Scottish Whisky Trail

They say that whiskey was invented by Irish monks, and that going to evangelize Scotland took his recipe from the water of life there. And it was the Scots who were able to get more out of whiskey and create an entire industry that today is one of the largest producers of whiskey in the world.

Photography by Londo Mollari

Whiskey is now recognized as one of the representative products of the Scottish nation. No trip to Scotland can forget a visit to a whiskey distillery in operation. In the Highlands, to the lowlands (Lowlands), or in the more remote islands, are the beautiful places distilleries that offer original charm visitors.

Whisky is an alcoholic beverage coming from the distillation of fermented malt and should have an alcohol content of more than 40 degrees. Scotch Whisky is usually distilled twice, although some distilleries distill it to three. And at least he must have spent three years in oak barrels. In Scotland you can find the whiskey blended and single malt. Blended whiskey is a mixture of different types of single malt, barley whiskey, among other alcohols. In contrast, the single malt whiskey is distilled in a single distillery, and these are aged at least three years in oak casks in Scotland (the law of the country).

Photography by Ardintigh

If you want to visit Scotland and do not want to lose any of the legendary distilleries and their environments we recommend you visit one of the following distilleries that we recommend:

Cardhu: It is the only distillery in Scotland that was created by a woman. Also in the Speyside area, the whiskey is also used to mix the famous Johnnie Walker.

Clynelish: At the junction with the A9, near the holiday town of Brora (northern Scotland) overlook the North Sea, its waters are used for the preparation of their whiskeys.

Caol Ila: Located in the north of the island of Islay, is presented with stunning natural sights of the place.
Talisker: It is the only distillery on the beautiful island of Skye in riba Harport lake with incredible views of the Cuillin.

Glenkinchie: The distillery is very close to Edinburgh.

Blair Athol: Established in 1798 in the picturesque town of Pitlochry, is one of the oldest distilleries in Scotland.

Dalwhinnie: One of the country’s highest distilleries in the Highlands.

Royal Lochnagar: Very close to Balmoral Castle, there is one of the finest Scotch whiskeys.

Cragganmore: Near the river Spey, containing one of the strongest character malts of Speyside region.

Photography by asands

Tips for visiting whiskey distilleries in Scotland:

- Find out in advance that the distillery can be visited the day you want to go. Note that many distilleries have tours for tourists, where you have the whiskey making process, which ends at the distillery shop. Be careful because most distilleries are closed on Sundays, and usually close at 5 pm.

- Do not visit the distilleries on an empty stomach. Normally, visits to distilleries are accompanied by tasting of whiskey you decide to buy one of your own house, therefore, best be presented with a full stomach to digest the tasting of whiskeys.

- The prices of the bottles in the distilleries are not much different than the Scottish distilleries. Note that buying the entry of the tour you can have discounts on subsequent purchases, therefore, can be a good time for shopping.

Do not miss a visit to some of the distilleries in this beautiful country and send us your feedback.