The ultimate whisky tour through Scotland

When you think of Scotland, you quickly see a rugged, barely vegetated hilly landscape looming, with the muffled sounds of a bagpipe in the distance. Or perhaps the narrow medieval streets of a city like Edinburgh. Part of this archetypal Scotland – the image of Scotland that everyone knows – is of course also whisky. Do you want to take a whisky tour through Scotland and visit the most important whisky distilleries? In this article we reveal our top 10 best Scottish distilleries. We also tell you how to combine these distilleries in one ultimate whisky tour through Scotland.

How did we determine the top 10 best Scottish distilleries? We looked at data on popularity and appreciation. Which distilleries are visited the most and which are rated the highest? Including reviews in Google. Because, let's be honest: whisky is a matter of personal taste. If we were to say that these ten distilleries are the best in Scotland, many whisky lovers would have different thoughts. What is certain is that this top 10 offers a fantastic basis for a whisky journey through Scotland, in which you will undoubtedly see and taste a lot. Are you coming along?

The fact that the Johnnie Walker Journey tops our list of whisky tastings in Scotland is mainly due to the large number of reviews. This whisky distillery in Edinburgh is of course also perfectly located in the Scottish capital. Although this whisky does not originate in Edinburgh, but in Kilmarnock, southwest of the city. Since 2009, Johnnie Walker has been located in Edinburgh and is therefore easy to visit for anyone visiting the city.

Whether Johnnie Walker is also the best Scotch whisky, many will dispute. But it is certainly an accessible whisky. Both the drink and the distillery. This well-known whisky brand is also proud of its modernity. For example, tasting various cocktails with Johnnie Walker whisky is part of the tour.

This famous single malt whisky from the Isle of Islay certainly does not have the most accessible location. The island off the west coast of the Scottish mainland is four times the size of Texel, but has only 3000 inhabitants. Since 1815 it has also been home to the Laphroaig distillery, as well as several other famous distilleries. Unique to Laphroaig is that they have been awarded the status of purveyor to the British court. A status that is more difficult to obtain in Great Britain than in the Netherlands.

In terms of taste, Laphroaig is described as one of the most flavoursome Scottish whiskies with a particularly smoky, almost tar-like taste. It is good to mention that visitors are very positive about their visit to the Laphroaig distillery.

About 30 kilometres south of Inverness, in the north of Scotland, lies the small village of Tomatin, which has been home to the Tomatin Spey Distillery since 1897. In the turbulent past of this distillery, the name has also changed from time to time. Spey is a reference to the nearby river of the same name, on which many famous whisky distilleries are located. The Glenfiddich and Glenlivet distilleries are also very close by. Despite its name, Tomatin Spey is not a so-called Speyside whisky but a Highland whisky. Anyone who finds themselves in this famous whisky region should definitely not miss this distillery.

Like Laphroaig, the Bowmore distillery is located on the Isle of Islay. Anyone who ventures to this remote island should definitely visit several of the famous whisky distilleries on the island. Distilling began in the village of the same name in 1779, although it is unclear exactly when whisky was actually produced under this name. The oak casks in which this whisky matures are individually selected by hand. The taste of Bowmore whisky is characteristically smoky, but also contains hints of saltiness and minerals from the sea.

The trio of famous Scotch whiskies from Islay is completed by Ardbeg. The name of the whisky and also the place where the distillery is located, is a corruption of the Gaelic An Àird Bheag. With the other Islay whiskies, Ardbeg shares, among other things, the very smoky taste, which has been commercially produced since 1815. However, the taste is somewhat spicier than other Islay whiskies, which place more emphasis on minerals and marine influences in the taste.

This single malt Highland whisky is, like Tomatin Speyside, a whisky for which the water is extracted from the springs of the River Spey. The distillery is located in the heart of the Highlands and is one of the highest whisky distilleries in Scotland. During a whisky trip through Scotland, this alone is a reason to visit this distillery.

Despite its remote location, this is also practically feasible. Dalwhinnie is located on the main route from Edinburgh to Inverness. Anyone visiting the famous Speyside by car from the Scottish capital will therefore pass it.

Just south of Dalwhinnie, also in the middle of the Scottish Highlands, lies the village of Pitlochry, just below the slightly larger Blair Atholl, to which this whisky owes its name. This single malt whisky is most commonly sold in its 12-year-old variant. The whisky has a characteristic rich flavour, which includes notes of oak, vanilla and spices. This makes it softer than, for example, many smoky whiskies. The area surrounding the Blair Atholl distillery is also more than worth a visit, because the beautiful Victorian village of Pitlochry offers much beauty.

Talisker is a single malt whisky from the Isle of Skye, with a distillery located in Carbost, near the town of Talisker. The taste of this whisky, which has been produced at this location since 1830, is mildly smoky and slightly sweet. The Isle of Skye is separated from the Scottish mainland only by a narrow waterway and has a fixed shore connection, which can be reached from Inverness in about three hours by car. From Edinburgh and Glasgow you can travel for the better part of a day, but this can be combined with visits to other distilleries in the Highlands.

The Glenlivet distillery has been in continuous operation since 1824, making this famous distillery the oldest legally operating whisky distillery in Scotland. The distillery is located just south of Ballindalloch. The most famous product of this distillery is The Glenlivet, which is one of the best-selling Scotch whiskies in the world. The Glenlivet is also located in the Scottish Highlands, near the Spey and is also officially categorized as Speyside whisky. The taste is often described as soft and fruity.

In the north of the Speyside region, not far from the North Sea, we find the BenRiach distillery. This Speyside whisky through and through contains notes of cocoa and forest fruits, with a subtle fatty and smoky taste. The distillery is located just below the town of Elgin, in Longmorn, about 60 kilometers from Inverness. Relatively close to the distilleries of other well-known Speyside and also Highland whiskies.