Speyside is the most concentrated whisky production region in the world – here’s a Speyside distillery tour through just a tiny slice of the region

With more than 50 working distilleries, Speyside is easily one of the most concentrated whisky regions in the world. It’s also a dramatic and welcoming place with coast and rivers, valleys and hills and large national parks to get lost in. As a whisky tourist destination it’s ideal, but where to start? 

For this Speyside distillery tour, we are taking a tiny slice of the region that will bring you through valleys, hills and woodland. It’s only around 10 miles in length and while you can travel it by car in 20 minutes we’d advise taking at least a day, if not more, to enjoy the fruits of its labour. 

It’s a three-stop distillery visit through South Speyside with three glorious whisky makers.

The first stop is on the banks of the Spey River at Ballindalloch and Cragganmore Distillery. It then leads to the valley location of Glenfarclas and ends in the whisky warehouse heavens of Glenallachie.

If you have a day to explore then let these three distilleries unlock the region for you. You’ll come away surprised, entertained and wholly appreciative of what the hardworking folk of Speyside are doing in the world of whisky.

CRAGGANMORE DISTILLERY
Ballindollach, Banffshire, AB37 9AB

Cragganmore’s location is no accident. It was chosen in the late 1800s by its founders to avail of the clear, clean waters of the Craggan Burn and because of its proximity to what was then the Strathspey Railway line. Trains don’t run along that line anymore but walkers are the winners as it now forms the Speyside Way. This is a long-distance hiking route that is considered to be one of the most beautiful and accessible in Scotland.  It travels alongside and across the River Spey at various spots for over 137 kilometres (86 miles).

Cragganmore sits close to the centre point of the route. The distillery is owned today by Diageo and, while it continues to supply whisky for some of its owner’s blends, it is given much more space to distill for its own whisky these days. It is considered by many to produce one of the most complex Strathspey single malts. 

Given the smaller size of the distillery’s output, it’s sometimes hard to find Cragganmore on shelves, so visiting the heart of its production is a wonderful diversion. It offers a series of whiskies, including a 12-, 21- and 25-year-old bottling under its classic malts series but you’ll also find independent bottles and much older once-off releases such as the 43-year-old travel exclusive pictured here. 

Guided tours and tastings are run daily but it is highly advised to book in advance. It’s a small and very popular operation and its tours fill up quickly, especially in high season. 

GLENFARCLAS DISTILLERY
Ballindalloch, Moray, AB37 9BD

A 10-minute drive along the winding A95 will bring you to Glenfarclas Distillery in another tree-lined valley, rich in history and culture. A family business since 1865, the Grant family has personally shaped this historic single malt distillery through the centuries. It’s also one of the very few distilleries to have eight decades’ worth of whisky maturing in cask. There are, in fact, close to 70,000 casks maturing on site in traditional dunnage warehouses with stock from 1953 onwards. 

The famous red doors are the first signal that you have arrived on this historic site and they herald the welcome all visitors receive to the distillery. They’ve been running tours here since 1973 and were in fact one of the whisky makers to kickstart the tourism potential of the whisky industry. 

The independent status of Glenfarclas has allowed it to grow naturally and develop its output to match the ambition and profile of the Grant family and the distillery staff. Consequently, there is a lot to choose from. They offer the Aged Range which bottles whisky from 10 to 40 years of age, including the 25-year-old pictured here. Alongside that stands the suitably distinguished Glenfarclas 105 Cask Strength bottle, which started life in 1960 and is considered one of the earliest retail cask strength bottlings. Underpinning everything, however, is the Family Cask range, a wonderful series of vintages from 1954 to 2002. 

The distillery runs tours seven days a week with special tours designed for the connoisseur as well as the beginner. Booking is advised for this great stop on our south Speyside distillery tour. 

GLENALLACHIE DISTILLERY
Aberlour, Moray, AB38 9LR

It will take around seven minutes to drive the short distance to our third stop on our Speyside distillery tour – Glenallachie Distillery. While the landscape here is just as attractive as elsewhere in Speyside, your attention will be immediately caught by a large number of warehouses you’ll see on the approach. 

This is your first indication of something important happening at Glenallachie. Owned by a trio of world-class whisky makers that includes Trisha Savage, Graham Stevenson and master distiller Billy Walker, this independent distillery has emerged as a triumph in Speyside. 

Experimentation in maturation is its cornerstone. The team relaunched the brand in 2017 and almost immediately started rolling out releases matured in wonderfully diverse cask types and with a standard of whisky that made people sit up and take notice. From day one this personality-stuffed brand made sure people knew it was here for the long run.

Glenallachie produces a huge range of whisky, including an 8- to 30-year-old core range, a wonderful collection of single casks, virgin oak, and a wine cask series as well as bottlings from in-house brands MacNairs and White Heather. All of these can be sampled on its entry-level and connoisseur-focused tours and online booking in advance is advised. They run tours seven days a week in high season, giving themselves Sunday off in winter. 

GETTING THERE

By air

You’ll reach Speyside with ease by travelling through Aberdeen International Airport or Inverness Airport. Both are well connected to British and European airports with daily flights to the region.   

By train

Scotrail operates a wide railway service to and within Speyside linking Inverness, Aberdeen and beyond. A train from Edinburgh to Inverness takes around 3.5 hours.

By Bus

Buses reach Speyside from all across Scotland and the UK. Stagecoach is the most prominent provider.

Travel around Speyside

Car hire, taxis, tours, and private drivers are widely available throughout Speyside.

Click here to view all our Speyside bottles