie (Highlands), Speyside Cooperage, Glen Moray Distillery (Speyside), Cardhu Distillery (Speyside), Dalwhinnie Distillery (Highlands)

Road Trip! Self-Drive Whisky Tour

You have your pick of distillery tours in Speyside. Our maps (below) are designed to be interactive – click on the map to open it in Google My Maps and zoom around and get a feel for where everything is (the maps are viewable/zoom-able even if you don't have a Google account). Modifying the routes is easiest on a computer, not on a mobile phone, however, if you’ve only got a mobile device, you can import the destination pins into Google Maps (or other mapping software) and use the directions features to get the best routes - you will need a google account to modify the maps in Google Maps. Click here for more information on how to use the maps on this page . To see a map of ALL the distilleries in Scotland (including maps per whisky region), see our Scotland Whisky Distillery Map .

We’ve chosen the following Speyside distillery routes as the distilleries are open most days with regular tours, but please keep in mind i t is generally now essential to  pre-book your visit at least a day or two in advance and many may close their tours at short notice due to COVID. Even in 'normal times' tours often book out, especially on weekends and during summer, and you don’t want to drive all that way and miss out. We've included the online booking and phone booking information in each distillery profile below.

As there are a considerable number of distilleries close together in the Spey and Moray regions, you can visit a lot more distilleries in one day than you could in say, the Highlands or Lowlands. However, tours take time, and and you don't want to be rushing around the Scottish countryside trying to cram everything in.

We recommend you pick your favourite TWO distilleries for a tour.

You can certainly stop by other distilleries, have a look, take some photos and do a tasting (or grab yourself a bottle to take home). If you do try and attempt three tours in one day, you probably wont get a chance to stop off at any other distilleries or visit other scenic attractions along the way (hard to believe, but there are actually things to do in Speyside other than whisky !).

The routes below are around 90 minutes of driving excluding all other activities . Most distilleries run tours between 10:00 am and 3:30/4:00 pm (last tour at 3:30/4:00 pm), but this varies depending on the time of year (most close earlier Nov – Mar). Distillery tours are generally 60 minutes, though some tasting/tour experiences will easily run for 90 - 120 minutes. Remember to consider this when you’re picking your destinations, and prepare for a long day.

Some distilleries are better suited as a rest stop than others - we've put together a list of the Best Speyside Distilleries with Impressive Visitor Centres - places you can stop for a bite to eat or a quiet dram - often with amazing views.

Top 5 Speyside Distilleries With Impressive Visitor Centres

Distilleries near grantown on spey.

• Tomintoul Distillery (by appointment only)
• Ballindalloch Distillery (by appointment only)
• Cragganmore Distillery (Apr-Oct 2024)

Balmenach Distillery is an option to visit on this route - they do make whisky, but we haven't included them in the route list as only the gin-making portion of the distillery is open for tours and tastings.

The Tomatin Distillery and The Speyside Distillery are also not far from Grantown-on-Spey, however, there are no other distilleries near them (and they are not near each other), so we have not included them in this route. If you're headed to Inverness, we would recommend including The Tomatin in your itinerary, and if you're headed south along the A9, book ahead to secure your tour of Speyside Distillery (tours by pre-appointment only).

Distilleries Near Aberlour and Craigeallachie

There are a substantial number of distilleries concentrated around Aberlour and Craigellachie - these two towns would be our choice of locations for where to stay (see our gude to the Best Places to Stay in Speyside ) and all the Spey distilleries can be visited if you're based in these two towns. Craigellachie and Aberlour are within 2 miles of each other, so the driving distance/time is negligible, which means the itineraries below are interchangeable regardless of which town you stay in.

Distilleries Craigellachie - North Moray

• The Benriach Distillery  
• Speyside Cooperage (not a distillery but worth a visit)

Distilleries Aberlour - South to Avon

• The Macallan Estate (tours by appointment only)
• Cardhu Distillery (The Johnnie Walker Experience)

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Speyside Distillery Tours - Distillery Profiles

Aberlour distillery.

Banffshire, A95, Aberlour AB38 9PJ, United Kingdom Telephone +441340881249

Aberlour Distillery is located in the wee village of Aberlour. It was established in 1879 by James Fleming to take advantage of the waters of the Lour Burn, where it meets the River Spey. The water used for the whisky is drawn from nearby natural springs.

Aberlour Distillery Opening Hours

Monday to Sunday :  10am - 4pm

The minimum age of participants on tours and tastings is 18 years though children are welcome in the visitor's centre/shop. There is no parking available on site at Aberlour Distillery - parking is available in the village with a short walk to the visitors centre. For those with mobility impairment contact the distillery prior to your visit to arrange parking/drop off. The shop and main tasting room are wheelchair accessible and there is an accessible bathroom but the tours are not accessible as there are stairs in production areas.

Aberlour Distillery are under construction and tours of the production areas are not available.

Aberlour Express Tasting

March to December 2024:  Available twice daily (10 am and 12:15 pm), this is a tutored tasting of three (3) Aberlou r single malts , each selected to showcase the diversity of the distillery.  Each dram is 25ml. £20 per pers on, approximately 30 minutes duration. Online advanced bookings are recommended - max 10 persons per tasting. 

Aberlour : Deconstructed Tasting

March to December 2024: Available at 11:00 am, 1:15 pm and 4:15 pm daily, this  tutored tasting of six (6)  will introduce you to Aberlour's  new make spirit  (unaged), before sampling  a double cask matured whisky . Next, you will deconstruct Aberlour's traditional methods by sampling  two distillery exclusives , then exploring  a single cask edition  before finishing with  a limited edition Aberlour whisky . Each dram is 15ml.  £40 per person,  approximately  45 minutes duration.   Online advanced bookings for the Aberlour Single Cask Tasting Experience are recommended - max 10 persons per tasting.

Ballindalloch AB37 9AA, United Kingdom , Tel: +44 1807 500 331

The history of distillation on Ballindalloch Estate extends to 1869 with Sir George Macpherson-Grant, who leased part of the lands to John Smith to build Cragganmore Distillery. While Ballindalloch Distillery is a relatively 'new' distillery (it officialy opened in 2015 , though distillation began in 2014), the building they're housed in dates to 1848. Ballindaloch is one of few 'single estate' distilleries - they grow their own barley and feed the draff (waste grain residue after the mash) back to cattle across the Estate. Some of the production techniques also hark back to an older time - worm tubs are used to cool the wash/spirit. The Macpherson-Grant family are still the owners of Ballindalloch Estate (and Ballindalloch Castle ), and though their stake in Cragganmore Distillery ended in 1965 , tastings of aged Cragganmore whisky forms part of the Ballindalloch Distillery tour experience.

Ballindalloch Distillery Opening Hours

Ballindalloch Distillery shop is open Monday to Friday 10am - 4pm.

Ballindalloch Distillery Tour and Tasting

Monday to Friday at 10am, 11.30am, 1.30pm and 3pm.  A short tour of the Ballindalloch Distillery and two drams of Ballindalloch whisky. £20 per person and approximately 45 minutes duration.  Online advanced bookings of the Ballindalloch Short Tour and Tasting are essential. Drivers drams (takeaway samples) are available on request.

Ballindalloch Bespoke Tour and Tasting

Thursdays at 11am , enjoy a private tour and tasting at Ballindalloch Distillery and discover the unique history of their family-owned manual distillery. You will enjoy an in-depth tour and tasting with one of Ballindalloch's experienced distillery ambassadors, who will tailor the experience to your interest and knowledge, including tastings of rare and unique Ballindalloch single malts. £80 per person and 90 minutes duration, maximum 8 persons. Online advanced bookings of the Ballindalloch Bespoke Tour and Tasting Experience are essential.

Balvenie Distillery, Dufftown, Keith AB55 4BB, United Kingdom , Tel: +44 1340 822 210

The Balvenie is the only distillery in the Scottish Highlands that still grows and malts a proportion of its own barley (side note: Balllindalloch grow and use only their own barley, but dont malt it on site, while Balvenie floor malts only some of their own barley on site - floor maltings are inefficient and very labor intensive, which is why very few distilleries still have them - the distilleries that still do usually also truck in most of their barley from offsite maltsters). The Balvennie is worth a visit to see floor maltings in action.

Balvenie Distillery Opening Hours

The Balvennie Distillery Shop is open Monday to Friday from 10 am til 3.30 pm. Persons must be over 18 years of age to visit the distillery. The Balvennie is worth a visit to see floor maltings in action - very few distilleries still have floor maltings.

The Balvenie Distillery Tour

Twice daily, Monday to Friday 10 am and 2 pm. Enjoy a guided tour of the distillery, including the floor maltings, cooperage and warehouse 24, followed by a tutored tasting of Balvennie whiskies. £75 per person and approximately 2.5 hours duration . Online advanced bookings are essential. Drivers drams are available for takeaway (2cl sample of each of the 5 drams available during the tour).

The Benriach Distillery

Benriach A941, Elgin, IV30 8SJ  Telephone +44 1314 562 681

The Benriach Distillery Shop is open Monday to Sunday 10.30 am to 5 pm. Tours are only for persons aged 18 years and over. Tours should be booked well in advance as there are only limited spaces and times available.

The Benriach Original Tour

A guided tour through the distillery, tasting of 3 whiskies and includes the opportunity to create your own Benriach cocktail. 75 minutes duration, £20 per person . Online bookings for the Benriach Original Tour are available.  

Benriach Barley to Barrels Tour

Learn about Benriach's whisky making heritage and their use of an eclectic selection of casks from around the world in this in depth tour of the distillery and warehouse 13, before returning to the visitor centre for a tutored tasting of five whiskies from the Benriach range.  2 hours duration, £45 per person. Online bookings for the Benriach Barley to Barrels Tour are available.

Benriach Grape and Grain Tour 

Sherry, Port, Madeira and Marsala are a selection of some of the cask types used to mature Benriach whisky. After a guided tour of the distillery, uncover the breadth of casks maturing inside Warehouse 13 and explore the flavours created from the different wine casks with a tasting of 5 limited release and single cask bottlings with a matched food pairing . 2.5 hours duration, £65 per person.  Online advanced bookings for the Benriach Grape to Grain Tour are essential.

Invererne Road, Forres, Moray IV36 3EB , Tel: +44 1309 675 968

Benromach Distillery Opening Hours

January, February: Monday to Saturday: 10:00 am - 4:00 pm March to October: Monday to Saturday: 9.30 am - 5:00 pm November, December: Monday to Saturday: 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

Online booking requests are available (48 hours advance booking required), otherwise contact the distillery on +44 1309 675 968 . You must be over 18 years of age to go on a Benromach Distillery Tour. Have a quick look around the distillery before you go with a Benromach Distillery Virtual Tour .  Benromach Distillery Tours are not wheelchair accessible, though the Vistor's Centre is accessible.

Benromach Classic Tour

Guided tour of the Benromach Distillery. £10 per person and 60 minutes duration. Online booking requests for the Benromach Classic Tour are available.

Benromach Contrast Tour

Guided tour and tasting of the Benromach Contrast Range, compared to the Classic Benromach Whiskies. £25 per person and 90 minutes duration. Online booking requests for the Benromach Contrast Tour are available.

Benromach Heritage Tour

Guided tour of the distillery and tasting of a selection of unique and rare whiskies hand picked by Benromach's Distillery Manager. £75 per person and 2 hours duration.  Online booking requests for the Benromach Heritage Tour are available.

Grantown-On-Spey PH26 3NT, United Kingdom Telephone: +44 1479 816 543

The newest distillery to open in the Speyside region and the first distillery in the Cairngorms National Park for many years. The Cairn distillery opened in 2022 and is a very shiny new operation. While the stills may have only just been switched on, there is a decent amount of whisky to taste on site as the owners of The Cairn Distillery are none other than Independent Bottlers Gordon and MacPhail . Not many distilleries commence life with aged whiskies (from other distilleries) readily available to sample and purchase: the CRN57° range is available in 12YO, 18YO, 25YO, 30YO, 57YO (!) and 70YO (!!) . The Cairn Distillery is open year round, but due to their location in the Cairngorms, they may close at short notice in the winter months if the weather is too wild. On-site cafe/bistro - The Gathering - stocks local produce and whisky inspired fare.

The Explorer Experience

The Explorer Experience at The Cairn Distillery includes a tour of the distillery and two tastings of CRN57 blended malts: the 12 Year Old , and 18 year Old .  £25 per person and approximately 60 minutes duration.  The Explorer Tour is available Tuesday to Saturday hourly from 9:30 am to 2:30pm. Online advanced bookings for the Explorer Experience are recommended.

The Adventurer Experience

The Adventurer Experience is the Explorer guided distillery tour, and three drams of CRN57 blended malts: the 12 Year Old , 18 year Old and the 25 year old in the top floor tasting lounge, before heading on to a selection of tapas in the Gathering bistro .  £60 per person and approximately 90 minutes duration.  The Adventurer Tour is available Tuesday to Saturday hourly from 9:30 am to 2:30pm.  Online advanced bookings for the Adventurer Experience are recommended.

Knockando, Aberlour AB38 7RY, United Kingdom Telephone: +44 1479 874 635

Cardhu Distillery is the Speyside home of Johnnie Walker - and as one of Diageo's flagship distilleries, the visitor experience is a considerable priority (along with  Caol Ila ,  Clynelish  and  Glenkinchie , the other homes of Johnnie Walker with fabulous visitor centres). Tours are highly immersive experiences and use a combination of light, media, music, sensory moments and special effects that may not be suitable for all audiences, including those with a nut allergy. 

Cardhu Distillery  consulted Euan's guide  on their redevelopment and have accessible parking, bathrooms and accessible tasting areas. Due to the age of the distillery itself, distillery tours are only partially accessible to those with mobility impairment as there are some stairs in the still house, but the Spirit Safe and Spirit Stills are visible from an accessible viewing area if stairs are not your thing.

Cardhu Distillery allows children over the age of 8 years on tours (at a discounted rate too).

Cardhu Distillery Opening Hours

• January and February: Thursday to Monday: 10:00 am to 4:00 pm
• March to October: Monday to Sunday (7 days): 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
• November and December : Wednesday  to Sunday : 10:00 am to 4:00 pm

Cardhu Flavour Journey - Full Sensory Tour and Tasting

A guided journey through Cardhu’s fascinating founding by two generations of resolute women. Your full-sensory tour culminates in a tutored whisky tasting and a cocktail in the Cardhu Tasting Kitchen. £19 per person and approximately 90 minutes duration . Online advanced bookings for the Cardhu Flavour Journey Tour and Tasting are recommended.

Note: Cardhu Distillery is closed for tours most of October due to maintenance (silent season), however Flavour Journey Tastings are still available in the visitor's centre.

Guess Dhu Tour and Tasting Challenge

A guided full-sensory tour of the distillery coupled with a "Guess the Dhu" tasting experience - if you love a challenge and enjoy matching your flavour perceptions against others’, this is the experience for you. This optional nosing and tasting finish to the Cardhu Flavour Journey invites you to test your senses in a mystery whisky challenge in the Cardhu Collection Room. Correctly identify the whiskies, and you’ll earn a spot in Cardhu's Guess Dhu Hall of Fame. £22 per person and approximately 90 minutes duration . Online advanced bookings for the Cardhu Guess Dhu Tour and Tasting Challenge are recommended as this tour runs only once a day.

Note: Cardhu Distillery is closed for tours most of October due to maintenance (silent season), however tastings are still available in the visitor's centre.

Cragganmore, Ballindalloch AB37 9AB, United Kingdom Telephone +44 1479 874 715

Cragganmore was established in 1869 by John Smith (also involved with Macallan, Glenlivet and Glenfarclas) on Ballindalloch Estate land. The stills used (and still do) a pioneering flat-top pot still design with relatively short necks which contributes (along with the long fermentation times) to Cragganmore spirit's distinctive taste.

Due to the age of the distillery, Cragganmore is not very mobility friendly. There are three disabled parking spaces on site but no accessible bathrooms, and there is a 15cm high step leading into the shop. The still house can be viewed via a small ramp but the rest of the distillery has stairs. For full information see Cragganmore's accessibility statement .

Children over the age of 8 years are welcome at the distillery and on the Cragganmore Tour.

Cragganmore Distillery Opening Hours

• 15 April to October:  Monday to Sunday (7 days) : 10:00 am to 5:00 pm

Cragganmore: A Taste of Speyside Tour and Tasting

A guided tour of the Cragganmore Distillery followed by a tutored tasting of three (3) Cragganmore whiskies : £20 per person (£10 for children 8 to 18), approximately 60 minutes duration.  Advanced online bookings of the Cragganmore Taste of Speyside Tour are recommended.

Glenallachie Distillery

Glenallachie, Aberlour AB38 9LR, United Kingdom Telephone +44 1340 872 547

GlenAllachie (pronounced "Glen-Alla-Key") derives from Gleann Aileachaidh, an old Scottish Gaelic phrase which translates to the "Valley of the Rocks". Master distiller Billy Walker leads GlenAllachie (formerly Deanston, Tobermory, BenRiach, GlenDronach and Glenglassaugh). Unlike most scotch distilleries, GlenAllachie has two separate spirit safes, which allow them to operate each set of stills independently. They also are a bit unusual in having a very long fermentation time (160 hours vs 48 hours for Glen Grant and a lot of ) , and they have horizontal rather than vertical condensers, as the distillery was designed to be gravity fed.

The GlenAllachie Visitor Centre and Distillery Shop are both accessible to wheelchair users, however access is limited in the production area of the distillery due to stairs. There is a virtual tour experience available from the tasting room if stairs are an issue. Email the distillery in advance if you would like to organise a virtual tour [email protected] .

Persons under the age of 18 years are not permitted on distillery tours but are allowed in the Visitor's Centre.

GlenAllachie Distillery Opening Hours

• April to October:  7 days Monday to Sunday : 11:00 am to 5:00 pm
• November to March: 6 days Monday to Saturday : 11:00 am to 5:00 pm

The GlenAllachie Experience

Guided tour of the distillery followed by a tasting of four (4) drams GlenAllachie core range whiskies, including The GlenAllachie 12yo. £25 per person and approximately 60 minutes duration. Online advanced bookings are recommended.

The Premium GlenAllachie Experience

Guided tour of the distillery followed by a tasting of four (4) premium drams of GlenAllachie whisky, including limited edition releases. £35 per person and approximately 60 minutes duration. Online advanced bookings are recommended.

A95, Ballindalloch, United Kingdom Telephone +44 1807 500 345

For more information see our full Glenfarclas Distillery Profile.

The distillery is in an old building and not very accessible for those with mobility issues as there are quite a lot of stairs. The warehouses, visitor centre and tasting areas are wheelchair accessible however, and there is an accessible bathroom.

Children over the age of 10 years are permitted on tours.

Glenfarclas Distillery Duty Free Warehouse No.6

Glenfarclas Distillery Opening Hours

• April, May, June:  Monday to Friday : 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
• July, August and September: Monday to Friday:   10:00 am to 5:00 pm   and Saturday: 10:00 am to 4:00 pm  
• October to March: Monday to Friday 10:00 am to 4:00 pm

Classic Tour

Guided tour of Glenfarclas Distillery and tasting of Glenfarclas whisky in the Ship's room at the end of the tour.  £7.50 per person and approximately 90 minutes duration. Advanced bookings are highly recommended, however online bookings are not available - to make a booking email [email protected] with the preferred time and date of your visit and the number of people in your group.

• April to September: Monday to Friday:   10:30, 12:00, 14:00, 15:30
• July, August and September: Saturday  10:30, 12:00, 13:15, 14:30
• October to March: Monday to Friday:   10:30, 12:00, 13:15, 14:30

Dufftown, Keith AB55 4DH, United Kingdom Telephone +44 1340 820 373

Glenfiddich distillery is in an old building and not very accessible for those with mobility issues as there are multiple sets of steep stairs. If you have mobility requirements, email the distillery in advance [email protected] and they should be able to revise the tour for you - there are flat tour options for accessing the Mash House, Still House (weather permitting) and Warehouse. The Tun Room is only accessible via stairs however.

Glenfiddich Distillery Opening Hours

• Wednesday - Sunday (closed Mondays and Tuesdays):  9.00 am to 5:00 pm

Glenfiddich Distillery Tour

• Wednesday to Sunday:   first tour at 9.30 am and last tour at 3.30 pm

Guided tour of Glenfiddich Distillery followed by a tutored tasting of The Glenfiddich 12 year old, 15 year old and 18 year old whiskies as well as the Glenfiddich Gran Reserva which is a 21 year old finished in rum casks.  £20 per person and approximately 90 minutes duration.  Advanced bookings are highly recommended as Glenfiddich is an incredibly popular distillery to visit, and may book out weeks in advance.

Glenfiddich Solera Deconstructed Tour

• Thursday & Saturday:   2.00 pm

An expertly guided tour of the distillery as well as a visit to Warehouse 8, to see Glenfiddich's unique Solera process and discover what makes Glenfiddich 15 year old such an exceptional whisky. The next part of the Solera journey is the Malt Master’s Blending Room to enjoy a tasting of four (4) Glenfiddich cask-strength 15-year-old samples . You will also have the unique opportunity to step into Malt Master Brian Kinsman’s role - preparing your very own version of Glenfiddich 15 year old by combining different cask samples together, and bottle a sample of your favourite to take home. £60 per person and approximately 2.5 hours duration.  Advanced bookings are highly recommended as Glenfiddich is an incredibly popular distillery to visit, and the Solera Deconstructed tour only runs twice a week. This tour is for persons aged 18 years and over only.

Elgin Road, Rothes, Aberlour AB38 7BS, United Kingdom Telephone +44 1340 832 118

The Glen Grant Distillery was established in 1840 by John and James Grant after their lease at Aberlour expired in 1839. While Glen Grant Distillery is well worth a visit to tour the distillery, the gardens make it stand out from other distilleries you can visit in Speyside. The Glen Grant Garden (The Major's Garden) is 22 acres of parkland with a diverse mix of plants from The Major's (James Grant Jrs) adventures around the world - he was a keen hunter and often travelled to Africa and abroad - he established the garden in 1886. If you find yourself in the scenic gorge, keep an eye out for The Major's private whisky safe, hidden in The Den. The Major was also responsible for the unusually shaped (tall and slender) stills and purifiers installed in 1872.

Glen Grant is another distillery located in a fabulously old building and not very accessible for those with mobility issues as there are multiple sets of stairs. The visitors centre is wheelchair accessible, as are much of the gardens.

Tours are free for children under 18 years of age. Glen Grant are probably the best option for visiting a distillery in Speyside with children as they're welcome on site and the gardens make for a great play area.

Glen Grant Distillery Opening Hours

• November to March: Monday to Saturday (closed Sunday): 9.30 am – 3.30 pm
• April to October: Monday to Saturday: 9.30 am – 4:00 pm   and  Sunday: 11:00 am – 4:00 pm

Glen Grant Distillery Tour

Guided tou r of Glen Grant Distillery followed by a tasting of two (2) Glen Grant whiskies .  £7.50 per person and approximately 40 minutes duration (40 minutes for the tour, tasting as long as you like, with access to the gardens afterwards ) .  Advanced bookings are essential however online bookings are not available. To book contact The Glen Grant Visitor Centre on (+44) (0)1340 832 118 or email [email protected]

Glenlivet, Ballindalloch AB37 9DB, United Kingdom Telephone +44 1340 821 720

The Glenlivet has seen many firsts - in 1824 it became the first licensed distillery in Speyside, established by George Smith. He had previously been distilling quite successfully illicitly, along with many others in the Glenlivet region. By licensing his operations, George fell into considerable disfavour with the other distillers, to the point where he needed to carry a pair of pistols on his person for over a decade (for more on this, see  Charles MacLean's Spirit of Place ).

By the mid-1880s, the name 'Glenlivet' was synonymous with whisky from the Speyside region, thanks to the success of Usher's Old Vatted Glenlivet (created 1853), the first branded Scotch whisky. George Smith had appointed Andrew Usher as his agent in the mid-1820s, and after 1860 Usher's was a blend of 3 whiskies, including Glenlivet. In 1884 The Glenlivet obtained a court order stipulating that they were the one and only;  The  Glenlivet. However, this didn't stop other distilleries from continuing to add 'Glenlivet' to their name, which is why you'll often see 'Glenlivet' appended to many other Speyside distilleries ( e.g. Glenfarclas-Glenlivet, Glen Grant-Glenlivet ). 

While the history of Glenlivet Distillery extends as long as the history of legal distilling in Speyside, the distillery you visit today is a modern distillery, having been rebuilt in 2010 within the original Glenlivet site.

While the distillery is relatively modern (2010), the production areas are not suitable for those with mobility impairment. There is disabled access in the visitor centre & warehouses, and a viewing platform exists in the still house for people with limited mobility. The Speyside Room (interactive tour) uses a combination of audio-visual aids, including sound, lighting and elements of fast motion media that may not be suitable for all audiences.

Tours and Tastings are for persons aged 18 years and over only.

Glenlivet Distillery 2023 Opening Hours

• 05 January to 03 March: Monday to Friday : 10:00 am to 4:00pm
• 07 March to 28 October: Tuesday to Saturday : 10:00 am to 5:00pm
• 31 October to 01 December: Tuesday to Saturday:  10:00 am to 4:00 pm
• 04 December to 22 December: Monday to Friday:  10:00 am to 4:00 pm

Glenlivet The Original Distillery Tour

Guided tour explaining how The Glenlivet became the original Speyside distillery, including an immersive visual experince in the Speyside and Process Room where you will meet the individuals who are integral to The Glenlivet today from the local farming community to the cask management team. Followed by a visit to Warehouse 1, and a tutored tasting of three (3) Glenlivet whiskies : The Glenlivet 12 year old, 15 year old and a Distillery Exclusive edition. £20.00 per person and approximately 90 minutes duration. Over 18s only. Online advanced bookings are highly recommended  as The Glenlivet is a very popular distillery.

Glenlivet Single Cask Tasting

Tutored tasting of four (4) Glenlivet exclusive single cask editions from the Distillery Reserve Collection. £40.00 per person and approximately 60 minutes duration. Over 18s only. Online advanced bookings are highly recommended  as The Glenlivet is a very popular distillery.

The Glenlivet Archives Tasting

Start your experience in bonded Warehouse No. 3, where you will learn of The Glenlivets finely tuned processes for cask selection and warehousing, followed by a guided tasting in one of Glenlivet's private tasting rooms, enjoying The Glenlivet’s oldest and rarest whiskies including The Glenlivet XXV, The Glenlivet 30 Year Old Cellar Collection and a dram from one of the Glenlivet archives. Available at 2.30pm on Fridays and Saturdays (March to October) this tour must be booked in advance . Alternate times for group bookings can be arranged by emailing [email protected] . £100.00 per person and approximately 120 minutes duration . Over 18s only.

Bruceland Rd, Elgin, United Kingdom, Telephone +44 1343 550 900

Glen Moray Distillery was founded in 1897 by a consortium of local businessmen, the Glen Moray-Glenlivet Distillery Company (another Glenlivet appended distillery). Current owners La Martiniqueaise purchsed it in 2008 and have dramatically expanded production for their Label 5 blended scotch, one of the best selling whiskies in France (where Glen Moray is sold as a Single Malt under the label Glen Turner). Glen Moray is situated in the town of Elgin (north Moray) - the distillery began life as a brewery in the late 1820s/early 1830s. Glen Moray have a long history of using ex-wine casks for maturation, with Marsala and Sherry being used since the early days - one of their current tasting experiences pairs wine (Port and Madeira) with whisky.

Children are welcome at the distillery and on tours and admission is free for under 18s.

Glen Moray Distillery Opening Hours

• May to September: Monday to Saturday: 9am to 5pm  Sunday: Closed
• October to April: Monday to Friday: 9am to 5pm  Saturday and Sunday: Closed

Glen Moray Distillery Tour

• 9.30 am, 11.30 am, 1.30 pm and 3.30 pm

Guided tour of Glen Moray distillery along with an optional complimentary tasting of two (2) whiskies . £7.00 per person. Online bookings not available, though advanced bookings are recommended by phoning  +44 1343 550 900 or sending a message by their contact us page . Children are welcome on the tour and their entry is free of charge.

Glen Moray Wine to Whisky Tasting Experience

• 11:00 am Tuesdays and Thursdays, subject to availability

A tasting masterclass (no tour) exploring the connection between Glen Moray whisky, Porto Cruz port wine and Henriques & Henriques madeira wine. This tasting will give the chance to try the wines that have come from the casks originally plus 3 Glen Moray whiskies finished in the same casks. £50.00 per person and 60 minutes duration. Online bookings not available, though this tour is available only by prior appointment: phone +44 1343 550 900 or send a message by the Glen Moray contact us page .

Glen Moray Chocolate and Whisky Tasting

• 3:00 pm Tuesdays and Thursdays, subject to availability

Tasting of four (4) Glen Moray whiskies paired with hand crafted COCO chocolates - suitable for groups of up to 10 people. £50.00 per person and 60 minutes duration. Online bookings not available, though this tour is available only by prior appointment: phone +44 1343 550 900 or send a message by the Glen Moray contact us page .

Knockdhu Distillery

Knock, Huntly, Aberdeenshire. AB54 7LJ Telephone +44 1466 771 223

Knockdhu is Gaelic for Black Hill, also known as Knock Hill (which is technically Hill Hill...). The idea for Knockdhu Distillery came about in 1892 when John Morrison acquired Knock Estate and discovered a spring of crystal clear water on the southern slopes of Knock Hill . The actual construction of Knockdhu distillery in 1894 was overseen by Distillers Company Ltd (DCL), and it was the first distillery commissioned by the company (which would eventually become Diageo). For more information see Charles MacLean : Spirit of Place .

Knockdhu Distillery whisky trades under the label anCnoc (pronounced "a-nock") - named to avoid confusion with Knockando Distillery - and also a local name for Knock Hill. Knockdhu is generally considered a Speyside distillery, however, it is nowhere near the river Spey, so technically it is an East Highlands Distillery - they're a great example of where the regional classifications often mean very little in terms of the actual whisky, and can even be unhelpfully confusing.

Fast forward to the present day, and Knockdhu (owned by Inver House Distillers/International Beverage Holdings/ThaiBev  since 1988) has undergone some rather impressive sustainability upgrades. Knockdhu has developed wetlands on the distillery grounds - comprising six separate cells (2,000 square metres) of 17 different plant species (>21,000 individual plants). The wetlands catch and filter the wastewater from the mash house, tun room and the spent yeast residue from the Spirit Still.

Water extracted from the Knock Hill spring  is used at least seven times in processing  to minimise waste, from cooling the wort to pre-heating the wash still and flushing out the washbacks before being sent to the wetlands. While many associate Scotland with rain (it is a rather damp and soggy climate much of the time) , drought has wreaked havoc on the whisky industry multiple times over the past 150 years. Many distilleries are now looking to implement similar measures for waste minimisation in an increasingly erratic climate, as it is impossible to make whisky without a lot of water.

Knockdhu Distillery Opening Hours

• Monday to Friday: 10:00 am to 4:00 pm

Knockdhu / AnCnoc are not currently open for tours due to COVID-19 - the distillery are trying to minimise the impact on their workforce/whisky production.

The Macallan Estate

Easter Elchies, Aberlour AB38 9RX, United Kingdom Telephone +44 1340 318 000

Macallan Estate underwent a spectacular £140million refurbishment in 2018 (see video below) and now offer a range of experiences, as long as you are over the age of 18 -  children are not permitted in the production areas of the distillery, nor on the first floor, though they are permitted in ground floor areas including the Boutique, Elchies Brasserie and Jewel Box. All tour and tasting experiences must be booked in advance - they will not accept walk in bookings. Elchies Brasserie and The Boutique and the Jewel Box are open to the general public without a prior booking, though only on Saturday and Sunday.

The new Macallan distillery is a spectacular achievement in design and engineering and is unlike any other distillery we've visited. The distillery is integrated with the visitor experience, all under one roof in an open-plan layout of epic proportions.

Accessibility - all guest areas within The Macallan Estate Distillery are wheelchair accessible, though there is a small section in the Still House that mobility scooters and electric wheelchairs will be unable to pass through. There is a lift for mobility access to all levels, and four disabled parking spaces. Flooring within the production area is grated which assistance dogs may find uncomfortable. See the Macallan's tour terms and conditions page for further accessibility details.

The Macallan Distillery Opening Hours

• From Saturday 28th January 2023 until 30th April 2023 the Macallan are open for pre-booked experiences on Thursdays to Sundays. 

The Macallan Discovery Experience

• From Saturday 28th January 2023 until 30th April 2023  Discovery Experiences are available at 10 am and 11 am Thursdays to Sundays . Due to the limited number of tours available, and their extreme popularity, bookings should be made as soon as you know your travel dates . Macallan tours often book out weeks in advance.

This expertly led 2.5 hour experience commences with The Macallan roast coffee and scones, followed by an initiation into The Macallan's heritage and 'acorn to glass' distillery process, followed by a sampling of The Macallan whiskies, first in the Cave Priveé for a tutored tasting, before ending up in the Macallan Bar. £50.00 per person . Advanced bookings are essential.

The Macallan Mastery Experience

Believe it or not, this is not the ultimate Macallan Experience (check out the  Bentley Motors  or Edition No. 6 Fishing Experience  for that), but it's close. A four hour in-depth deep dive into Macallan with a matched-wine dining experience at Elchies Brasserie followed by a carefully curated tutored tasting of The Macallan in Cave Priveé before heading onto a whisky flight tasting in the Macallan Bar . You even get a commemorative glass to take home. If you can afford it, go for it, as this should be an experience to remember, if you can after all that. This would be our pick - now, who's paying?  £250.00.00 per person . Advanced bookings are essential.

• From Saturday 28th January 2023 until 30th April 2023 The  Macallan Mastery Experiences are available at 12 noon Thursdays to Sundays . Bookings should be made as soon as you know your travel dates .

Seafield Ave, Keith AB55 5BS, United Kingdom Telephone +44 1542 783 044

Licensed in 1786, Strathisla (sometimes known as Strathisla-Glenlivet and Longmore's Strathisla) is the oldest working licensed distillery in Speyside, and possibly considered the oldest working distillery in all of the Highlands, depending on how you look at Glenturret's establishment date (Glenturret wasn't licensed until 1818 but the distillery has been running since around 1763). Purchased by Seagram/Chivas Brothers Holdings in 1950 the majority of Strathisla whisky was then and is now destined for Chivas Regal (now owned by Pernod Ricard).

Strathisla is considered to be one of the prettiest distilleries in Speyside, with its twin pagoda chimneys and neatly restored buildings and grounds. 

Strathisla experiences are for persons aged 18 years and older only.

Watch the following Chivas Taste Discovery video in full screen mode as you can pan around 360 degrees.

Strathisla Distillery Opening Hours

• 1st May to 31st October: Monday to Sunday:  10:00 am to 5:00 pm
• 1st November to 30th April: Monday to Saturday (Closed Sundays): 12 noon to 5:00 pm

Strathisla Distillery Tour

• Daily at 10:00 am

Start your morning with a Highball cocktail before commencing your guided tour of Strathisla, learning of the history of the distillery and of Chivas Brothers, and finishing with a tutored tasting of four (4) whiskies . £20.00 per person and approximately 80 minutes duration. Online advanced bookings are highly recommended.

The Chivas Cellar Tasting

• Monday, Thursday, Saturday until 31 October: 3:00 pm

Guided tasting experience (no tour) of drams drawn straight from the casks in the Chivas Regal Cellar of Warehouse No. 3, including a Bourbon barrel of Chivas Regal 12 year old, a sherry butt of Chivas Extra, a hogshead of Chivas Regal 18 year old, a sherry butt of Chivas Regal 25 year old and a barrel of Chivas Ultis. £40.00 per person and approximately 45 minutes duration. Online advanced bookings are highly recommended.

Strathisla Distillery Reserve Collection

• Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday until 31 October: 3:00 pm

Guided tasting experience (no tour) of five (5) Strathisla single malts from the Distillery Reserve Collection. £50.00 per person and approximately 60 minutes duration. Online advanced bookings are highly recommended.

Speyside Distillery

Tromie Mills, Kingussie PH21 1NS, United Kingdom Telephone +44 1479 810 126

The Speyside Distillery is quite a distance from the other Speyside Distilleries, off to the south west on the River Tromie, a branch of the River Spey. It is a solid rival to Strathisla for prettiest / most historic and photographable Speyside distillery (we're going to give the Macallan the title of most photographable modern Speyside distillery). While Speyside Distillery looks old, it wasn't a distillery until 1990! The buildings were part of a barley mill and croft dating back to the 1700s, and active until 1965.

The distillery is not wheelchair accessible (stairs) and persons must be aged 18 years or older to visit the distillery.

Speyside Distillery Opening Hours

• The Speyside Distillery is not currently open to the general public and tours are by appointment only
• The Snug / Speyside Distillery Shop  is open most days from 10:00 am

Speyside Distillery Tour and Tasting

Tours of the Speyside Distillery must be booked in advance as the distillery is not open to the general public. Tours include a guided history of the distillery and four (4) tastings of single malt. £35.00 per person.

Tomintoul, Ballindalloch AB37 9AQ, United Kingdom Telephone +44 1807 590 274

Tomintoul Distillery (aka Tomintoul-Glenlivet), a relatively 'new' distillery built in 1964, is  located on the 23,000-hectare Glenlivet Estate (not to be confused with The Glenlivet, though this distillery resides within the Estate). From the 1500’s to the early 20th Century, the  Estate of Glenlivet  belonged to the Gordon family (later the Dukes of Richmond and Gordon) but has been part of The Crown Estate Scotland since 1937.

Tomintoul Distillery Tour

• Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10:00 am and 1:00 pm

Guided tour of Tomintoul Distillery followed by a tasting of three (3) Tomintoul whiskies . £20.00 per person and approximately 90 minutes duration. Online bookings not available, though advanced bookings are essential by phoning +44 1807 590 274 .

Speyside Cooperage

Dufftown Road, Craigellachie, Banffshire, Aberlour AB38 9RS, United Kingdom Telephone +44 1340 871 108

Not a distillery but should be on your list to visit and see how casks are crafted (such an important part in the whisky making process), and learn the history of Coopering (the origins of the craft are over 5000 years old). There is also a cafe on site  serving sandwiches, cakes and coffee, as well as a gift shop .

The Speyside Cooperage is mostly wheelchair accessible. There is a ramp leading to the visitors centre and the mini cinema is also accessible. The viewing platform is up 15 stairs; if you're unable to manage the stairs they have a live video link you can watch (and pan and zoom) from the reception area accompanied by your own guide who will explain it all to you. The Speyside Cooperage Accessibility Statement is available as a PDF download . There is also an accessible bathroom and five disabled parking bays.

Children are welcome at the Speyside Cooperage.

Speyside Cooperage Opening Hours

• Monday to Friday : 9:00 am to 3:00 pm

Speyside Cooperage Classic Tour

• Monday to Friday, Hourly Tours, on the hour (e.g. 9:00 am, 10:00 am ...) last tour at 3:00 pm

Guided tour through the Speyside Cooperage exhibition which includes an informative cinematic presentation followed by a visit to the viewing gallery where you can watch the Coopers at work. £5.00 per person and approximately 45 minutes duration.  Bookings are not essential but are highly recommended in summery. To make a booking call +44 1340 871 108 or email [email protected] .

Best Accommodation Locations For Speyside Whisky Tours

There are a large number of accommodation options in the Spey and Moray districts (see our guide to the Best Places To Stay In Speyside ) whether you wish to stay in a hotel or self-catered accommodation .  Grantown-on-Spey is one of the biggest towns in Speyside with quite a few accommodation options to chose from and a wide selection of restaurants and bars. Aberlour (where you’ll find the Aberlour Distillery ) and Craigellachie are two villages right in the middle of all the distilleries with some fabulous options to combine accommodation and whisky tasting.

Best Places To Stay In Speyside Scotland Near Distilleries

Other things to see and do in speyside.

Hard as it is to believe, there are non-whisky things to see and do in the Spey and Moray regions, though we're aware the following suggestion are somewhat whisky-related:

• Elgin Cathedral - these medieval ruins are right around the corner from Glen Moray Distillery and the Gordon and MacPhail Whisky Shop where you can do a fabulous tasting from their Discovery, Distillery Labels and Connoisseurs Choice ranges, or go all out on an extra special Rare and Vintage Tasting .
• Glen Grant Gardens - even if you don't want to tour the distillery, the gardens are a lovely space to meander the paths along the Black Burn without venturing too far from whisky. Great location if you have kids in tow. Dogs are not permitted on the grounds, however.
• Ballindalloch Castle and Gardens  - Ballindalloch Distillery is part of the Ballindalloch Estate, home of Ballindalloch Castle and Gardens. The castle is situated on the banks of the River Avon where it meets the River Spey and has been the home of the Macpherson-Grant family since 1546; the lands themselves were granted to John Grant of Freuchie by King James IV in 1498. The castle and gardens are open from mid-April to the end of September, Sunday to Thursday (closed Fridays and Saturdays), and no advanced booking is required.
• The Old Packhorse Bridge  - the oldest stone bridge in the Highlands (built 1717) and the first to cross the Dulnain River

References & Further Reading

Spirit of Place : Whisky Distilleries of Scotland by Charles MacLean

Treating Scotland as eight distinct regions (splitting the Highlands into Central, North, East, and West, plus the usual designations of Lowlands, Islay, Speyside and Islands), the Spirit of Place provides insight and imagery for fifty of Scotland's greatest distilleries. Beautifully photographed by Lara Platman and Allan MacDonald, this is a captivating modern companion to Alfred Barnard's great Whisky Distilleries of the United Kingdom.

The Whisky Distilleries of the United Kingdom

One of Amanda's favourite books. Around 1885, Alfred Barnard was secretary of Harper's Weekly Gazette, a journal dedicated to the wine and spirit trade. In order to provide his readers with the history and descriptions of the whisky-making process, Barnard decided to visit all distilleries in Scotland, England and Ireland. Accompanied by friends, he visited and sketched over 150 distilleries. This is a wonderful step back in time and a must have book for a whisky history geek. 

General Distillery Visitor Information

COVID-19 has caused significant changes to many distilleries' operation and tour schedules and nearly all now require advanced bookings, even for tastings. We endeavour to ensure the information on this website is accurate; however, due to the unpredictable nature of COVID outbreaks, information may change at short notice. Please check the distillery's website before you go as (see links in the distillery profiles below).

Even in 'normal' times, we recommend that you book in advance to avoid disappointment or avoid long wait times. The booking links and phone numbers for each distillery are below. While you can sometimes drop in, distilleries are becoming increasingly popular as a tourist destination, and tours often sell out days, or even weeks in advance.

Please check the distillery's website for opening hours and tour times as they change throughout the year. The times listed below were accurate at the time of writing.

Dogs, Children and Speyside Distillery Tours

Dogs are generally not allowed in distillery restaurants/cafes, visitor centres or in production areas, so don’t plan to bring your dog on a distillery tour. Guide dogs and special assistance dogs are permitted, although they may not be allowed in some production areas, so please check with the distillery before you book a tour.

Each distillery has a different policy on the age or number of children that can be taken on a distillery tour or be present during a tasting; please check the distillery's website or call ahead to confirm whether your child/children can join you. 

• Glen Grant Distillery is your best option if you are travelling with children - they have a fabulous Victorian garden to explore, and not only are children permitted on tours but their admission is free.  
• Glenfiddich and Glen Moray are other good options for tours while travelling with children - children are allowed on most tours (not tastings) and their admission is free.
• Cardhu Distillery and Cragganmore Distillery do not permit children under the age of 8 years on tours | Children over 8 years old only.
• Glenfarclas Distillery do not permit children under the age of 10 years on tours  | Children over 10 years old only.
• Balblair Distillery do not permit children under the age of 12 years on tours | Children over 12 years old only.
• Aberlour Distillery , Ballindalloch , Balvenie , GlenAllachie , The Macallan and The Glenlivet , do not permit children under the age of 18 years on tours or tastings though they are welcome in the visitor centre | Adults only on tours/tastings.

For a list of distilleries that are suitable for children, see our guide to  50 Distillery Tours In Scotland Your Kids Can Actually Go On .

50 Distillery Tours In Scotland Your Kids Can Actually Go On

Accessibility / wheelchair access.

Most distillery tours in Speyside Scotland are not wheelchair accessible/suitable for those with mobility impairments as they are in old buildings with lots of stairs. We'd normally recommend you have a look at Euan's Guide - a purpose built website that makes it easier for disabled persons to find great places to go - however only two Speyside distilleries are currently listed ( Cardhu and Macallan ). If you have mobility issues and there is a particular distillery you wish to tour, contact the distillery directly to see if they can organise something for you.

• Cardhu Distillery tours are your best bet for wheelchair accessibility, with an accessible toilet, lift, and four accessible parking spaces. The still room has stairs but the spirit safe and stills are viewable from a wheelchair accessible viewing area. For more information see Cardhu's profile on Euan's guide . Cardhu consulted Euan's guide when redoing the visitor's centre.
• The Macallan Estate tour and tasting experiences are wheelchair accessible, with an accessible lift and four accessible parking spaces - see Macallan's Distillery Tour Terms and Conditions for more information.
• Aberlour ( see their accessibility statement ), GlenAllachie and Glenfarclas Distilleries are wheelchair accessible in the shop and tasting rooms only - the tours involve stairs. There are wheelchair accessible bathrooms. GlenAllachie have a virtual tour option available. 
• The Benromach Distillery Visitor Centre's centre is wheelchair accessible however the distillery tours are not (stairs).

About the author

Amanda is an Australian-born photographer, digital nomad and whisky lover. Her passion for travel and whisky lead her to Islay, where she fell in love with an Ileach (an Islay native). Amanda and Roddy now share their Spirited Adventures.

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Glenfarclas distillery | grant family owned since 1865.

Did you find this post helpful? Did we miss anything? Do you have questions?

What are your tips or stories? We'd love to hear them!

This may seem silly but due to medication I can’t drink alcohol and can’t drive but my partner loves whisky. We would love to do some tours. Would I still have to pay the full price.

Hi Dorothy. Quite a few distilleries offer a ‘driver’s dram’ / take away samples, meaning you pay the same price, but your partner can have your samples later (and this will be a helpful option for your partner if they’re the one doing the driving). Others may be able to offer discount tours (or even complimentary) for a non-drinker. It would definitely be worth contacting the distilleries you want to visit and asking them, as it could save you quite a bit of money (I would do this before you travel so that you can narrow down which distilleries to visit).

Perhaps you can help me. What is the best way to find a driver/tour guide for a 1 day tour of Dufftown area distilleries? We would like to be picked up at our AirBnB in Kenmore Aberfeldy, visit Macallan & Balvenie distilleries & ride the Keith & Dufftown Railway.

I’ve not used any services personally in that area, but I’ve had a bit of a look for private tour taxi services, and there’s one based out of nearby Killin that might be able to help you out.

They’ve just been awarded Taxi Service of the Year and they have some fabulous reviews. They have 4 and 8 seater vehicles available. If they cant help you out they might be able to refer you to another local operator who can.

https://www.facebook.com/SaltirePrivateHire

https://saltireprivatehire.uk/private-scenic-tours/

The main thing I’d keep in mind for the tour you’re proposing is that it’s 2.5 hours drive from Kenmore to Dufftown – so most of your day will be spent in the car driving. It wont leave much time for visiting distilleries and train tour unless you plan to start your day very early. You’re much closer to Blair Athol, Dewar’s, Royal Lochnagar and Dalwhinnie (I’d normally suggest Edradour but they ceased tours due to COVID risks/staff shortages).

https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1JnLdvvWy_zUWPHdj9WgQIkYDi44&usp=sharing

Please note that Balvenie requires prior appointment to visit the distillery (not even the shop is open without an appointment) https://www.thebalvenie.com/tour-the-balvenie-distillery/ and they appear to only do tours Monday to Friday.

The Macallan can be visited externally without a prior booking but if you want to do a tour and see inside the distillery then you must book well in advance. Currently their booking system is only showing dates up to the 31st May. https://www.themacallan.com/en/distillery/book-experiences# – generally they are open on Thursday to Sunday only – the tours are 2.5 hours so its going to be hard to fit that in with Balvenie and the train.

The train operates Friday to Sunday.

The only common day for all 3 is Friday. I think you will be very rushed if you try and do all three though. I’d pick one distillery to tour in the morning (Balvenie has tours on Fridays at 10.00 & 11.00 – Macallan haven’t released times yet), have a nice lunch, then jump on the train.

I hope this helps

Kind Regards

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Experience Idaho’s Craft Distilleries

Sara Sheehy worked in partnership with Visit Idaho to create this Travel Tip.

Idaho’s craft distilleries combine time-honored technique, quality ingredients, and innovation to distill whiskey, bourbon, vodka, gin, rum, and brandy.

Here’s a sampling of Idaho’s craft distilleries, what they make, and where you can find a taste.

Up North Distillery

Open since 2015,  Up North Distillery  is focused on small batch, “farm to flask” production. The distillery recently scored three gold medals at the 2017 Denver International Spirits Competition, including two medals for their flagship Honey Spirits.

The Up North Distillery bar in Post Falls serves artisan cocktails using its own spirits and others from throughout the Northwest. Local beer and wine are also available.

Bardenay Restaurant & Distillery

Bardenay , founded in Boise in 1999, was the nation’s first restaurant distillery. Now with locations in Boise, Eagle and Coeur d’Alene, Bardenay serves handcrafted cocktails from the liquor they distill on site.

Head into one of the three restaurant locations to sip on a drink made with their signature gin, rum or vodka. Try the Bardenay House Martini, a perennial favorite.

Grand Teton Distillery

Chilly mountain water is a key ingredient at  Grand Teton Distillery . Grand Teton makes award-winning potato vodka from ingredients sourced within 25 miles of the distillery.

Swing by Driggs for a tour and samples of their vodka and whiskey. While you’re there ask about Born and Bred Vodka, a spirit made in collaboration with actor Channing Tatum.

Warfield Distillery

The owners of  Warfield Distillery & Brewery  in Ketchum produce gin, vodka, and beer on-site at their popular restaurant. Warfield’s “coming soon” list includes whiskey and apple brandy.

Pair a cocktail made from No Return Gin with one of Warfield’s upscale food offerings, served on a rooftop deck with a view of Sun Valley’s Bald Mountain.

Koenig Distillery

Koenig Distillery  is known for its dry and aromatic fruit brandy. Owner Andrew Koenig learned the art of distilling fruit brandies in Austria and returned to the Gem State with a dream of producing brandy utilizing Idaho ingredients.

All brandies are created with fruit from the Koenig estate orchard or local farmers then aged for two years or more. In addition to brandy, Koenig Distillery produces vodka and whiskey. The Caldwell tasting room is open daily.

Sara Sheehy seeks adventure in the mountains of Idaho and beyond. She is the founder of  Camp Academy , an online beginner’s guide to camping and hiking.

Published on January 25, 2018

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