No doubt about it – Scotland is on everyone’s mind these days, and it’s about time! The country’s beautiful landscape is more than enough to lure wanderers north of the English border, and the chance to don a kilt and down some amazing fish and chips (and haggis, if you’re into offal) certainly don’t hurt! But a visit to the country really wouldn’t be compete without a stop at a couple of whisky distilleries – Scotland boasts more distilleries than any other country in the world and holds its malts to high standards, creating a pilgrimage site for whisky-lovers from across the globe. Scotland is broken up into five different whisky distilling regions, all of which distill their Scotch in oak barrels for a minimum of three years to meet the country’s requirements.
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SCOTLAND’S FIVE BEST WHISKY DISTILLERIES Highland is known for peaty, salty and nutty influences and Lowland for its fruity, lighter “lowland ladies”. Campbeltown has just three remaining distilleries producing whisky with a briny character and Speyside is where 50% of all Scotland’s distilleries are located. Finally, the island of Islay has a high concentration of eight distilleries over just 25 miles and is known for smoky taste and seaweed notes. No matter where your visit to Scotland is taking you, there’s bound to be a distillery near by, ready to welcome you with a tour and a taste. Here are our favourites.
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TALISKER: CARBOST, ISLE OF SKYE
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Region: Highlands Talisker has been making whisky on the Isle of Skye since 1830, and their process remains “virtually unchanged” from the early days – even after a fire destroyed the distillery in the 1960s, the owners rebuilt to recreate the exact conditions the whisky became known for. In the highlands region yet on an island, Talisker’s standard whiskies are double distilled and boast salty maritime characteristics and a rich, deep, smoky character. The water source used runs over peat pre-production, lending the peaty note that many Scotch whiskies boast. Talisker is available in 10, 18 and 25-year bottles and the distillery is the only one on the beautiful Isle of Skye, a destination in its own right.
LAGAVULIN: ISLAY
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Region: Islay
LAPHROAIG: ISLAY
An old rival of Lagavulin (historic spats between the neighbors lead to deliberately blocked water supplies and court cases) Laphroaig is almost 200 years old and is proud of receiving repeat visits from HRH Prince Charles himself. Laphroaig whisky is between ten and 40 years old and is described as pungent and smoky with a nutty flavour and a hint of heather. Laphroaig’s Water to Whisky Experience sets the distillery apart from the others – guests don provided wellies and walk to the water source for a picnic lunch (including a taste to wash it down which can be cut with source water, of course), then drive to the peat banks before heading back to the distillery to turn malt, stoke fires and bottle their own whisky.
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Region: Islay
Lagavulin’s been at it since 1816 on the island of Islay, where illicit distilleries stood for years before things became legitimate. Known for a smoky-sweet and dry single malt with a hint of seaweed thanks to nearby Lagavulin Bay, Lagavulin has access to miles of peat bog from which the brand draws the water that gives the malt many of its signature notes. On an island with plenty of distilleries, Lagavulin boasts a long fermentation, long distillation and long oak-cask maturation – Lagavulin’s standard bottle of whisky is 16 years old and 43% alcohol by volume and its distillation last for five hours, topped by a following additional nine hours. Twelve, 25 and 30-year bottles are also available.
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Image: Glenfarclas.co.uk
EDRADOUR: PITLOCHRY
GLENFARCLAS: BALLINDALLOCH
Region: Highland
Region: Speyside
Edradour, the smallest traditional distillery in Scotland, has the last handmade single malt whisky from a farm distillery that’s still being made. The distillery dates back to 1825 and the process still takes place in original farm buildings with vintage small-scale equipment. In addition to offering guests an intimate, close-up look at the whisky-making process that’s not available at larger distilleries, Edradour produces many different whisky varieties like a classic range with fruitcake and sherry flavours, a range with wine finishes, a range of wine-matured and the Ballechin Heavily Peated range.
Six generations of family have been making single Highland malt Scotch whisky at Glenfarclas since 1836. The process starts when icy spring water from the nearby Ben Rinnes mountain seeps downhill through peat and granite before being used as one of only three ingredients in Glenfarclas whisky. The distillery is known for using copper pot stills of a unique size and shape, and later using both plain oak and Spanish sherry casks for the aging process. The Spanish casks, previously used to age sherry in Seville, Spain, lend Glenfarclas a unique sherry influence. Aside from typical tours, Glenfarclas offers an in depth, appointment only Connoisseur’s Tour in July, August and September, and a Five Decades Tour that culminates in a tasting of five of the Family Casks, one from each of five decades.