Whisky Distillery Tours of Speyside departing from Edinburgh |
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The Speyside region has the highest number of individual whisky distilleries in the whole of Scotland. To try and visit them all in one day or even three days would be impossible but we do have the flexiblity, being a small tour company to visit a number of whisky distilleries of your choice, or you can leave the selection to our expert guide, you won't be disappointed. |
Day TwoAfter a hearty Scottish breakfast or a continemtal breakfast if you prefer, we will set off for the first whisky distillery of the day. As there is such a choice of distilleries in the Speyside area, these are just a few of the possible distilleries which could be included in your whisky tour. Cardhu Distillery, Balvenie Distillery, Cragganmore Distillery, Glen Grant Distillery. The Speyside area is steeped in history and has numerous castles and sights of interest, some in ruins and some are still being lived in today by the ancestors of the people who made Scottish history. Time permitting we might be able to visit a few, for example Ballindalloch Castle, Elgin Cathedral, Plusgarden Abbey or Balvenie Castle. |
Cragganmore DistilleryCragganmore distillery was founded in 1869 by John Smith. The site in Ballindalloch in Banffshire, Scotland was chosen for its close proximity to the waters of the Craggan burn and to the Strathspey Railway. As John Smith built the Cragganmore distillery he had the foresight to lay down a short stretch of railway track connecting the distillery to the Ballindalloch railway station. Cragganmore was the first whisky distillery ever to transport their malt whisky by use of freight trains. |
The distillery buildings were hewn from granite-like 'greenstone'. This was quarried from the 1600-foot hill of Cragan Mor, from which the distillery name comes. A number of original nineteeth-century buildings survive, including the maltings, a small kiln and
Modern automation has required further changes, but great effort has been made to keep the Victorian appearance of the distillery. For example a new, stainless steel mash tun was clad in pine and topped with an old copper dome to retain the original asthetics. |  |
John Smith was a very experienced distiller, as he had been the manager of the Macallan, Glenlivet, Glenfarclas et Wishaw distilleries. When John Smoth died, his brother George Smith (owner of the Parkmore distillery) managed the the distillery on a temporary basis until John's son, Gordon Smith could take it over. When Gordon took the distillery over, business was good until the whisky crisis in 1989. Despite those difficult times, Gordon did not hesitate to make important renovation works. |
Cardhu DistilleryCardhu is a luxury single malt Speyside whisky. It is produced in limited quantities by a deliberately slow distillation process, and matured for 12 years in specially selected oak casks. John Cumming became the leaseholder at Cardow farm in 1811. During this period of time it was not unusual for tenant farmers in the Speyside region to operate an illicit still and John Cumming was no exception. |
| The site was ideally placed to utilise the spring water, which is naturally softened by rising up through a layer of peat and bubbled up from the ground. This combined with the quality barley being grown on the farm was an excellent combination for producing an exceptional whisky.
John's wife, Helen Cumming was mainly in charge of the distilling of the whisky, which made Cardhu the only malt whisky to be pioneered by a woman. For many years Helen Cumming produced a relatively small amount of Cardhu malt whisky believing in quality rather than quantity.
John Cumming officially licensed the Cardow whisky distillery in 1824, although he and his wife Helen had already been producing illicit whisky for nearly 13 years. He was very much aware of the benefits and status of being one of the smallest and one of the best distilleries in Scotland and continued to produce malt whisky in the traditional small farm way. |
John Cumming died in 1872 and in 1884 the old distillery was dismantled and rebuilt on a new piece of land. Cardhu remained in the ownership of the Cummings and was run by Elizabeth Cumming, the daughter-in-law of Helen Cumming. The new building and stills meant that Cardhu could produce triple the amount of whisky previously produced. In 1893 the distillery was sold to Johnny Walker. |
Glen Grant DistilleryThe Glen Grant Distillery was founded in the town of Rothes in 1840 by the brothers John and James Grant. Glen Grant was the only distillery in Rothes for 40 years, but today there are now five active distilleries in the town. The Grant brothers were successful businessmen and managed to increase the annual output to 180 000 litres in only a few years. After John Grant died in 1864, James continued to run the distillery until his own death in 1872. The distillery was then passed on to his son, James Grant Junior, who was the creator of the Grand Victorian Gardens which attracts visitors even today. |
Glen Grant Distillery was actually founded by the two brothers in 1823 who at this time were illegal distillers and smugglers during a period in Scottish history when illicit whisky distilling was rampant throughout Scotland. Around half of the whisky sold during this time came from unlicensed distilleries. In 1840, the brothers eventually decided to take out a licence. With the port of Garmouth nearby, the cystal clear water of the River Spey and an abundance of quality barley at hand, they had all the basic ingredients to produce and market malt whisky at their feet.
Now the Glen Grant Distillery was legal the two former illegal distillers and smugglers had the vision and ambition to establish was is today one of the most famous and most popular single malt whiskies in the world.
By 1872, the two original founders of the Glen Grant Distillery had passed away. Young James ‘The Major’ Grant, born in 1847, had always taken a keen interest in the distillery and having inherited the business and the title ‘Glengrant’ from his uncle, he was to prove himself a worthy successor, making several significant changes to the distillery. |  |
He introduced the tall slender stills and purifiers which created the fresh malty flavour and clear colour that defines Glen Grant whisky. In 1898 James Grant built a new distillery across the road which was named Glen Grant No 2. The new distillery was joined with the old by a pipeline and the whisky from the two distilleries was vatted together and sold as Glen Grant Whisky. The Pattison Crash and the resulting slump in the whisky industry forced the closure of the new distillery and it remained mothballed until 1965. When the distillery was reopened it was also renamed and is now known by the name of Caperdonich after the well which was used by both Glen Grant Distilleries. |
Balvenie DistilleryBalvenie Distillery lies in Dufftown right on the banks of the river Fiddich. Balvenie was founded in 1892 by William Grant, the owner of Glenfiddich Distillery which was founded only 5 years earlier. There was an increasing demand from the blended whisky industry for more quality malt whisky to use in their blends and William Grant, rather than extend the existing Glenfiddich Distillery bought 12 acres of adjacent land, including Balvenie New House, an 18th-century mansion that had been empty for over a century and converted the mansion into the new distillery, to be named Balvenie. |
| William Grant incorporated Balvenie Distillery into his new business, creating a warehouse in the basement, a floor above and grain lofts in the two upper storeys. The first whisky was produced in May of 1893.
Although Balvenie and Glenfiddich have a very close association both geographically and by ownership they are distinctly different whiskies, both having their individual character. Balvenie whisky and Glenfiddich whisky have retained their original character to the present day.
The exceptional high quality of Balvenie is largely due to retaining the traditional way of making malt whisky. The barley is harvested from the land surrounding the distillery and then malted and dried over a peat fire. The malted barley is then ground and added to the water taken from a fresh water spring in the Conval Hills. Fermentation then takes place in the 10 washbacks, huge vats made from the wood of the Douglas Fir. |
little has changed over the years and The Balvenie Distillery is still firmly rooted in its past. Nowhere else will you find a distillery that still grows its own barley, malts in its own traditional floor maltings and employs Coopers to tend the casks and a coppersmith to maintain the stills. Generations of skill have been passed down to preserve the consistency and remarkably high quality of Balvenie whisky. |
Additional whisky distilleries can be added to the itinerary providing we have time or you might wish to visit some other places of interest in Speyside and Grampian.
Elgin Cathedral The construction of Elgin Cathedral was completed near the end of the 13th century. It was founded in 1244 by Alexander II as the seat of the Bishop of Moray. The Bishop’s seat had alternated between Kinneddar, Birnie and Spynie but once it was transferred to Elgin around 1224, it remained there until the Protestant Reformation of 1560 which effectively made the cathedral redundant. The octagonal chapter house is a unique feature in Scottish cathedrals and has remained mostly intact to this day. |
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Unfortunately Elgin Cathedral, which even today is still an outstanding architectural building, has had a very turbulent history. Much of the Cathedral was destroyed in a fire in 1270 and had to undergo extensive rebuilding. In 1390 the cathedral was attacked and burned by Alexander Stewart, also known as the Wolf of Badenoch in retaliation against the Bishop of Moray who had excommunicated him for deserting his wife. The cathedral manses were attacked and destroyed again in 1402 by the Lord of the Isles’s followers. Substantial repairs to the cathedral were carried out in the 15th and the 16th centuries before falling into disuse and ruin following the Scottish Reformation. Elgin Cathedral is maintained by Historic Scotland who have undertaken an extensive programme of conservation.
Ballindalloch Castle.
Ballindalloch dates from at least the 16th century. The main tower is plainly of this period. Moreover, the date of 1546 is carved on a stone lintel in one of the bedrooms, providing a more precise date for the construction of the Castle. Ballindalloch has undergone many alterations and has been enlarged over the centuries. Ballindalloch Castle exemplifies the transition from the fortified tower house necessary in 16th century Scotland to the elegant and comfortable country house so beloved of the Victorians in the Highlands. It is filled with family memorabilia, as well as a fine collection of 17th century Spanish paintings collected by Sir John Macpherson-Grant in the mid 19th century. |
Cawdor Castle.
Originally consisting only of the large tower (or keep), the castle was expanded numerous times in the succeeding centuries, with significant additions made in the 17th century and 19th century. The iron yett was brought from nearby Lochindorb Castle around 1455 when the Scottish Privy Council instructed the Thane of Cawdor to dismantle Lochindorb after it had been forfeited by the Earl of Moray. The castle is known for its beautiful gardens, which include the Walled Garden (originally planted in the 17th Century), the Flower Garden (18th century), and the Wild Garden (added in the 1960s). In addition, Cawdor Castle includes a wood featuring numerous species of ancient trees. |
The Battle of Culloden
A great deal happened between the time of the Prince's decision to retreat back to Scotland and the disastrous day at Culloden. The new visitor and exhibition center which was re-opened in 2007, takes the visitor through the whole history of events before during and after the battle. The battlefield itself is now restored to as close as is possible to the fateful day the two sides faced and fought each other. |
Three Day Whisky Distillery Tour of Scotland
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Six Day and Bespoke Whisky Tours are also available.
On our 6 day or bespoke whisky tours we can include a lot more distilleries including some of the island distilleries such as the Isle of Skye, Mull, Jura or Islay as well as visiting other historical or scenic sights of interest along the way. We can cater for groups large or small, families or corporate trips. Minimum of two people travelling. For less than 5 people we may use an upmarket people carrier or offer an upgrade to a minibus. On our bespoke tours you tell us which distilleries you would like to visit and we will put a tour together for you including additional activities if required.
For bookings and availability please e-mail us. If you include a contact telephone number we will be happy to give you a call to discuss your Scottish whisky distillery tour in full detail.
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