travel guide : scotch tasting in speyside, scotland
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Whisky Tasting in Scotland
I’ve been dreaming of visiting Scotland abstractly for probably about a decade, and I finally got the chance to visit last summer. As part of our honeymoon we we visited Edinburgh and also drove out to the Scottish Highlands to see some cows and tour some distilleries. All my past experience traveling internationally has been in cities, and it was a really special experience to get out into the country and wander around the smaller towns. I think my favorite part was being able to talk to the people dedicated to making the scotch I have been enjoying for about a decade!
The landscape was absolutely breathtaking, and there were rolling green hills, sheep, and the famous highland cows everywhere! We also saw enormous rabbits and geese - it truly felt out of a fairy tale. And damn, they take their whisky seriously! We only got to stop by a few distilleries, and absolutely want to get back there one day to try the many many others.
Touring Distilleries and Scotch Tasting
There are 5 different Scotch whisky regions in Scotland and all have their own unique history and perspective. We went to Speyside, the most dense whisky region in the world which holds 60% of the country’s distilleries. The other regions include Campbeltown, Highland, Lowland, and Islay. Speyside is located in the Northeast region of Scotland and contains the Malt Whisky Trail, a series of distilleries and the Speyside Cooperage. Two of the distilleries we went to were on this trail and we stopped by the Cooperage too!
Scotch whisky at a glance
Must be made in Scotland.
Must be at least 40% ABV.
Must be aged in oak barrels for at least three years and one day
Whisky vs Whiskey - Scotch is generally spelled without the e - whisky - whereas Irish or American whiskey is usually spelled with an e.
Whisky, or “uisge beatha” in gaelic, means water of life!
A single malt must be from the same distillery, but is almost always a mix of various casks at that distillery blended together to make the distinctive taste of that distillery.
The age on the bottle must list the age of the youngest cask of whisky in that bottle, but it is likely a blend of casks from from different years. For example, a 14 year old whisky may have some 16 or 24 year blended in, but it won’t have anything younger than 14.
Blended whiskys are a blend of various different distilleries, and there are professional tasters who are experts in the flavor of a given blend. They frequently need to adjust the recipe of each whisky to create that signature flavor, because the scotch going into the blend will change over time due to nature and as distilleries may close or be sold.
When scotch is aging in barrels, some of it evaporates year over year. This is often called the angels share and is in part why older whiskeys of all kinds tend to be more expensive, because there is simply less of it.
Blair Athol
While not technically in Speyside, the first distillery we visited was Blair Athol outside Pitlochry. Founded in 1798, this place was absolutely gorgeous and had some delicious whisky. The malt here is roasted over fire and fermented. This scotch is distilled twice and like many of the distilleries in Scotland, some of the scotch is aged in a bourbon cask and some are aged in sherry casks. Bourbon casks are becoming more common, as they are less expensive to bring over from the States, where bourbon distilleries are only legally allowed to use them one time. A bourbon cask can give the whisky some of those vanilla honey caramel flavors.
The Blair Athol 12 year is finsihed in sherry wine European casks which lend themselves to flavors of fruit cakes and dried fruit. Bourbon Whiskey barrels used three times while sherry casks are used only once and then sold to garden centers. One of the favorite scotches we tried at Blair Athol, and one we absolutely had to bring back, was a distillery exclusive bottle that they described as a marriage due to it being a combination of two different barrels. We obviously could not leave without that one for this particular trip haha.
Blair Athol was a gorgeous distillery with an informative tour and super kind people. There is an awesome bar made from a mash tun at the entrance and grounds beautiful enough to wander around and almost make you forget your car has a flat tire across the street haha. But more about that later.
Cardu distillery
I have to be honest, the next distillery we went to really was my favorite experience in a lot of ways. The tour was super interactive, tactile, and educational, and centered those who are often left unmentioned in our boozy histories. Cardhu distillery is located in Aberlour, a town of approxinately 1,000., and the tour there tells the story of resilient women who created, crafted, and ran the distillery from a single illegal still to the thriving business it is today. Also, this is where I got to pet some highland cows, or hairy coos, so I was truly so sold.
The founding women are Helen and Elizabeth Cummings. Helen was running the illicit stills, and selling clear whisky out of clay bottles. When authorities would show up to investigate, she would distract them with a delicious meal or baked goods and wave a red flag outside her back door in order to warn the rest of the illicit distillers in town.
When it became accessible to purchase the license required to sell scotch legally, Helen and her husband John were some of the first to do so. They operated their business for years, and eventually passed it onto their son Lewis and his wife Elizabeth. Tragically, Lewis died, leaving his 45 year old pregnant wife and his 95 year old mother to determine the best plan forward for the distillery. Elizabeth got to work, securing the Car-Dhu trademark, purchasing more land, and building a new distillery. During modernization of this distillery Elizabeth sold some of the original stills to William Grant, who built the Glenfiddich distillery.
When tragedy struck the family again and Elizabeth lost a son, she decided to sell the distillery to Johnny Walker and secure a future for her family. She was remembered as a generous community member and a savvy business woman.
The focus on the history and unique story of this distillery really spoke to me. You could see the ways the story impacted the design of the distillery, even now in its modernized form. For example, to this day the warehouse has barrels only stacked three high at maximum, because that’s the highest anyone could have handled getting it without machinery. The tour was also tactile and incredibly engaging. When we were discussing tasting notes, we were given little glass jars with particular scents sprayed in and asked to guess what they might be. Fresh cut grass, apricots, and pencil shavings came up! It was really fun to learn about boozy scents this way.
The tasting was really enjoyable and took place in a wam and inviting room. We were offered three different scotches to try and a Johnny walker black and ginger ale highball. Another thing I really appreciated about this tasting was how they offered small tasting bottles to go and a non-alcoholic version of the highball from Seedlip for those who were driving. We didn’t have to drive after this as we were staying at the nearby Cardhu Country House, but this was thoughtful as many people on the whisky trail drive through to many in one day and are often given the choice between skipping a tasting or perhaps taking too much of a risk.
Cardhu distillery was beautiful, serene, engaging, and informative. They honored the women who made this distillery succeed through their storytelling as well as the decor. Red doors, curtains, and other decor were found throughout the distillery to honor Helen and the humble beginnings of her illicit still.
Strathisla Distillery
The last distillery we visited was Strathisla Distillery, the oldest working distillery in the Scottish Highlands as it was founded in 1786. This was a bit of a different experience, as we didn’t tour the grounds but instead did an elevated tasting to round out our distillery experiences. The woman who gave us a tour was lovely and super sharp. Her grandfather used to run the cooperage in town, which just felt extremely fitting and just goes to show how centered around whisky the area is. This distillery is owned by Chivas, so we had completely different whiskeys to taste. The grounds were absolutely breathtaking, the leader was deeply knowledgeable and patient, and it was fun to do a more elaborate tasting. We did lots of guessing at aging and tasting notes with varying levels of success and felt a bit like old friends with some of our fellow tasting buddies by the end of it.
Where we stayed in Speyside Scotland
When we were in Speyside we stayed in the Cardhu Country House - an absolutely gorgeous bed and breakfast walking distance to Cardhu distillery and lovely trails. This place was truly serene and the owners were charming and kind. They even accommodated us when our car issues caused us to be no less than 5 hours late for check in time….
How to get around Scotland
As you have likely picked up on by now, we rented a car in Edinburgh to drive out to Speyside with. A few hours outside of town, right by the Blair Athol distillery, our tire hit one of the low, rocky, uneven parts of the road and we got a flat tire. This was honestly a huge bummer, and caused us to miss a tour at Dalwhinnie, one of the first scotches I ever tried back where it all began for me when I was working at the Old English Pub in Albany, NY. Watch out for the roads - we learned in one of our many, many calls to the rental company over our six hour wait that Scotland is one of the most common places for rental car drivers to get a flat tire. To avoid this you could always do a guided tour! The people were incredibly kind and welcoming - even when we got a flat tire the folks around us helped and offered to get us into extra distillery tours.
Other activities we loved in Scotland
Balvenie castle - there was an absolutely beautiful castle with an idyllic trail, sprawling views, and hairy coos (or highland cows).
Speyside Cooperage - This is where cask barrels are crafted, repaired, and maintained. It is truly a wild undertaking!
Seven Stills -an adorable french restaurant and malt liquor lounge in Dufftown, Scotland run by a married couple named Patrick and Rose. This was so unique and lovely - you really felt as you were just enjoying some combination of a delicious dinner in this couple’s living room, a neighborhood bar, and an inventive restaurant. Rose was incredible.
Ballindalloch Castle and Gardens - just absolutely gorgeous grounds!
Pitlochery - an adorable town nearby Blair Athol - the perfect place to walk around and get an afternoon tea
Copper dog - delicious and cozy cellar restaurant next to beautiful trails
Distilleries for next time
Springbank was closed due to COVID related challenges but I absolutely love this scotch and would really love to take a tour one day!
Distilleries in Skye, which have a completely different flavor profile and are deeply influenced by their proximity to the ocean! These are peatier scotches like Lagavulin and Talisker as well!
Organized tours of whisky country - I would be interested in doing one of these!
Travel Must Haves
a luggage scale for making sure the scotch you are doesn’t put you over the weight limit
travel laundry bag
Paravel suitcase - this eco-conscious company makes absurdly beautiful luggage that I am really obsessed with right now!
Have you been to Scotland? Where do I need to go next time? If not, how does it sound to you?? Let me know in the comments below! My recap of Paris is coming up next!