14 minute read
Ten of the best Whisky Experiences
There are many reasons to visit Scotland, but its whisky industry is by far one of the best. Here are some of our favourite offerings to includeas part of your exclusive whisky dream escape.
Whisky is Scotland's most successful export, a drink so famous around the world that it's also known internationally simply as Scotch. Scotland is the only country in the world permitted to spell it as 'whisky' – for the rest of the world it is 'whiskey'.
Distillery visits, tastings and private experiences are extremely popular with our Dream Escape guests, not to mention the opportunity to cask your very own whisky. Most Scottish distilleries are located in the countryside, with whisky-makers drawing their water from the purest springs and streams. Often you’ll find the famous drink being distilled inside idiosyncratic old buildings that have evolved over time, many of them with distinctive pagoda-like wooden rooves. These pagoda rooves were always above the malting floor. The majority of distilleries no longer malt their own barley or grain but the pagoda rooves remain as part of the distilleries' history.
Step inside and you’ll invariably be met with a cocktail of highly distinctive smells: old wood, grain, yeast and spirit. You’re also likely to be met by an enthusiastic team who love sharing their commitment to Scotland’s uisge beatha – meaning water of life. There is an almost magical simplicity about the way such a powerful and pleasing drink is created. The right water and the right malted barley, plus a measure of yeast, placed in the hands of the right distiller creates a warming, satisfying single malt. Feeling thirsty yet? We hope you enjoy our top ten finest experiences. Slàinte Mhath!
1.THE FIFE ARMS
Bertie’s Whisky Bar at The Fife
A mere ten miles west of the Royal Lochnagar Distillery stands one of Scotland’s most charming and idiosyncratic hotels. Built in the 19th-century, The Fife Arms, a preferred partner of Dream Escape, was designed by Alexander Marshall Mackenzie who also designed the revolutionary Waldorf Hotel in London after studying American building techniques in New York.
The Fife Arms is the perfect base for anyone visiting Royal Lochnagar. This Highland distillery took its royal nomenclature after a warrant was bestowed by Prince Albert in 1848, following a visit he made with Queen Victoria from her nearby residence at Balmoral. Today the hotel offers a number of Royal Suites, richly furnished with antiques as well as Victoriana Suites that recall the hotel’s 19th-century origins as a coaching inn. There are also Scottish Culture bedrooms that celebrate leading Scottish figures in literature, astronomy, engineering and exploration. The hotel’s latest reveal is Bertie’s Whisky Bar, a sumptuously elegant and glamorous whisky bar, named in honour of Queen Victoria’s eldest, hedonistic son, King Edward VII, also known as ‘Bertie’. It stocks 365 whiskies – one for each day of the year – and, unusually, they are arranged by flavour profile (fragrant, fruity, rich and smoky), rather than region. Special tastings can be arranged, whether at local boutique whisky distilleries or with the hotel's sommelier in their cellar. The local whisky distillery is Royal Lochnagar at Crathie by Balmoral Castle, where whisky is handcrafted using traditional methods. After the distillery tour there’s a brilliant Dram at the Dam experience, where guests are taken to the top dam that supplies water to the distillery. Here you can enjoy the 12-year-old whisky as well as the Distillery Only Bottling (48% ABV) that’s available in European casks made of oak. Back at the hotel, Dream Escape guests often enjoy private whisky tastings and lunches.
2. LINDORES ABBEY DISTILLERY
Lindores Abbey Distillery
Lindores Abbey is the spiritual home of Scotch whisky. Revived after 523 years, this ancient site is now hosting a very modern whisky-making approach. The distillery makes the most of its ruined abbey location and Legacy Bar, which hosts whisky and chocolate tastings. Lindores’ whisky is distinctly soft and creamy in the Lowland style, with very little peat. As our Dream Escape guest you can look forward to a private tour with the owner of Lindores Abbey followed by dinner in the Apothecary blending room or in the main production area surrounded by the washbacks and copper stills overlooking the ruins of medieval Lindores Abbey. There’s also the brilliant Apothecary Experience, where you learn how to blend a range of curious tinctures to create your very own, unique Aqua Vitae. Rosie Peattie, Dream Escape’s Head of Guiding describes the experience as “brilliant – it’s like being in Dumbledore’s (the Professor from the Harry Potter series) lab!” Another highlight is taking a walk to the bank to discover Lindores Abbey, or the ‘Church by the Water’, founded in 1191 by David Earl of Huntingdon, on land overlooking the estuary of the River Tay, given to him by his brother King William I. It was built with local red sandstone and covered a very large area, the extent of which is still discernible today, although many of the buildings to the south have been destroyed. The position for the Abbey would have been chosen because of its plentiful supply of timber and stone, and for the swift running waters of the Pow of Lindores running over the land down to the River Tay.
3. JOHNNIE WALKER PRINCES STREET
Johnnie Walker Princes Street
Diageo’s eagerly anticipated Johnnie Walker Princes Street opened in Edinburgh in the summer of 2021. An absolute must-visit, this eight-floor visitor experience celebrates the world's best-selling Scotch. Johnnie Walker is a blended whisky dating from 1820. Scottish blends have been slightly overlooked since the meteoric rise of single malts at the end of the 20th century. But not any more.
The centre also tells the story of the real Johnnie Walker, who in the 1820s began selling whisky in Kilmarnock. His son Alexander was one of the first merchants to bottle and export blended whisky in the 1860s. Clever marketing – including a distinctive square bottle and angled label – has resulted in Johnnie Walker being the most widely-distributed blended Scotch in the world. Johnnie Walker Princes Street is crowned by two superb rooftop bars – the Explorers' Bothy (for private whisky-tasting experiences) and the 1820 Cocktail Bar (for food pairings and private dining in the Blue Room).
As our Dream Escape guest you might also enjoy a private visit to the Makers’ Cellar, a bonded warehouse in the basement where there are tastings directly from the casks. Did you know that Johnnie Walker is blended from four single malts known as “The Four Corners”, each with their own distillery and visitor experience? These are Clynelish (Highland), Glenkinchie (Lowland), Cardhu (Speyside) and Caol Ila (Islay). All four distilleries are open to visitors.
4. GLENGOYNE DISTLLERY
Glengoyne Distllery
Glengoyne is located 13 miles north of Glasgow below a picturesque waterfall. Founded in 1833, the distillery occupies a unique position on the Highland Line that divides Scotland’s Lowlands from its Highlands. So while Glengoyne produces Highland single malt on one side of the A81 road, its whisky matures on the other side of the road in the Scottish Lowlands. Every distiller will tell you that they do not rush their whiskies but Glengoyne takes particular pride in the fact that their copper stills are the slowest in the world. Prolonged contact with the metal brings out sweet and fruity notes in a whisky that then matures in casks that have been six years in preparation. Dream Escape clients can enjoy a 90-minute Collection Tour to experience their single malts paired to the ‘Best Chocolate Truffle in the World’ from Iain Burnett, The Highland Chocolatier. Then it gets extra special – you create your own single malt in the Sample Room – something you cannot do anywhere else in Scotland. You then bottle and label it to take away with you. Another Dream Escape favourite is whisky tasting beside the waterfall; originally used for the water in the distillery production, today it is a reminder of their humble past, and a beautiful tranquil spot.
5. THE MACALLAN DISTILLERY
The Macallan Distillery
IMAGE © VISITSCOTLAND / NORTH EAST 250 / DAMIAN SHIELDS
Speyside is home to the densest concentration of distilleries in Scotland and also to two of the country’s bestselling single malts, the sweet Glenfiddich of Dufftown and The Macallan at Craigellachie. In 2001 Macallan was selected by the Speaker of the House of Commons as Mr Speaker’s official Scotch. The Macallan is an easy whisky to love. It’s neither too smoky nor too sweet and its 10- and 12-year-old single malts have been many people’s gateway to drinking Scotch. The Macallan distillery was reopened a few years ago following a major investment, and was immediately shortlisted for the Stirling Prize for excellence in British architecture. Inside is the circular Macallan Bar where you can sample some of the company’s best single malts. The discovery experience takes guests on a journey of Macallan’s heritage, from acorn to glass, and of course includes some sampling. Guests are welcomed with The Macallan roast coffee and home-baked scones, before exploring The Macallan Whisky Wall. Dream Escape guests often enjoy a guided tour of their legendary Cave Priveé for a tutored tasting of some carefully selected Macallan whiskies, before visiting The Macallan Bar for a final whisky experience. Macallan is also the official partner for the Balmoral Hotel’s Scotch Bar in Edinburgh, which stocks over 500 whiskies; another Dream Escape favourite.
6. ROTHES GLEN
Following significant refurbishment, this new exclusive-use castle in Moray is set to open, just three miles from the Glen Spey Distillery. The splendid baronial hunting lodge is a must for whisky connoisseurs and all those who love Scotland. Dream Escape arranges private whisky tastings at Rothes Glen, and being situated at the head of the glen, guests are within easy reach of all the splendours of Speyside. It's owned by Damian Riley-Smith, the founder of Whisky magazine, who likes to describe it as his "whisky heaven". The whole of Rothes Glen is whisky orientated. Each bedroom contains a set of Glencairn glasses and a decanter that guests can fill with their favourite single malt from the hotel’s selection. There is even a 24-hour whisky-safe on the ground floor where, should you be travelling with a particularly valuable bottle, you can keep safely between openings. Given that there are nearly 60 distilleries within a one-hour drive of the house, it's an ideal place to base yourself while exploring Speyside and beyond.
7. GLENMORANGIE HOUSE
Glenmorangie House
Glenmorangie’s Highland distillery on tranquil Dornoch Firth should not be missed for a tour of the old, damp cellars and a view of its new Lighthouse. Inside this modern glass building Dr Bill Lumsden, one of the most innovative minds in Scotch whisky, works on the next generation of single malts; whiskies that we will not be drinking until the 2040s and 2050s.
On very special occasions Dream Escape is able to arrange exclusive guest visits to Bill Lumsden’s Lighthouse with Bill himself, and there is always a very warm welcome waiting at Glenmorangie House, a colourful boutique hotel owned by the same company ten miles away. The ground floor of this 18th-century stone manor house has dazzlingly painted public rooms, each of which celebrates an element that goes into whisky production, while each bedroom celebrates the many flavours to be found in single malt. Nearby on the beach stands the 9th-century Hilton of Cadboll Stone; its circular design has been adopted as the logo for Glenmorangie.
Dream Escape experiences often start at their springs, where guests can enjoy the start of the Glenmorangie Journey in the tranquil woodlands behind the distillery, as well as private lunches and dinners.
We also recommend and arrange exclusive warehouse tastings with members of the whisky creation team. Enjoy some great stories here, including one of our Head of Guiding, Rosie Peattie’s favourites, ‘The Sixteen Men of Tain', who created a whisky legend.
8. JURA AND ARDFIN
Jura Distllery
IMAGE © VISITSCOTLAND / JOHN DUNCAN
For an unforgettable experience with yet more untamed Scottish scenery, Jura is an absolute must, an ancient landscape of wild mountains, peaceful lochs and stormy seas. Home to the most glamorous accommodation in the whisky-producing Scottish islands, Ardfins' Jura House stands proudly in its spectacular clifftop location. If you enjoy the sound of our Laphroaig entry (page 91), then you might choose to island-hop from Jura to Islay, or fly in style by private helicopter. Whichever method of transport you decide to reach Jura, there are many different reasons to visit – even aside from the whisky – such as private boat tours, spectacular beaches and a legendary golf course, to name but a few. With just one road and one pub, it comes as no surprise that the world-famous Jura distillery is the only whisky distillery on this island. Nor that it's run by a proud and close-knit bunch who love to share a good story and a dram. For some time it was thought Ardfin would remain the private golf course of its retired hedge fund multimillionaire owner, but golfers worldwide rejoiced when it was announced that the course would be opened to the public. Next came the opening of Jura House, available on an exclusive-use basis, and the Quads, a luxury hotel and originally one of Ardfin's agricultural buildings.
9. HIGHLAND PARK DISTILLERY
Highland Park Distillery
Beautifully remote, gloriously windswept and abundantly rich in heritage, the Orkney Islands have been inhabited for over 5,500 years. They are particularly known for traces of Viking legacies, remarkable Neolithic sites, haunting wartime remains, stunning listed buildings, and some of the most breathtaking scenery, where the word 'unspoilt' takes on a whole new meaning. One of Scotland’s six UNESCO World Heritage sites, the Heart of Neolithic Orkney was inscribed by UNESCO in 1999 for the outstanding testimony the monuments bear to the cultural achievements of the Neolithic people of northern Europe. The whisky magic happens here on an estate dating back to 1798: the Highland Park whisky distillery which was founded by Magnus 'Mansie' Eunson. Eunson was a virtuous lay preacher by day and a whisky smuggler by night. The current staff of the distillery are equally eccentric and include a Latin-speaking violinist as manager who is assisted by a part-time boat builder and a boxing champion. Winter winds in excess of 100mph mean that there are no trees on Orkney. As a result, these whiskies are smoked with a heather-flavoured moorland peat, giving Highland Park its distinctive taste. Dream Escape can arrange private tastings of the complete Highland Park core editions, all the way up to the 30- and 40-year-olds and sometimes even the 60-year-olds. This is an unforgettable experience in a private room with some great stories of vikings and smugglers. The experience also includes whisky books, a framed certificate, a 70cl bottle and an exclusive nosing glass.
10. LAPHROAIG DISTILLERY
Laphroaig Distillery
IMAGE © VISITSCOTLAND / PAUL TOMKINS
We could not possibly feature our top ten whisky experiences without at least one mention of Islay, the southernmost island of Scotland’s Inner Hebrides – one of the premiere whisky-producing areas in the world. At 239 square miles it is slightly smaller than the island of Singapore (260 sqm), yet this mossy, windswept rock is home to nine of Scotland’s greatest distilleries. A single two-mile stretch of road on Islay’s south coast contains Laphroaig, Lagavulin and Ardbeg, each offering a special and unique experience. Here at Dream Escape we are especially fond of Laphroaig, so much so that our Head of Guiding, Rosie Peattie owns one square foot of the land. Owning this heather-covered patch of peat bog earns Rosie a place as an official Friend of Laphroaig, as well as a deed to her very own piece of Scotland. You too can claim your own plot, impressing your friends and family with the tale of you owning land in Scotland. Many will plant the flag of their home country in the peat for the perfect photo before celebrating with a wee dram back at the distillery. The Laphroaig Single Malt is by appointment to Prince Charles, who has been photographed shovelling in the peat himself.
Would you like to be part of an exclusive and international society?
Dream Escape will arrange a private tour of Blair Castle, where Keeper of the Quaich hold their special dinners – and where en passant they see their large quaich. Known by real whisky aficionados the world over, with many aspiring to be members, Keepers of the Quaich is by invitation only.
→ dreamescape.co.uk
WORDS | SAMANTHA RUTHERFORD
