Speyside & Highlands Whisky Tour – September 2023

In September of 2023, I drove a van for a private golf and whisky tour in the Highlands and Speyside. I was able to tour a few places where I’d been before, as well as visit a few new places. And, although I could not drink during the day, I was able to bring back “drivers drams” from the distilleries and enjoy them in the evenings.

Day 1 – Edinburgh

I arrived the day before the official tour, and walked around Edinbugh, doing some sightseeing; and in the evening, I went to a really cool speakeasy, a little bit off the beaten path, The Devil’s Advocate, where I had three tasty drams:

Day 2 – Edinburgh

We walked around Edinburgh and visited the Johnnie Walker Experience, which was a great time for all, both newbies and whisky nerds. While there, I tasted the Johnnie Walker 16 Yr Summer Seasonal Blend.

That evening, I went to The Bow Bar where I enjoyed drams of Caol Ila 10 Yr (James Eadie) and Ardmore 13 Yr (Fragrant Drops) – Fresh Mezcal Barrel Finish # 9001334.

Day 3 – Tantallon Castle & Glenkinchie

While the golfers were busy on the links at the Gullane Golf Club, I visited Tantallon Castle and Glenkinchie Distillery. Tantallon Castle is a medieval castle set high on a cliff edge. It was built in 1350 by William, First Earl of Douglas; and it was ransacked by Oliver Cromwell in 1651. Glenkinchie is a Lowland Single Malt Whisky; and it’s one of the whiskies I use to introduce people to Scotch.

That evening, I went back to The Bow Bar and enjoyed a dram of Ledaig Sinclair Series Rioja Cask Finish

Day 4 – Aberfeldy & Inverness

We left Edinburgh in the morning and drove up to Aberfeldy, where we hiked the Birks of Aberfeldy, a waterfall made famous by Scottish Poet Robert Burns. The little puppy was sitting perfectly still next to the statue of Robert Burns. As soon as I aimed the camera at him, he bounded off the bench to jump on me. When his owner told him to stop, he went and sat down again on the bench; but as soon as I aimed the camera, he did it again. So all I have is an action shot.

Afterwards, we visited Aberfeldy Distillery, the “Home of Dewar’s.”

Then we drove to Inverness, to Laird’s Lodge, our home for the next 5 nights. It was a lovely and spacious home that we had all to ourselves.

That evening, we went out for a delicious dinner at Urquhart’s Restaurant in Inverness.

Day 5 – Balblair

In the morning, we dropped off the brave and fearless golfers at Brora Golf Club, an idyllic seaside location, where they endured 4 hours being pelted by rain, hail and wind for the opportunity to hit a little ball with a big stick into a little hole 18 different times. When we picked them up, they were soggy, cold, and happy. We then went to Balblair Distillery, where our spectacularly informative and hilarious guide, Helen, taught us all about whisky and life.

Day 6 – Glenmorangie & Dunrobin Castle and Falconry Center

We began the day at Glenmorangie Distillery. Glenmorangie has been making whisky since 1843. The giraffe is the brand mascot for Glenmorangie; and their stills are called “giraffe” stills – they have tall necks and are the same height as as a giraffe, which leads to delicate and fruity spirit. Glenmorangie is committed to environmental protection, both of giraffes in Africa and of local flora and fauna. They forged a pioneering conservation partnership with the Giraffe Conservation Foundation (GCF) and the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS); and they have been leading the effort to restore oysters in the local Dornoch Firth.

In the afternoon, we toured Dunrobin Castle and their falconry center, observing the various birds of prey demonstrate their flying and hunting skills. It was quite impressive.

Day 7 – Benriach

In the morning, we dropped the golfers off at Moray Golf Club and headed to Benriach Distillery for a fantastic whisky tour. Master Blender Rachel Barrie, a member of Whisky Magazine’s Whisky Hall of Fame, has done a spectacular job creating delicious whiskies. Unfortunately, I couldn’t taste any until I returned to our home that night.

That evening, I enjoyed a couple of drams at The Malt Room in Inverness:

Day 8 – Speyside Cooperage, Glenfarclas & Glenfiddich

In the morning, we visited Speyside Cooperage, the largest independent cooperage in the UK.

We then headed over to Glenfarclas Distillery. I had an awesome time at Glenfarclas in 2018, and I was very much looking forward to my return visit. I was not disappointed. Glenfarclas has been owned by the Grant family since John Grant acquired the property in 1865. A unique feature of Glenfarclas is the Family Cask collection, casks which were filled every year for each of the last 80 years. So, if you want to try a cask from your birth year, you may have that opportunity.

We then went to Glenfiddich Distillery. Glenfiddich is massive. They have 4 mash tuns of 40,000 liters each; and they do 4 mashes per day per mash tun, resulting in 640,000 liters of wort per day. They also have 24 wash backs and 42 pot stills, providing them with incredible production capacity.