Speyside Whisky Trail: Private Tour Itinerary

Scotland has well over a hundred working whisky distilleries, and around 50 of them are in Speyside, the valley of the River Spey between Inverness and Aberdeen. A whisky tour is one of the best ways to see the country, but there's an obvious problem: someone has to drive. This guide sets out a Speyside whisky trail itinerary, closer options for a day trip from Edinburgh, and how to plan distillery visits with a private driver so everyone can taste.

Whisky tours from Edinburgh: how far can you go in a day?

It depends how much time you want in the distilleries and how much in the car.

Option	Distance from Edinburgh	Drive each way	Best as
Glenkinchie (Lowlands)	about 15 miles	around 40 minutes	Half day or relaxed full day
Central and Perthshire distilleries	40 to 70 miles	1 to 1.5 hours	Full day with scenery
Speyside	about 170 to 180 miles	around 3.5 hours	Long day, or better, 2 days
Islay	Ferry plus flights or long drive	Most of a day	3 days or more

For a first whisky trip from Edinburgh, a day at Glenkinchie plus somewhere in Perthshire is easy. For the full Speyside experience, stay a night.

The Speyside whisky trail: a 2-day itinerary

Day 1: Edinburgh to Speyside

Leave Edinburgh early and head north on the A9 through Perthshire, past Pitlochry and over the Drumochter Pass, where the road climbs to over 450 metres. It's one of the most scenic stretches of main road in Scotland. Turn off at Aviemore or Carrbridge for Grantown-on-Spey and the Spey valley.

Afternoon: your first distillery. The Glenlivet, in its remote glen, is a good opening visit: a classic Speyside style and one of the best-known names in whisky.

Stay overnight in Aberlour, Craigellachie, Dufftown or Grantown-on-Spey. The hotel bars in Speyside have serious whisky lists.

Day 2: Dufftown and Craigellachie, then home

• Glenfiddich, in Dufftown, is still family-owned and one of the best-known single malts in the world. Its tours are well run and popular, so book ahead.
• The Macallan, near Craigellachie, has a striking modern distillery set into the hillside. Tours often sell out weeks in advance.
• Aberlour, in the village of the same name, is smaller and more traditional, with tastings that are highly regarded by whisky fans.
• If there's time, the Speyside Cooperage in Craigellachie shows how the casks are made and repaired, which explains a lot about how whisky gets its flavour.

Leave mid-afternoon for the drive back to Edinburgh, or carry on to Inverness Airport, about an hour away, if you're flying out.

Closer to Edinburgh: Glenkinchie

Glenkinchie in East Lothian is the nearest of Scotland's long-established malt distilleries to the city, about 40 minutes from the centre. (Edinburgh also has newer distilleries within the city itself, worth a look if you only have an hour or two.) It's a Lowland distillery with a lighter style, a good visitor centre and gardens. It makes an easy half-day trip, or combine it with the coast at North Berwick for a full day. See our Glenkinchie page.

Other whisky regions worth a trip

• Highlands: Glenmorangie at Tain and Dalmore on the Cromarty Firth fit well with a trip north of Inverness or the North Coast 500. See our NC500 guide.
• West coast: Oban Distillery sits right in the middle of the town, handy for a trip towards Mull or Glencoe.
• Islay: home of smoky, peaty whiskies such as Laphroaig, Ardbeg and Bowmore. It needs a ferry or flight and at least two or three days.

Browse all our distillery pages for directions and drive times.

Why use a private driver for a whisky tour?

Nobody has to stay sober. Scotland's drink-drive limit is lower than in England and Wales, and even a couple of tasting drams will put most people over it. With a driver, everyone in the group can taste properly.

Distilleries are spread out. Many are down single-track roads in quiet glens, well away from public transport. A car is the only practical way to fit three visits into a day.

Timings are tight. Tours run at fixed times and often sell out. Your driver makes sure you arrive on time, and can adjust the order if one visit overruns.

Carrying bottles home. Distillery shops sell bottlings you can't get elsewhere. With a car there's no worrying about carrying them on buses.

What a private whisky tour costs

A day trip to Glenkinchie and East Lothian fits into an eight-hour private tour, which starts from £400 in a saloon for the whole car. Two-day Speyside trips are quoted on the days, miles and vehicle. Distillery tour tickets are booked and paid for separately, direct with each distillery.

Tips for a good whisky tour

1. Book distillery tours before anything else. The Macallan, Glenfiddich and the Islay distilleries get booked up in summer.
2. Plan three visits a day at most. Two is more relaxed. Each tour and tasting takes 1 to 2 hours.
3. Check age limits. Children are allowed on some tours but not others, and tastings are over-18 only.
4. Eat properly. Plan a proper lunch between visits.
5. Ask about driver's drams. Many distilleries give drivers a sample to take home, so the driver doesn't miss out.

Planning a whisky trip? Tell us your dates, group size and which distilleries you'd like to see, and we'll put together a fixed-price private tour. Get a quote or see our private tours.