Speyside & Highland Whisky Escape

Edinburgh - Aberdeen. We depart Scotland’s capital, Edinburgh, and leave the city behind with a short photo stop at the iconic Forth Road and Rail Bridges. From here we travel into the Kingdom of Fife, where our whisky pilgrimage begins with a visit to Lindores Abbey Distillery - widely regarded as the spiritual home of Scotch whisky.

We tour the distillery to learn about their whisky-making process, followed by a tasting of two drams. Lindores also produces Aqua Vitae, an award-winning handcrafted botanical spirit that can be enjoyed neat or with ginger ale and orange.

Continuing north, we arrive at the distinctive Arbikie Distillery on the Angus coast. Here we stop for lunch before learning about Arbikie’s innovative and sustainable approach to whisky production.

Later we travel further along the dramatic coastline to visit Dunnottar Castle. These striking ruins sit high on cliff tops overlooking the North Sea and provide one of Scotland’s most memorable historic settings. Our day ends in the city of Aberdeen, where we stay overnight in a four-star hotel.

Departure point: Caffé Nero, 1 ParliamentSquare, Royal Mile, Edinburgh 07:15 am

Please Note: Due to various reasons (weather, closures and special events) it may not always be possible to visit all distilleries mentioned. Please be aware that, if this is the case, we will ensure that suitablealternatives are found.

Aberdeen - Grantown on Spey. Today we travel into the heart of Aberdeenshire to visit GlenDronach Distillery. At this historic distillery we take a guided tour before enjoying a tasting of several GlenDronach expressions, known for their rich character from sherry cask maturation.

Our journey continues to Strathisla Distillery. Here we take part in a hands-on experience where we become master blenders and create our own blended whisky, followed by a tasting session.

Afterwards we travel along the banks of the River Spey to the town of Grantown-on-Spey. This charming Highland town will be our base for the next two nights, staying at a high-quality, locally operated B&B.

This morning begins with a scenic drive along the River Spey as we head to the iconic Glenlivet Distillery for a Cask Masters Tasting Experience. Once known for its history of illicit distilling, Glenlivet is now one of the most recognised single malts in Scotland.

We then visit GlenAllachie Distillery, where we sample a range of distinctive expressions, including distillery exclusives and a peated Speyside whisky.

For lunch we stop at the Highlander Inn, well known among whisky enthusiasts for its impressive whisky selection. In the afternoon we visit our third distillery of the day, Cardhu. Here we tour the distillery before taking part in a tasting challenge, attempting to identify five different whiskies.

Speyside - Pitlochry - Edinburg. After a second restful night in Grantown-on-Spey, our final day begins with a visit to the Speyside Cooperage. Here we learn about the traditional craft of coopering and the essential role casks play in whisky maturation. During the visit we also enjoy a dram of their 10-year-old single malt.

We then travel south through the striking mountain landscapes of the Cairngorms National Park to the town of Pitlochry in Highland Perthshire. You will have time here for lunch and a short explore of the village.

Our final whisky stop is Blair Athol Distillery, where we enjoy a distillery visit before beginning the journey back to Edinburgh, where the tour concludes.