Spey Valley, Scotland

Speyside Whisky Trail

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Overview

Itinerary

What's Included?

Why Book a Small Group Tour?

Accommodation & Prices

Overview

Small Group Tours

5 Nights

Prices from: £705 per person
Start: Edinburgh
Finish: Edinburgh
Tour duration: 3 days
Availability: March - November
Transport: Luxury mini-coach and tour guide

Highlights

Speyside Malt Whisky Trail

Speyside is home to the world famous 70-mile Malt Whisky Trail. This area is the heart of the whisky industry, and concentrated within a few miles are more distilleries than any other area in Scotland.

Lindores Abbey Distillery

Visit the site of the first ever recorded Scottish distillery and taste the modern brew from Lindores Abbey Distillery, authentically recreated from the original recipe.

Cairngorms National Park

Experience the breathtaking scenery of the majestic Cairngorms – the UK’s largest National Park with huge forests of ancient, native trees, cascading waterfalls and an abundance of wildlife.

Speyside Cooperage

Visit the only working cooperage in the UK where you can learn about whisky casks and the ancient production of barrels.

Royal Deeside

Walk in the footsteps of the Royal Family in the majestic region of Royal Deeside and visit the Highland village of Braemar.

Edinburgh

Edinburgh is Scotland’s ancient capital city and a hub for culture and creativity. Sample a dram in one of Edinburgh’s traditional Whisky Pubs, explore The Royal Mile and enjoy a tour & tasting session at The Scotch Whisky Experience.

A Tour of Speyside’s Finest Whisky Distilleries

A warm welcome awaits you in Speyside, home to more than half of Scotland’s malt whisky distilleries. Your 3 day tour begins in Edinburgh, Scotland’s majestic capital city, and allows you to sit back and relax whilst you visit some of the most iconic whisky distilleries in the country.

Other highlights of this tour include the magnificent scenery of the Cairngorms National Park, Highland Perthshire and Royal Deeside.

This tour takes in the finest of Scottish single malt whisky as it explores the renowned whisky region of Speyside, a beautiful area in Morayshire within the Highlands of Scotland. Travelling north from Edinburgh, it visits Lindores Abbey Distillery – ‘The Spiritual Home of Scotch Whisky’, before heading into the breathtaking wilderness of the Cairngorms National Park.

In Speyside you can take full advantage of the driver-guide and sample your way through lush, flavourful whiskies without worrying about driving anywhere. Highlights include a personalised tour of Benromach Distillery, an educational experience at the Speyside Cooperage, views of the glorious River Spey, and distillery tours of Cardhu and The Glenlivet.

The tour travels home to Edinburgh via Royal Deeside in the heart of the Cairngorms National Park, where the Royal Family still holidays. You will pass by Balmoral Castle and stop in the village of Braemar, before continuing through beautiful Highland Perthshire to our ancient capital city of Edinburgh.

Itinerary

This is our suggested itinerary for our Speyside Whisky Trail small group tour. This tour combines a three day group guided experience with independent sightseeing days in Edinburgh to make the most of your time in Scotland.

We love the opportunity to use our first-hand knowledge and experience to design and deliver the perfect, bespoke holiday experience for you.

You may wish to extend your holiday before or after your small group tour, or combine it with another of our tours.

Day 1: Arrive in Edinburgh

Arrive in Edinburgh, Scotland’s majestic Capital City. Edinburgh is a great place to wander – narrow alleys, flights of stairs and hidden courtyards tempt you off the main streets at every turn and for a spectacular view of the city take a walk up Arthur’s Seat.
Overnight – Edinburgh

Day 2: Edinburgh Sightseeing

Enjoy a City Sightseeing Bus Tour, a visit to Edinburgh Castle and the Palace of Holyrood House and explore the many attractions of this beautiful city.
Overnight – Edinburgh

Day 3: Edinburgh to Speyside

Your tour begins by departing Edinburgh and travelling north through the Kingdom of Fife to Lindores Abbey Distillery, the site of the first ever recorded Scottish whisky distillery. From here you’ll continue to Pitlochry in Highland Perthshire for lunch, before visiting Scotland’s highest distillery at Dalwhinnie, near the source of the River Spey.

Warmed by the amber nectar, you will continue through the spectacular Cairngorms National Park before reaching Grantown-on-Spey, your base for 2 nights.
Overnight – Grantown-on-Spey

Day 4: Speyside Sightseeing

Today you’ll spend a whole day exploring the glorious whisky region of Speyside. After a short scenic drive, the first stop is a personalised tour of the family-owned distillery Benromach, the home of a classic Speyside single malt whisky.

You’ll then follow the River Spey to Craigellachie for a visit to the Speyside Cooperage, where you can learn about whisky casks. Enjoy a lunch stop in nearby Aberlour and a visit to Cardhu Distillery – the most important whisky in Johnnie Walker Black Label. From here you’ll travel back to Grantown-on-Spey for another night.
Overnight – Grantown-on-Spey

Day 5: Speyside to Edinburgh

The final day of the tour takes you through the mountainous Cairngorms National Park while travelling back to Edinburgh. In the morning you will explore the renowned Glenlivet Distillery, before continuing onwards to Royal Deeside with its many Royal connections. You’ll pass by Balmoral Castle and stop in the village of Braemar in the heart of the National Park.

From here the route passes over Scotland’s highest mountain pass through Highland Perthshire before arriving back in Edinburgh in the early evening.
Overnight – Edinburgh

Day 6: Depart Edinburgh

After breakfast your unforgettable holiday will come to an end.

What's Included?

Your holiday includes:

Carefully selected en-suite accommodation for 5 nights including traditional Scottish breakfast
3 day Speyside Whisky Trail Tour by top of the range Mercedes mini-coach with a maximum of 16 passengers
Services of a professional driver-guide
Comprehensive information pack and local visitor guidebooks
Personalised itinerary with our recommendations for the best places to eat and drink and sightseeing suggestions
Map of Scotland
Tickets for the Edinburgh City Sightseeing Tour
24-hour emergency contact number
Full financial protection

Your holiday doesn't include:

Travel insurance
Flights
Lunches and evening meals
Entry to visitor attractions

Why Book a Small Group Tour?

Your Tour Company

We work closely with an award-winning company whose expert guides truly take you beyond the guidebooks to explore the stunning scenery and extraordinary history of this country.

Some guides are history geeks and can tell you who owned every castle, others are geologists and know the age of every mountain. All of them are friendly, passionate people who are dedicated to making you fall in love with their home country.

Explore Scotland in a modern, air-conditioned mini-coach. You will never get lost, always take the scenic route and have great views, and you are free to sample the local tipple without worrying about driving.

Touring with a maximum of 16 passengers will allow you to meet people from all over the world and make friends for life. Knowing all of the arrangements are taken care of means you can sit back and relax. It’s an experience you will treasure for a lifetime.

Accommodation & Prices

Standard

Budget

We know that after a busy day of sightseeing an exceptional place to stay makes all the difference. That’s why the accommodation we select is hand-picked using our first-hand knowledge of the best places to stay. We specifically choose accommodation suitable for your tour, close to local attractions, pubs and restaurants.

Our discerning team have a wealth of experience, and we extensively research and regularly review all of the accommodation we select for our clients.

Please choose from one of our accommodation categories below.

A Taste of Speyside on the Malt Whisky Trail

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