Hoping someone has a recommendation of a one day whisky tour from Edinburgh. In my internet search most of the tours I find are 2+ days. Ideally we would like a tour that visits one distillery in the morning, stops for lunch and visits another distillery in the afternoon. We will be in Edinburgh in late September. Thank you!
p.s. Waiting for my new RS Scotland book to arrive but anxious for fellow Rick fans advice on this topic :-)
Posted by
New York City, NY, USA
5678 posts
Julie, I don't know of any organized tours. I suggest that you contact the TI in Edinburgh to see if there are any. If there truly aren't any, you could do it on your own. Take the train from Edinburgh to Pitlochry. Leave early enough that you get there before noon. Then, have lunch and walk over to the Blair Athol Distillery for the tour. Take the train back to Edinburgh. You'll see some nice scenery and try some good whisky. Or if you want to walk further, you can go to the Eradour Distillery. It's the smallest one in Scotland. I think the walk is all up hill. ; ) I did the Blair Athol tour and thought it was quite good. http://whisky.com/distilleries/blair_athol_distillery.html http://www.edradour.co.uk/enjoyframe.html Pam
Posted by
Charlotte, NC, USA
3428 posts
Timberbush, Go Scotland, Rabbies and others all offer day trips from Edinburgh that include at least one distillery tour. Or you could go to either Campbelltown (3 distilleries) or Dufftown (9 distilleries- including Balvenie, my favorite single malt), but they would be rather long drives. Dalwhinnie is closer, and the "highest" distillery in Scotland (and my second favorite single malt). It would take about 2 1/2 to 3 hours by train- but WELL worth it. There are several 'lowland' distilleries within 1-2 hours drive of Edinburgh, but most of these are distilleries that specialize in blended rather than single malt whisky. Additionally, there is the Whisky Experience right near the castle in Edinburgh. It give the history of whisky making in Scotland and tells some of the basics about how it is made as well. It is worth a visit, and you get a free "wee dram" at the end of the tour.
Posted by
Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
98 posts
Toni has some excellent suggestions! We took the Timberbush tour, (two of them in fact) and enjoyed them very much. Our visit to the distillery was in the late afternoon and our driver arranged for a longer than normal visit, most of which was spent in the scotch tasting room. We also found that Timberbush was willing to work with us regarding our itinerary, but we were traveling in their least busy season so that probably had something to do with it.