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Hello my fellow malt mates,
me and my wife are travelling to Edinburgh over Easter 2017 and we originally intended to participate in a group bus tour to Speyside visiting about 8 distilleries. As bookings for the mentioned tour are very few and the likelihood of the tour being cancelled is high, I am looking for alternatives to use the time as meaningful as possible.
We intend to use Edinburgh as our 'base' although we can also imagine to travel to Glasgow or Elgin if that gives us better opportunities. We will not rent a car, as drinking and driving is not a very good combination.
Hence, my questions:
1. What day trips or distillery visits from Edinburgh or Glasgow could you recommend?
2. Should we consider travelling to another location (Speyside?) to give us better opportunities?
3. Which places are easy to reach by train/bus?
Looking forward to hear some valuable advice from you!
Cheers!
“That's what I do. I drink, and I know things.” (Tyrion Lannister)
>>> Whisky reviews by Slàinte Mhath <<<
@SlàinteMhath
I have been thinking of using Rabbies small bus tours to some distilleries, as I visited Isle of Skye last year with them and they have good guides.
https://www.rabbies.com/en/scotland-tours/from-edinburgh/day-tours/discover-malt-whisky-day-tour
And they also have longer tours such as
https://www.rabbies.com/en/scotland-tours/from-edinburgh/2-4-day-tours/speyside-whisky-trail-3-day-tour
That is the only advice I can give to you. There are more whisky tours but I don't know about them.
@SlàinteMhath
I would have a look at Auchentoshan which lies close to the Erskine Bridge.
I have no idea about the public transport system in the UK. We always drive by car and have some empty miniature sample bottles with us. Distilleries tend to be built at rivers in the countryside. Most of them are not easy to reach and taxis are quite expensive.
Thanks! We considered our options and booked the Speyside Whisky Trail (3 days). The tour includes:
Dalwhinnie
Benromach
Cardhu
Glenlivet
Not sure why Cardhu is part of the tour - there are far better options around. Speyside cooperage and Gordon & MacPhail (Elgin) are also included. Following Horst's advice, we also booked tours to:
Glenkinchie
Auchentoshan
Of course we will visit Cadenhead's in Edinburgh. Boy that will be a tough choice what bottles to pack into our baggage... Hello Norwegian customs!
Slàinte!
“That's what I do. I drink, and I know things.” (Tyrion Lannister)
>>> Whisky reviews by Slàinte Mhath <<<
Slainté
http://www.maanedensmalt.dk
“That's what I do. I drink, and I know things.” (Tyrion Lannister)
>>> Whisky reviews by Slàinte Mhath <<<
“That's what I do. I drink, and I know things.” (Tyrion Lannister)
>>> Whisky reviews by Slàinte Mhath <<<
@SlàinteMhath
I missed you reply as I were in italy enjoying sun and wine
Some questions as I am thinking of taking that tour later on this year in September.
How long were each distillery visit? Did it feel rushed or good enough?
Does the distilleries have special bottlings only sold at the distilleries?
How was the Gordon and Macphail visit?
Slainte
Distillery visits were well-planned and there was no rush at all. At most places, we had a private tour for only the participants of Rabbie's. Cardhu was only a tasting session, no distillery tour. I have written detailed reviews on all distillery visits which you can find on whiskybase (go to the distillery's name under my 'check ins' and then click on 'Shop & Tour'):
Edit: Looks like whisky.com does not allow external linking to whiskybase. Just search for the distillery's name and you find my reviews anyway.
Concerning distillery-only bottlings: there was nothing too fancy. Your best option to buy something special is when visiting the Whisky Castle in Tomintoul. The have their own range of independently bottled malts, for example a 20-year-old Highland Park at cask strength from Gordon&MacPhail which I found decent enough to buy a bottle of (£99).
Gordon&MacPhail itself is certainly interesting though rather expensive. You find my review under 'shops' in my whiskybase 'check ins'.
Slàinte
“That's what I do. I drink, and I know things.” (Tyrion Lannister)
>>> Whisky reviews by Slàinte Mhath <<<