5 Day Malt Whisky & Castles Tour

Scotland has a rich and fascinating history in producing the Water of Life or 'Uisge Beatha'. Take a trip through some of Scotland's lesser known areas where Whisky production has been perfected. On this 5 day tour, taste world famous whiskies directly from their source, experience first-hand the spectacular locations of the distilleries, meet the local experts who have had whisky making in their families for generations, and even try exclusive and rare drams only available from the distilleries. You are gauranteed to receive Ceud mile fàilte! (Gaelic for A hundred thousand welcomes). 

Day 1 After pick-up from Glasgow, we head for the highlands and begin the tour with a tour and tasting of Glengoyne distillery, often described as Scotland's most beautiful distillery. We head for Scotland’s first National Park and visit the quaint village of Luss on the ‘bonnie banks’ of Loch Lomond. After a look around the village, we make our way to the lochside town of Inveraray for a tour of the castle which is home to the Duke and Duchess of Argyll. Overnight Kintyre.

Day 2 This morning we travel to the ferry port for our morning crossing to the Isle of Islay. This is Scotland’s fifth-largest island and has an impressive 130 miles of coastline. There are nine working distilleries here, best known for their peaty, smoky flavours and we start our tastings at Laphroaig distillery before making our way to nearby Ardbeg for lunch at the Old Kiln Café. Later, we tour along the coast to the island’s main town, Bowmore, for a look around followed by some island sight-seeing. Overnight Islay.

Day 3 Wake to the splendour of "The Queen of the Hebrides". After breakfast, we head out to visit more of Islay’s famous distilleries, with their heavy peat-smoked flavour the Islay malts really are in a class of their own. We will take a walk at Gruinart Bay where we hope to spot some birdlife at the Nature Reserve before visiting nearby Kilchoman distillery. After lunch, we take the small single-track road to Bunnahabhain before boarding the afternoon ferry back to the mainland. Overnight Crinan. 

Day 4 Today we explore Scotland’s west coast with a wonderful tour through Kilmartin Glen, often described as the “Birthplace of Scotland”, rich in standing stones, ancient burial cairns, and a fortified hill fort. Later, we tour onwards to visit the bustling seaside town of Oban with a distillery tour of one of the oldest whisky distilleries in the country. After a tour and tasting, and a spot of lunch in the town, we move on to view Castle Stalker on our way to the beautiful landscape of Glencoe. Overnight Glencoe.

Day 5 After breakfast, we head out to explore Rannoch Moor and the spectacular mountain scenery of Glencoe, famous for its clan rivalry and bloody massacre. Further south, we arrive at Deanston Distillery for a tour and tasting of the wonderful, fresh, honeyed sweetness that Deanston is known for. Nearby is our final stop of the tour, Stirling Castle, for a 2-hour visit to take in the castle's long and turbulent history. We now head for the famous Forth Rail Bridge and into Edinburgh to end the tour.