Speyside Single Malt Whiskies are world famous. The distilleries are just a 20 minute drive from Auchendean
There are about 50 distilleries in the north-east
of Scotland not far from Auchendean.
A 20 minute drive will bring
you to the famous names such as Glenlivet; Glenfiddich; Macallan;
Grants. But there are many more. There is a Malt
Whisky Trail of
all distilleries with visitors centres open to the public.
Dufftown
( 30 miles) hosts a malt whisky festival - The
Spirit of Speyside - each year.
The whiskies of this area are characterised by their pale, grassy, light character, such as Glenlivet and Cragganmore. Some though have a richer, sweeter character such as Macallan. But they are all recognised as being amongst the best.
Most large distilleries have tours available to the public to explain the complex methods used to produce their whisky. They also have shops where you can buy specialised whiskies and appropriate glasses etc. Several have very good restaurants too.
Glenfiddich Distillery
Generally recognised as the best tour available is the one at Glenfiddich
Distillery. This is the most popular whisky in the world accounting
for 1 in 7 bottles of malt sold. They
produce 10 million litres of malt whisky each year. The tour here
can be taken in all of the major languages of the world. Good
restaurant.
Speyside Cooperage
The cooperage supplies the barrels needed in the whisky industry
which are often re-used sherry and bourbon casks. Their visitor
centre allows you into a safe area of their factory to see the
work going on.
