Take the whisky road trip
Scotland! The land of whisky. The damn good whiskies ... A well deserved drink after a great hike, around the campfire with your friends or family, right before you dive into your cabin in the middle of nowhere.
This route is perfect for you if whisky is one of the main reasons to visit Scotland but you don't want to take the 'everyone takes this route' road trip. This is for you if you are the adventurous type, get itchy when you think of staying in a 500-bedroom-hotel, and you're not afraid to get your boots dirty!
Rough scenery, campfires at night, sober up hikes and of course ... a lot of whisky!
Minimum of 10 days
Miles: 712 / KM: 1145
some of the
HIGHLIGHTS
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OF THIS ROAD TRIP
Oban
Glasgow > Auchentoshan > Glengoyne
Dalmore
Islay - Laphroaig
Loch Tay > Aberfeldy > Pitlochry
Isle of Skye > Talisker
Inverary - Rest and be thankful
Glenfiddich > Whisky cask makers
Eilean Donan Castle
Passion for Whisky
Sure, you can taste all of Scotland's famous whisky regions at a tasting session. But nothing comes close to actually driving up to a remote distillery, breathing in the fresh air, tasting the malted barley, and finally sitting down by the cosy flames to warm up on a wee dram of Scotland’s finest. Visiting a distillery is more than just taking a tour. Most tourguides are passionate story tellers, proud of their region and even more proud of their product.
Whisky regions
If you’re coming to Scotland to drive the whisky tour, you are probably well aware of the distinct whisky regions. This road trip guides you from region to region: taking the most scenic roads through the picturesque lowlands, into the rough highlands, along the rugged coastline, and onto the ocean battered islands. Each region carries its own tradition and ways of whisky making, giving each whisky its distinct flavour. We have selected the distilleries on this tour based on their unique character, their location, and the quality of their guided tour. Enjoy the ride!
More than Whisky
The route is based on visiting the best whisky distilleries, but you will still get to see nearly all of Scotland’s other highlights. Accounting for the ferry crossing to and from Islay, the route is best enjoyed with a minimum of ten days available. Oh and, don’t forget to book a place to stay overnight close to the distilleries!
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The start
Our whisky journey starts in Glasgow, and will take you to all whisky regions and the top highlights that Scotland has to offer. The round trip is designed to take you to the more gentle whiskies first, and gradually get you ready for the rougher versions, with the heavily peated Islay whiskies as the last distillery stops.
Glasgow does not share Edinburgh’s perfectly designed and well kept city center, but its roughness and vivid street music life have a strong appeal. The city breathes the original Scotland experience, where Edinburgh sometimes feels more focused on pleasing foreign tourists. Glasgow has much to offer – loads of restaurants, pubs, museums, the Cathedral, but also the beautiful West End, with the charming Ashton Lane and its centuries old university, famous for being the inspiration for Harry Potter’s Hogwarts.
Lowland Whisky – Auchentoshan
The reason that we have chosen the country’s largest city as our starting point, is that one of the most gentle Lowland whiskies can be found right outside the city center. Auchentoshan is set in the North West of Glasgow, only 20 minutes by train from the city, making it a perfect day trip whilst staying in Glasgow. From Dalmuir train station it is only a short walk to the distillery. Auchentoshan is one of very few Scottish distilleries that triple distills their spirit, creating a smoother whisky than most. A great tour can be concluded with a tasting at the modern designed bar, with the comforting thought that you can safely get back to your B&B or hotel by train afterwards! Visit www.auchentoshan.com for more information.
Highland Whisky – Glengoyne
After you have enjoyed the Glasgow you can get started on the actual road trip! Heading North, the route takes you out of the city through picturesque Strathblane, straight to the first Highland Distillery: Glengoyne. If you wish to get a great view of the highlands first though, we strongly advise to continue on the route to Connic hill first. The short walk up the hill gives one of the most stunning views over Loch Lomond and the highlands. Afterwards, it is only on short ride back to Glengoyne distillery where you will feel that you have really earned that tour! For visiting hours and tour information, visit their website here: www.glengoyne.com
The road continues
Balmaha is a great place to stay overnight, with the Oak Tree Inn as a great scenic pub to sit down in the evening. Upon leaving Balmaha, the road then dwindles into the Trossachs: a set of beautiful lochs within the ‘Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park’. It is a brilliant bit of driving, but unknown to mass tourism. The road that you will follow could hardly get any better: through untouched nature and passing lots of charming towns such as Aberfoyle, Callander, Killin, Aberfeldy and Pitlochry.
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A9
A9
Driving into Caringorms National Park
Once you cross the A9, the route continues into Cairngorms National Park. Braemar – a small scenic mountain town – is perfect for a break or an overnight stay in the center of the national park. We especially like the Bothy coffee bar, but also hold warm memories of the Invercauld Arms Hotel. A few miles further down the road you will pass impressive Balmoral Castle, which is the Royal Family’s Scottish home. But lucky us – they keep it open to the public most of the year! After Balmoral, the landscape turns more open and quiet, going down into the valley of river Spey.
Speyside whisky – Glenfiddich
The Speyside is famous for being packed with whisky distillers! It is one of the five distinct whisky regions, with single malts that are typically a mixture of fruity, nutty, and spicy flavours. We have chosen to guide you to Glenfiddich, for it has a great reputation, produces a large variety of brilliant whiskies, and offers a great tour. Their production site is truly impressive. But if you have your own favourite Speyside whisky, just go there! The region holds nearly 50 distilleries, so there is plenty to see. For the Glenfiddich tour, find all relevant information here: www.glenfiddich.com/distillery/
How whisky casks are made
When exploring the Speyside, make sure to visit the Speyside Cooperage as well – the Coopers are true masters at building and repairing whisky barrels. Their traditional methods of constructing the casks keep the whisky industry going, and they offer a brilliant tour on their site. All details are available here at https://www.speysidecooperage.co.uk/visitor-attraction.php
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Back into the Highlands – The Dalmore
Our route leaves the Speyside behind and takes you back into the highlands again. Passing through the highland capital of Inverness, you will continue North along the coastline. Next major stop: The Dalmore distillery. Home to some of the most exclusive whiskies in the world with a stunning, industrial age production site. It is a totally unique site to visit, with a very different feel to it than all competitors. Book your tour here: https://www.thedalmore.com/visit-our-home/visit-us/
Oh, and since you’re here, you may as well drive up the hill towards Fyrish monument, providing a great view over the Cromarty Firth.
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The next section of the route will take you across and back to the west coast. Get ready to be amazed here – without a doubt you’re driving on one of the best roads in the whole of Scotland! Quiet and deserted, taking you through stunning scenery towards the mystical Isle of Skye.
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The Isle of Skye is famous for its stunning nature, offering plenty things to see: if you are looking for things to do, take a look at our Skye Blog! On this whisky route though, we are only guiding you to the one distillery on the island – Talisker.
The Islands – Talisker
Yet another renowned name in the whisky world, producing Island whisky: mildly peated with a hint of the sea-water salt. This in one of our absolute personal tastes of whisky, and the distillery itself offers a very nice setting and cosy atmosphere. See it for yourself: https://www.malts.com/en-row/distilleries/talisker
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On your way to the next island
Now you have had a taste of the lightly peated Talisker, you will probably know that there is only one more area to visit. For the true peat-lovers, our next stop will be on Islay. This island produces an incredible amount of whiskies, with no fewer than 8 active distilleries today. All of these distilleries use peat dried barley, creating the distinct heavily peated flavour of the island. But before you get to the ferry at Kennacraig, the route passes some of the greatest features of Scotland: Eilean Donan castle, Ben Nevis, and Glen Coe, so make certain to have enough time to stop and enjoy these true Scottish highlights!
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Islay
Once you have taken the ferry across, we recommend to stay somewhere close to the ‘three distilleries path’. Along this beautiful coastal path Laphroaig, Lagavulin and Ardbeg are set close together. We have once had a perfect weekend at the Islay storm-pods – beautifully located at a bay right between Lagavulin and Laphroaig distillery. Life just doesn’t get any better!
Islay – Laphroaig
The reason for us to recommend Laphroaig distillery (https://www.laphroaig.com/en/tours-bookings) is not only because it has the reputation for creating some of the most heavily peated whiskies. The coolest feature about Laphroaig is that it is one of the very few that still malts its barley their selves. Using locally harvested peat, the distillery tour takes you to the barley – and you’ll actually be allowed to taste it. As far as tours go, this is one of our absolute favourites!
Back to Glasgow
At this point you have crossed off all whisky regions – congratulations! That does not mean your holiday is over yet, since the long and dwindling road to Glasgow passes charming Inverary, the ‘Rest and be thankful’ pass, bonnie Loch Lomond, and Luss. Leaving plenty of beautiful things to see and perfect stops to be made along the way.
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