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Malt Whisky Trail

The world's only malt whisky trail winds around north Grampian to take in seven distilleries, and a traditional cooperage. Grampian - or rather Speyside, on the northern side - is home to over half of Scotland's distilleries and the names on the clearly marked trail included the famous - Glenfiddich and Glenlivet - to the lesser-known - Benmorach, Cardow, Dallas Dhu, Glen Grant and last, but certainly not least, Strathisla.

Starting furthest north & west, at Florres, the Benromach Distillery is both the youngest and smallest distillery on the trail. Although it can date its building back to 1898, it has had a checkered history which has only recently stablised having been taken over by Gordon & MacPhail in 1993. Prince Charles opened the refurbished distillery in 1998. Also in Forres is the Dallas Dhu Historic Distillery, the last to be built in the 19th century; a fine old Victorian distillery that now offers audio tours in French, German, Italian and Spanish as well as English.

Cardow Distillery (formerly Cardhu), southeast of Forres in Knockando, is unique as it is the only distiller pioneered by a woman, while Glenfidich, a few miles east in Dufftown, needs no introduction to the whisky drinker. Slightly northwest, at Rothes, is the Glen Grant Distillery, the only one to be named after its owners, founded by Major James Grant in 1840. The most southerly distillery is also a famous name, Glenlivet, established in 1824 by George Smith, in one of the remotest sites on the trail.

The Speyside Cooperage at Craigellachie has a distinctive visitors' centre that illustrates the tradtional cooper's skills, including the repairing of 100,000 oak casks a year. The final stop on the trail - and the furthest east - is the Strathisla Distillery at Keith, home of Chivas Regal and the oldest working distillery in the Highlands, having been founded in 1786.

Each of the distilleries and the cooperage has its own opening times, some of which are strictly seasonal. Please check the Malt Whisky Trail website, or the individual distillery websites, before you go to sample the wares!

Malt Whisky Trail Website
http://www.maltwhiskytrail.com/