Private Speyside Whisky Tours from Edinburgh or Glasgow

Scotland’s Premier Whisky Region

Experience Scotland’s only Malt Whisky Trail on our private Speyside whisky tours from Edinburgh or Glasgow. Home to over half of Scotland’s distilleries, the Speyside region in Strathspey offers unparalleled access to world-renowned single malt producers including Glenfiddich, Macallan, Glenlivet, Balvenie, and Strathisla.

Your private tour includes dedicated transport and an expert guide, with a fully customised itinerary visiting your preferred distilleries. We coordinate distillery tour bookings where possible and help plan your Speyside whisky trail experience to maximise your time in the region. Distillery tours are typically group experiences led by distillery guides, while your transport, itinerary, and overall tour remain exclusively private to your group.

Experience the art of whisky tasting and nosing at Scotland’s most celebrated distilleries. Your Speyside journey includes guided tours where you’ll learn to appreciate the subtle notes, aromas, and finish that make Speyside single malts world-famous. From light, floral expressions to rich, sherry-cask matured drams, discover why connoisseurs consider Speyside whiskies among the finest in the world.

Choose from our sample 3-day itinerary below or work with us to create your ideal Speyside whisky experience, combining distillery visits with Cairngorms scenery, historic castles, and Highland heritage sites.

Speyside: Scotland’s Whisky Capital

Speyside in Strathspey is home to the greatest concentration of Scotch whisky distilleries worldwide, with over half of Scotland’s distilleries located in this region.

The Speyside region surrounds the River Spey, which rises in the Monadhliath Mountains south of Loch Ness. This river flows northeast for 100 miles before reaching the Moray Firth at Spey Bay. The region in Moray, northeast Scotland, is famous for the world’s only Malt Whisky Trail.

As the saying goes: “Rome was built on seven hills; Dufftown stands on seven stills.” Dufftown is considered the whisky capital of Speyside.

Your Speyside tour includes your choice of distilleries and attractions from the options below, customised to your interests and schedule.

The Speyside Malt Whisky Trail

The Malt Whisky Trail includes eight whisky distilleries and a cooperage. Seven distilleries remain in production, while Dallas Dhu operates as a historic distillery museum. You can mix and match visits to your preferred distilleries to create your ideal Speyside whisky experience.

Benromach Whisky Distillery

Benromach Distillery has been producing classic Speyside whisky since 1898, using spring water from the nearby Romach Hills. Located on the outskirts of Forres, this smaller distillery offers a more personal whisky tour experience. The Benromach guide will take you through the mash tun, wooden washbacks, two copper stills, spirit safe, filling room, and dunnage warehouses. Tours include tastings of the award-winning 10 and 15-year-old Benromach Classic Speyside Single Malt.

Glenfiddich

Glenfiddich Distillery was founded by William Grant in 1887 and is today the world’s best-selling single malt Scotch whisky. The distillery was built with help from Grant’s children, using stones from the River Fiddich bed. Located half a mile north of Dufftown on the slopes of the Conval Hills, Glenfiddich uses water from the Robbie Dubh spring. In Gaelic, Glenfiddich means “Valley of the Deer.” The distillery offers the Glenfiddich Explorer Tour with tastings of four signature whiskies.

Speyside Cooperage Visitor Centre

Discover the ancient craft of coopering at Craigellachie on the Speyside Whisky Trail. Follow the journey from oak to whisky cask, observing craftsmen bringing barrels back to life using traditional methods. From the elevated viewing platform, watch coopers shaping staves, shaving casks smooth, and charring and toasting to refresh barrels.

Glen Grant

John and James Grant, members of one of the oldest clans in the Spey Valley, founded Glen Grant Distillery in 1840 in the whisky town of Rothes. The lands were granted to them by Robert the Bruce for their help in the 14th-century Scottish Wars of Independence.

The distillery tour showcases Glen Grant’s unique purifiers and eight copper stills that produce their smooth, fruity single malt whisky. The 22-acre Victorian gardens are a highlight, where Major Grant once entertained guests for after-dinner malt tastings. Walk the paths through the glen, crossing bridges over the rushing burn, passing copper beech trees and rhododendron banks.

The Glenlivet

In 1824, Glenlivet became the first distillery in Scotland granted government permission to distil legally. Founded by George Smith, Glenlivet was reputedly a favourite of King George IV. Today, this single malt is the best-seller in the United States and the second-biggest single malt brand worldwide.

Cardhu Distillery

Cardhu originated as a farm distillery operating seasonally. Its name in Gaelic means “black rock,” referring to the neighbouring Mannoch Hills where the distillery’s spring water emerges. Cardhu is the only distillery pioneered by a woman, Helen Cumming, who managed the mashing and fermenting processes. She would bake bannocks to disguise the smell of fermenting barley and offer them to visiting excise men, while raising a red flag to alert neighbours when gaugers were nearby.

The distillery offers the “Guess Dhu Tour,” which includes a whisky-guessing game with a chance to have your name added to their Hall of Fame.

Dallas Dhu

Dallas Dhu operates as an interactive museum in a preserved Victorian distillery. In Gaelic, Dallas Dhu means “Black Water Valley.” In its heyday, the distillery employed around 15 men producing the Roderick Dhu blend. The self-guided tour allows close access to machinery not always possible in working distilleries.

StrathIsla

Strathisla produces the single malt at the heart of Chivas Regal blended whisky. The distillery offers cocktail experiences including the Chivas Collins, Rob Roy, Morning Glory Fizz, and Old Fashioned. Join “The Chivas Blending Experience” tour to create your own whisky blend.

Glen Moray

Situated on the banks of the River Lossie in Elgin since 1897, Glen Moray is a member of the Speyside Malt Whisky Trail. The standard tour includes tastings of two whiskies.

 Beyond the Malt Whisky Trail: Other Renowned Speyside Distilleries

The following renowned distilleries are available to visit on Speyside whisky tours, though not part of the official Malt Whisky Trail. These include world-famous brands suitable for whisky connoisseurs and enthusiasts alike.

Benriach

Benriach Distillery in the heart of Speyside was founded by John Duff in 1898 on the site of the old Riach Farm. The distillery is unique in distilling three distinct styles: classic unpeated, Highland peated, and triple distilled, using an eclectic range of cask types from around the world.

Benriach offers several tour experiences:

• The Original Tour (75 minutes, £25) – guided distillery visit with tasting of three whiskies and a cocktail-making opportunity
• Barley to Barrels (2 hours, £50) – in-depth tour including Warehouse 13, with tutored tasting of five whiskies
• Grape and Grain (2.5 hours, £95) – explores wine cask maturation with limited release tastings and food pairings
• Distillery Exclusives Tasting (40 minutes, £25) – sample limited editions only available at the distillery

Tours must be pre-booked online.

Glenfarclas

Glenfarclas in Ballindalloch lies in farmland beneath the slopes of Ben Rinnes. Its name translates to “Valley of the Green Grass.” For over 150 years, the distillery has been independently owned by the Grants of Glenfarclas family. Opened in 1973, the visitor centre was one of Scotland’s first dedicated distillery visitor centers.

Glenfarclas offers a range of tours for whisky newcomers and enthusiasts:

• Classic Tour (1.5 hours, £15 adults / £6 youth 10-17) – guided distillery tour followed by tastings in the Ship’s Room. Children under 10 not permitted.
• Connoisseur’s Tour & Tasting (2.5-3 hours, £70) – in-depth tour of distillery and warehouses with tasting of five expressions including two rare single-cask bottlings. Over 18s only.
• Five Decades Tour & Tasting (2.5-3 hours, £150) – exclusive in-depth tour followed by tasting of five whiskies from The Family Cask Collection, one from each decade (1960s-2000s). Over 18s only.
• 1950s Family Cask Experience (2.5-3 hours, £511.19) – visit never-before-seen distillery areas and enjoy five specially selected 1950s drams in the VIP lounge.

Ballindalloch

Ballindalloch Single Malt Distillery is Scotland’s first single estate distillery, where nature meets the art of manual distilling. The distillery offers several experiences:

• Short Tour & Drams (45 minutes, £20) – walk through the production area and sample two Ballindalloch whiskies showcasing American oak and European sherry cask maturation. Available Monday-Friday at 10am, 11:30am, 1:30pm, and 3pm. Walk-ins accepted, booking recommended.
• Private Tasting (1 hour, £75) – exclusive access to the Family Room with tutored tasting of four whiskies including award-winning and limited editions, plus new-make spirit.
• Private Tour & Tasting (1.5 hours, £95) – in-depth tour tailored to your interests, concluding with tutored tasting of rare Ballindalloch single malts in the Family Room. Email to arrange.

Shop open Monday-Friday, 10am-5pm.

The Balvenie

Founded in 1892 by William Grant during the 19th-century whisky boom, Balvenie Distillery sits in the Glenfiddich grounds in Dufftown. The Balvenie is one of the few distilleries in Scotland to keep every craft in-house, from malting barley on traditional floor maltings to hand-coopering casks.

Balvenie offers two intimate experiences, limited to eight guests:

• The Balvenie Distillery Tour (2.5 hours, £75) – explore all five rare crafts including the malting floor and cooperage. Visit Warehouse 24 to sample whisky from the cask, concluding with a guided tasting of five distinctive drams. Available Monday-Friday at 10am and 2pm.
• The Balvenie Warehouse Tasting Experience (1 hour, £75) – tutored tasting of five unique casks inside Warehouse 24, discovering how different wood types shape aroma, texture, and flavor. Available weekends only at 11am and 2pm.

All experiences are limited to eight guests maximum. Over 18s only. Book online in advance.

Macallan

The £140 million Macallan Distillery lies a mile beyond Craigellachie on the Easter Elchies estate. Macallan’s creative director Ken Grier described the striking modern architecture as “almost like a Bond villain’s lair.”

The Macallan offers exclusive experiences showcasing whisky-making mastery, heritage, and craftsmanship. Experiences must be booked in advance, with very limited availability. The estate also features The Macallan Bar (the world’s widest selection of Macallan single malts), dining experiences in collaboration with Michelin three-star El Celler de Can Roca, and The Macallan Boutique.

Over 18s only. Book well in advance due to high demand.

Aberlour 

Aberlour Distillery was founded in 1879 by James Fleming beside the Lour Burn, which joins the River Spey in the heart of Speyside. The distillery draws exceptionally pure spring water from nearby natural springs beneath Ben Rinnes. The single malt is particularly popular in France, known for its creamy, faintly spicy character.

Currently, Aberlour is undergoing major expansion and construction. Distillery tours are suspended until summer 2027. However, whisky tasting experiences remain available:

• Express Flight (30 minutes, £20) – tasting experience
• Deconstructed (45 minutes, £40) – in-depth tasting
• A’bunadh Collection (1 hour 15 minutes, £120) – premium tasting experience

Shop and tasting experiences open 7 days a week, 10am-5:30pm (31 March – 31 October). Over 18s only. No on-site parking – park in Aberlour village and walk to visitor centre. Book in advance.

Plan Your Speyside Whisky Tour

Choose from our sample 3-day itinerary or work with us to create a custom Speyside whisky tour visiting your preferred distilleries. We can combine distillery visits with Cairngorms scenery, historic castles, and Highland heritage sites en route to the region.

Your private Speyside tour includes dedicated transport, expert guide, coordination of distillery bookings, and complete flexibility to adjust timing and stops based on your interests.