The health and well-being of our employees, visitors and on-site partners is our highest priority. Given the fast-moving Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, as a precautionary measure, Glenkinchie Distillery Visitor Centre is closed until further notice. If you have an entry ticket during this period, please contact glenkinchie@malts.com. Please bear with us as we process all requests, we reassure you that we will respond to each and every query. Thank you for your patience and understanding. We wish all of our customers the very best at this difficult time.
We offer a daily transport service direct to the distillery from Edinburgh City Centre. The bus operates 7 days a week and departs at 10.00 and 13.30. Please call 01875 342012 for further details.
Due to staff training as part of the major transformation of the Glenkinchie Distillery visitor experience, the visitor centre will be closed from the 30th April until the 21st May 2020. We are very sorry that this may cause you inconvenience, but we hope you understand it is an unavoidable part of the transformation project.
Few parts of Scotland can boast of more history than this. In 1745 Prince Charles Edward Stuart reached the peak of his brief power at Prestonpans on the Firth of Forth just north of Glenkinchie, where his Highlanders defeated John Cope's Hanoverian forces with such certainty that London itself seemed under threat.
The contemporary folk song 'Johnny Cope' records Cope's shocking defeat and his reaction after fleeing back to Dunbar, leaving his men.
Distilling (mostly illegal) was taking place here long before the skills of crop rotation were know; in 1777 Edinburgh housed perhaps four hundred illicit distilleries. When the law was changed to permit smaller licensed distilleries, many farmers took out licenses.
By the time Glenkinchie was founded in 1837, 115 licensed distilleries were recorded in the Lowlands, though their products would probably not pass muster today!
Exciting news! Development work to transform our visitor centre is now underway.
Our site looks a little different at the moment but we are open for business as usual.
Please note that our tour times will also change in November 2019.
Please check our website for our current opening times.
Getting there by Road (Postcode EH34 5ET)
Head for A720, Edinburgh City-pypass.
Take Millerhill exit (between Sheriffhall roundabout and A1) - A68, Jedburgh.
Turn left - A6093, Haddington. Continue to Pencaitland. Follow signs for Glenkinchie Distillery (turn right at petrol station towards Lempockwells.
Continue to crossroads. Turn right, then turn left downhill to the distillery)
Shuttle Bus
We are running a shuttle bus service to transport people from Edinburgh city centre direct to our distillery. This service will need to be prepaid as a combined transport & entrance ticket. Please call us on 01875 342 012 to make your bookings now. Any unbooked seats may be available on the day; make sure you’re at the departure point 10mins before to check with the driver.
Other Transport
Getting there by railway:- From Prestonpans railway station head for Tranent then take the B6355 to Pencaitland.
Getting there by aeroplane:- .From Edinburgh Airport head for the city bypass south signs to Berwick-upon-Tweed. Carry on for nine miles to the Sheriffhall Roundabout, go straight over at this roundabout and take the 'Millerhall' junction signposted Jedburgh A68. Follow this road for 3.5 miles then take the A6093 signposted Haddington. When you reach Pencaitland, take a right turn at the petrol station and follow the signs for the distillery
By public transport from Edinburgh city centre, there is the East Lothian Bus service 113 which departs from Princes Street (outside the Mercure Hotel) and takes just over an hour to reach the village of Pencaitland. From there it is a 2.5 mile walk uphill (approx.40 minutes) to the distillery, or you can telephone for a taxi - we recommend Shirley at Glen Hire on 07437896908
