Buying Scotch Whisky in Scotland

Check your local prices before you go. I bought whiskey there because they had things that we can't get here, I.e. sampler packs. The guys in my family liked tasting different brands and different kinds within a brand. I got some in Glasgow at a whiskey shop and some at the airport. There wasn't significant difference between in town and at the airport.

Duty free at airport can be cheaper and usually they do have a good selection.

Did a tour of the Highlands last year. In our experience, the prices for brands/years were higher in Scotland (mainly due to the exchange rate). Thus we only purchased bottles we could not get here in the U.S. So, my advice would be to look for bottles you can't get here. As for duty free, I didn't find the prices compelling enough to warrant the hassle.

I just want to ditto the above poster. Visit your local liquor store first and see what you can buy here. Hauling liquids while traveling can be a pain. Only buy items that you can't purchase at home. Think small bottles.

Agree with the above advice. Scotch is not particularly cheap in Scotland. However, we stopped at a shop in Edinburgh and 3 distilleries and all of the places had bottles/brands which were unavailable here.

I bought miniatures from the distillery we visited and still have them unopened as souvenirs. I can taste the whisky and visualize the distillery in my mind just looking at the unopened bottles. That's what is called a memento.

It's true - we've found that prices for whisky can be a lot higher in the UK - even above & beyond the exchange rate. E.g. Ardbeg Uigeadail we saw for around 99gbp at the distillery and around 80usd at home. Even less if you find it at duty free.

If it's something you can easily buy at home, you'll usually save money by doing so. Save your luggage space for the rare stuff! :-D