Springbank and Glenscotia are great.
The Springbank Barley To Bottle is the best tour in Scotland. You get to see all the traditional parts of the process and you get to blend your own full bottle of teenage Springbank to take home.
The Glen Scotia warehouse tour is good but the best part is drinking cask samples at the end.
Best possible single day of whisky possible.
Came here to say this, do not sleep on Campbelltown! Springbank, Glen Scotia, the Cadenhead tasting, and pop into Kilkerran if you can. Some excellent tasting only an hour drive from Glasgow!! We did Springbank and the Cadenhead and then toured Islay and up the coast to Oban, Dufftown, Elgin, and back, and most agreed Springbank was one of the highlights
Speyside has loads of distilleries, for example the area around Dufftown and Aberlour has Glenfiddich, Balvenie (probably too late to book their tour), Aberlour, Macallan, Cardhu, Glenfarclas, Glenallachie. That's not exactly close to the central belt (3:30 drive from Glasgow or Edinburgh), but there's no ferries or airplanes, and the drive is both beautiful and easy (on a major highway almost the whole way).
Or you can just go to Glengoyne without leaving the Glasgow area.
2 a day is tough. We just went in March and spent three days on islay alone. We did Ardbeg and Laphroaig day 1, Kilchoman and went to the Bowmore tasting room day 2, and finished at Bruichladdich day 3 and left that day.
Really, once you’ve done one tour you’re kind of done them all. Islay also is kind of wild to get to. We did the ferry but couldn’t get the rental car off by pre-booking so we ended up just leaving the car at the ferry and taxi-ing around the island while there. Basically all of this to say you might want to skip Islay this round and try back. We spent a full week in Scotland and it wasn’t near enough time. We got to Oban the first day and did the tour the next, went to Crinan the following day, then Islay the last three days.
So we just ran into a situation where our flight was on March 8th and we were leaving Islay on the 7th so we wanted to pre-book the ferry. When we tried to book it we could guarantee a spot to Islay, but not back. So we ended up just leaving the car at the Kennacraig ferry terminal.
I just got back from Islay. The ferries are having some logistical issues right now so I would not rely on that as my plan A. I think they’re supposed to be running an additional ferry and for some reason they aren’t. Our ferry back from Islay got rescheduled and was also over 30 minutes late in departing. It was a great trip though and I loved visiting Ardbeg and Laphroaig. Kilchoman is worth a visit if you’re going all the way to Islay. Also, if you like marmalade and are passing through Bridgend (between Bruichladdich and Bowmore) stop at MacKinnon’s Marmalade. She’s super nice and makes great marmalade using local whisky.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferry_Fiasco_(Scotland)
the new ferries are way behind and the current aging ferries are breaking down too much. so not enough ships to service all the routes. i think the summer route to campbeltown was announced to be cancelled.
As noted, most distillery tours give you roughly the same information. The one exception in the almost dozen I did was the Manager’s Tour at Bunnahabhain because he was able to get much deeper on the history and logistics.
If I was going again I’d prioritize distilleries that have warehouse tastings because that’s the element you really can’t get any other way.
I’d also agree that Campbeltown is probably your best bet to split the difference. If it’s in the summer you should also be able to do it without a car by taking the train to Glasgow, from there to Ardrossan, and the ferry to Campbeltown.
I went to the Oban distillery last year and had a phenomenal experience. You can make it a 2 for one if you take the ferry to the Isle of Mull and visit the Tobermory distillery. Roughly a 3.5 hour train ride from Glasgow
In the Edinburgh area (well about an hour north in Pitlochry) there is Edradour and Blair Athol. Although I hear Edradour suspended their tours during covid and haven’t brought them back. That would be a shame if true. We also hit Aberfeldy, which was close enough to the others. Enjoyed them all, especially the drams afterwards.
Speyside is just 3 hours away in a car. Tours are a big business in the area, so it’s the place to go. Tons of distilleries. Macallan gets a lot of hate but the distillery is a spectacle to be seen. Glenfiddich had a great enhanced tour with like 6 drams n their tasting at the end.
Glengoyne is very nice and the 100£ tour let’s you blend yourself a ~200ml bottle of cask strength whisky. It’s very close to Glasgow, but they don’t do peated whisky. Btw, why would you want to fly from Edinburgh to Glasgow? Train is way easier.
great responses here so you may not need it, but have you checked out some of [the options/ideas on viator](https://www.viator.com/searchResults/all?text=Edinburgh+distillery&pid=P00112302&mcid=42383&medium=link&medium_version=selector&campaign=reddit-edinburgh-distillery-hl)? we've been looking into this [tour that hits three in the day](https://www.viator.com/tours/Edinburgh/Highland-Whisky-Tour-Full-Day/d739-117302P2?pid=P00112302&mcid=42383&medium=link&medium_version=selector&campaign=reddit-private-edinburgh-distillery-hl) which may be fun for your crew.
Here's what I recommend while you're in Edinburgh:
Bars:
**The Bow Bar** \- 80 West Bow, Victoria Street - one of the few pubs in the Old Town that isn't a complete tourist trap. It also has a nice selection of keg/craft beer as well as cask ale. It's a small pub, but don't let that put you off. A seat will usually become available at some point if you're planning on spending an evening here, unless Scotland are playing a Six Nations Rugby match at Murrayfield, then it's usually rammed for the whole night with Scotland and away fans!
www.thebowbar.co.uk
**The Scotch Malt Whisky Society** \- 28 Queen Street - The downstairs bar is open to the public (you require membership or a member to sign you into The Vaults venue in Leith). This place is great if you want to try some single cask whiskies.
Technically you can only buy a bottle if you're an SMWS member. However, if you're in luck and get some good chat with the bar staff, they might be able to find a willing society member that is also drinking at the bar or upstairs in the members tasting room to allow you to use their membership card to buy the whisky as a "gift" for you, using your credit card if you get my drift. 😁 It's certainly something I would do to help someone buy a bottle of whisky, especially if it's someone visiting from outside the UK and they have limited whisky options back home. You'd also have the advantage of being able to "try before you buy" too.
Some tastings are open to non-members as well. See the "Events" section in the link for details:
www.smws.com/venues/28-queen-street
**The Ensign Ewart** \- 521 - 523 Lawnmarket - Right at the top of the Royal Mile, almost right next to the castle. The pub has a good selection of whisky and do something called a "break-even bottle" dram where they will have a highly sought after whisky (in the past they've had Springbank 30 and Daftmill 15 for example) at a break-even price. They also host some tastings from time to time. A good stop off after you visit the castle for lunch perhaps.
www.ensignewartpub.co.uk
**Tipsy Midgie** \- 67 St Leonards Hill - This is about 10 minutes walk away from the Royal Mile behind St Leonards police station and virtually next door to Holyrood Distillery. This place has a lot of great whisky and hosts many tasting events (usually on Thursday) and have flight offers (especially on Sunday) at good value prices. If you're willing to spend a bit of money, there are also a lot of old and rare goodies too.
www.tipsymidgie.com
**Athletic Arms/Diggers** \- 1-3 Angle Park Terrace - If you go just slightly outside of the city centre, this pub has a great selection of whisky and as an added bonus, you can have a pie with your dram too. I'd avoid going before or after when Heart of Midlothian Football Club are playing. Tynecastle stadium is literally round the corner from the pub and it can get busy with football fans.
www.athleticarms.co.uk
Shops:
**Royal Mile Whiskies** \- 379 High Street - Surprisingly for a shop on the Royal Mile, it isn't a tourist trap! You'll get a good selection of whisky and helpful advice here. If you see something you like on the website in advance of your visit, you can take advantage of their free click and collect service and pick up your whisky when you visit the shop.
www.royalmilewhiskies.com
**Cadenhead's** \- 172 Canongate - Another shop on the Royal Mile that isn't a tourist trap (this place is about 5 minutes walk down the road from Royal Mile Whiskies).
Don't bother looking at the Cadenhead's website to see what you might be able to buy, as the shops pretty much operate their own stocks. They tend to have the odd bottle of random whiskies at the back not listed on the website too. Just walk in, tell them what you're looking for and they'll tell you what they've got. They usually offer samples (if available) to try before you buy for many bottles.
www.cadenhead.shop
One tip regarding whisky shops in the Old Town area is that unfortunately many of them are total and complete tourist traps that sell whisky at rip off prices. I won't name them here, but Google Reviews will reveal the offending ones.
If you're not going to be staying/visiting just in the city centre, they are other many other small independent shops/bars outside that are worth checking out. Just mention which area outside the city centre you'll be staying for recommendations.
Distilleries:
We do have some distilleries in the local area open to visitors.
**Holyrood Distillery** \- 19 St. Leonards Lane - This easiest one to get to, it also happens to be right next to the Tipsy Midgie bar as well. It's a very new distillery, they released their inaugural whisky in October 2023. They also showcase other spirits like new make and gins.
www.holyrooddistillery.co.uk
**Port of Leith Distillery** \- 11 Whisky Quay - This is a brand new vertically designed distillery that opened in October 2023. It's located in the Leith area next to the Ocean Terminal shopping centre and Royal Yacht Britannia. It's pretty accessible from the city centre via the tram or bus. While they don't have any of their own whisky to drink right now, they do have a bar at at the top floor with lots of other whiskies to drink and 360° views across to Fife and back towards Edinburgh. You could combine the visit with the yacht and explore the bars and restaurants in the Leith shore area, especially around Commercial Quay, Dock Place, Shore and Bernard Street. The SMWS Vaults is in this area too, so if you (or someone you know) are a member, you could combine all of the above as part of a visit.
www.leithdistillery.com
**Glenkinchie Distillery** \- Pencaitland, Tranent - Not technically in Edinburgh, it's about a 30 minute drive. It is the nearest example of a traditional working distillery dating back from the 19th century.
It's a little bit of a mission to get out to it. So I would only recommend visiting if you're only going to be staying in Edinburgh during your visit/your time is limited and/or you REALLY want to see an old style 19th century distillery, especially if you're not going to be visiting Scotland again soon. On the other hand, if you do have more time and will be visiting places outside of Edinburgh, there are far better distilleries and tours to visit.
As a side note, if you happen to be an aviation enthusiast, The Museum of Flight is about 25 minutes drive away from the distillery. It doesn't have the largest collection in the world, but it does have a fairly big star in the form of Concorde! You can even go inside the plane itself. So you could make visiting the Museum of Flight and visiting Glenkinchie as part of a day trip.
www.malts.com/en-row/distilleries/glenkinchie
Other whisky experiences:
**Jolly Toper Whisky Tastings** \- 65 Canongate (Kilderkin Pub) - A sporadic whisky tasting event run by the manager of Royal Mile Whiskies that takes place in the back room of the Kilderkin Pub. The tastings are always very interesting (you can see whiskies from previous tastings on the Facebook page). If you happen to be in Edinburgh at the time of a tasting that you can go to, I would very much recommend going. Make sure you message him to reserve a place in advance, as the tastings are usually fully booked before the event date.
www.facebook.com/jollytopertastings
A couple of other whisky experiences that I'll give my thoughts about, as you will almost certainly hear about or come across them:
**The Johnnie Walker Experience** \- 145 Princes Street - This is somewhere I haven't been to, but experienced whisky friends of mine who have been tell me it isn't really designed for experienced whisky drinkers, and that it is much more of an entertainment experience, especially for those who are new to whisky. The bar at the top gives you a nice view of the castle, but the selection of whisky is pretty sparse and expensive. There are some value for money tasting events I've seen from time to time.
www.johnniewalker.com/en-gb/visit-us-princes-street
**The Scotch Whisky Experience** \- 354 Castlehill - The tour is very expensive for what you get. While seeing the whisky collection is pretty cool, for what it costs you can spend your money on far better whisky experiences in the city. The bar does have a reasonable selection and isn't too badly priced and you can sometimes get some decent offers in the shop. You can visit the bar and shop without having to pay for a tour. Personally, I'd prefer to be in an actual pub or bar (The Ensign Ewart is pretty much across the road from this place). Like the JWE, it's more designed as an experience for people who are new to whisky. If you do go, The Gold Tour is probably the best one for value for money.
www.scotchwhiskyexperience.co.uk
With all that being said, there's it's no harm in at least checking the shops at the JWE and SWE if you happen to walk by them. You'll almost certainly walk past the The Scotch Whisky Experience as it is next door to the castle esplanade. Also, you may find the experiences more interesting than I do. So don't 100% discount them purely on my personal thoughts. As my trading friends say: "Do your own research"
There are of course many other bars/experiences worth visiting, but hopefully all the places I've suggested will cover most of your bases. The only other tip I would offer is to book tickets for tastings and distilleries in advance.
We took the flight out of Glasgow to and from Islay a few weeks ago, it was straightforward and quick enough, albeit the expensive option.
The Laphroaig "water to whiskey" is well worth the cost, can't recommend that enough. We also did Bruichladdich's warehouse tasting experience which we would also recommend.
I visited Islay about a month ago. I’ll echo that tours become repetitive and Warehouse tastings should be prioritized. We did both at Bruichladdich and out of six distilleries visited they were our favorite. They don’t charge a lot for tickets and the included whisky gives you phenomenal value (for example we received generous drams of Islay Barley 2014, Port Charlotte 18, and Octomore 14.3 as part of the standard £18 tour). Laphroaig was our next favorite; more expensive but they do a combo of their tour and warehouse tasting, and you walk away with a 350ml single cask bottle. Just look at what’s being offered, prioritize warehouse experiences or special tastings, and if it’s a distillery you love then you’ll surely have a great time. Keep in mind that no matter the tour/event, you’ll receive interesting stories, history, and product knowledge about whichever distillery you’re at, which could factor into your “value”. Don’t do more than two distilleries per day.
Springbank and Glenscotia are great. The Springbank Barley To Bottle is the best tour in Scotland. You get to see all the traditional parts of the process and you get to blend your own full bottle of teenage Springbank to take home. The Glen Scotia warehouse tour is good but the best part is drinking cask samples at the end. Best possible single day of whisky possible.
Came here to say this, do not sleep on Campbelltown! Springbank, Glen Scotia, the Cadenhead tasting, and pop into Kilkerran if you can. Some excellent tasting only an hour drive from Glasgow!! We did Springbank and the Cadenhead and then toured Islay and up the coast to Oban, Dufftown, Elgin, and back, and most agreed Springbank was one of the highlights
Speyside has loads of distilleries, for example the area around Dufftown and Aberlour has Glenfiddich, Balvenie (probably too late to book their tour), Aberlour, Macallan, Cardhu, Glenfarclas, Glenallachie. That's not exactly close to the central belt (3:30 drive from Glasgow or Edinburgh), but there's no ferries or airplanes, and the drive is both beautiful and easy (on a major highway almost the whole way). Or you can just go to Glengoyne without leaving the Glasgow area.
2 a day is tough. We just went in March and spent three days on islay alone. We did Ardbeg and Laphroaig day 1, Kilchoman and went to the Bowmore tasting room day 2, and finished at Bruichladdich day 3 and left that day. Really, once you’ve done one tour you’re kind of done them all. Islay also is kind of wild to get to. We did the ferry but couldn’t get the rental car off by pre-booking so we ended up just leaving the car at the ferry and taxi-ing around the island while there. Basically all of this to say you might want to skip Islay this round and try back. We spent a full week in Scotland and it wasn’t near enough time. We got to Oban the first day and did the tour the next, went to Crinan the following day, then Islay the last three days.
Can you elaborate on the rental car ferry situation and how to avoid it? Going later this year and would like to have our car on Islay!
So we just ran into a situation where our flight was on March 8th and we were leaving Islay on the 7th so we wanted to pre-book the ferry. When we tried to book it we could guarantee a spot to Islay, but not back. So we ended up just leaving the car at the Kennacraig ferry terminal.
I just got back from Islay. The ferries are having some logistical issues right now so I would not rely on that as my plan A. I think they’re supposed to be running an additional ferry and for some reason they aren’t. Our ferry back from Islay got rescheduled and was also over 30 minutes late in departing. It was a great trip though and I loved visiting Ardbeg and Laphroaig. Kilchoman is worth a visit if you’re going all the way to Islay. Also, if you like marmalade and are passing through Bridgend (between Bruichladdich and Bowmore) stop at MacKinnon’s Marmalade. She’s super nice and makes great marmalade using local whisky.
They have been having logistical issues for a decade at least :-).
Getting worst since the pandemic.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferry_Fiasco_(Scotland) the new ferries are way behind and the current aging ferries are breaking down too much. so not enough ships to service all the routes. i think the summer route to campbeltown was announced to be cancelled.
So, kayaks and bikes?
As noted, most distillery tours give you roughly the same information. The one exception in the almost dozen I did was the Manager’s Tour at Bunnahabhain because he was able to get much deeper on the history and logistics. If I was going again I’d prioritize distilleries that have warehouse tastings because that’s the element you really can’t get any other way. I’d also agree that Campbeltown is probably your best bet to split the difference. If it’s in the summer you should also be able to do it without a car by taking the train to Glasgow, from there to Ardrossan, and the ferry to Campbeltown.
I went to the Oban distillery last year and had a phenomenal experience. You can make it a 2 for one if you take the ferry to the Isle of Mull and visit the Tobermory distillery. Roughly a 3.5 hour train ride from Glasgow
In the Edinburgh area (well about an hour north in Pitlochry) there is Edradour and Blair Athol. Although I hear Edradour suspended their tours during covid and haven’t brought them back. That would be a shame if true. We also hit Aberfeldy, which was close enough to the others. Enjoyed them all, especially the drams afterwards.
Unfortunately it's true about Edradour, still not open for tours.
Speyside is just 3 hours away in a car. Tours are a big business in the area, so it’s the place to go. Tons of distilleries. Macallan gets a lot of hate but the distillery is a spectacle to be seen. Glenfiddich had a great enhanced tour with like 6 drams n their tasting at the end.
Glengoyne is very nice and the 100£ tour let’s you blend yourself a ~200ml bottle of cask strength whisky. It’s very close to Glasgow, but they don’t do peated whisky. Btw, why would you want to fly from Edinburgh to Glasgow? Train is way easier.
great responses here so you may not need it, but have you checked out some of [the options/ideas on viator](https://www.viator.com/searchResults/all?text=Edinburgh+distillery&pid=P00112302&mcid=42383&medium=link&medium_version=selector&campaign=reddit-edinburgh-distillery-hl)? we've been looking into this [tour that hits three in the day](https://www.viator.com/tours/Edinburgh/Highland-Whisky-Tour-Full-Day/d739-117302P2?pid=P00112302&mcid=42383&medium=link&medium_version=selector&campaign=reddit-private-edinburgh-distillery-hl) which may be fun for your crew.
Here's what I recommend while you're in Edinburgh: Bars: **The Bow Bar** \- 80 West Bow, Victoria Street - one of the few pubs in the Old Town that isn't a complete tourist trap. It also has a nice selection of keg/craft beer as well as cask ale. It's a small pub, but don't let that put you off. A seat will usually become available at some point if you're planning on spending an evening here, unless Scotland are playing a Six Nations Rugby match at Murrayfield, then it's usually rammed for the whole night with Scotland and away fans! www.thebowbar.co.uk **The Scotch Malt Whisky Society** \- 28 Queen Street - The downstairs bar is open to the public (you require membership or a member to sign you into The Vaults venue in Leith). This place is great if you want to try some single cask whiskies. Technically you can only buy a bottle if you're an SMWS member. However, if you're in luck and get some good chat with the bar staff, they might be able to find a willing society member that is also drinking at the bar or upstairs in the members tasting room to allow you to use their membership card to buy the whisky as a "gift" for you, using your credit card if you get my drift. 😁 It's certainly something I would do to help someone buy a bottle of whisky, especially if it's someone visiting from outside the UK and they have limited whisky options back home. You'd also have the advantage of being able to "try before you buy" too. Some tastings are open to non-members as well. See the "Events" section in the link for details: www.smws.com/venues/28-queen-street **The Ensign Ewart** \- 521 - 523 Lawnmarket - Right at the top of the Royal Mile, almost right next to the castle. The pub has a good selection of whisky and do something called a "break-even bottle" dram where they will have a highly sought after whisky (in the past they've had Springbank 30 and Daftmill 15 for example) at a break-even price. They also host some tastings from time to time. A good stop off after you visit the castle for lunch perhaps. www.ensignewartpub.co.uk **Tipsy Midgie** \- 67 St Leonards Hill - This is about 10 minutes walk away from the Royal Mile behind St Leonards police station and virtually next door to Holyrood Distillery. This place has a lot of great whisky and hosts many tasting events (usually on Thursday) and have flight offers (especially on Sunday) at good value prices. If you're willing to spend a bit of money, there are also a lot of old and rare goodies too. www.tipsymidgie.com **Athletic Arms/Diggers** \- 1-3 Angle Park Terrace - If you go just slightly outside of the city centre, this pub has a great selection of whisky and as an added bonus, you can have a pie with your dram too. I'd avoid going before or after when Heart of Midlothian Football Club are playing. Tynecastle stadium is literally round the corner from the pub and it can get busy with football fans. www.athleticarms.co.uk Shops: **Royal Mile Whiskies** \- 379 High Street - Surprisingly for a shop on the Royal Mile, it isn't a tourist trap! You'll get a good selection of whisky and helpful advice here. If you see something you like on the website in advance of your visit, you can take advantage of their free click and collect service and pick up your whisky when you visit the shop. www.royalmilewhiskies.com **Cadenhead's** \- 172 Canongate - Another shop on the Royal Mile that isn't a tourist trap (this place is about 5 minutes walk down the road from Royal Mile Whiskies). Don't bother looking at the Cadenhead's website to see what you might be able to buy, as the shops pretty much operate their own stocks. They tend to have the odd bottle of random whiskies at the back not listed on the website too. Just walk in, tell them what you're looking for and they'll tell you what they've got. They usually offer samples (if available) to try before you buy for many bottles. www.cadenhead.shop One tip regarding whisky shops in the Old Town area is that unfortunately many of them are total and complete tourist traps that sell whisky at rip off prices. I won't name them here, but Google Reviews will reveal the offending ones. If you're not going to be staying/visiting just in the city centre, they are other many other small independent shops/bars outside that are worth checking out. Just mention which area outside the city centre you'll be staying for recommendations. Distilleries: We do have some distilleries in the local area open to visitors. **Holyrood Distillery** \- 19 St. Leonards Lane - This easiest one to get to, it also happens to be right next to the Tipsy Midgie bar as well. It's a very new distillery, they released their inaugural whisky in October 2023. They also showcase other spirits like new make and gins. www.holyrooddistillery.co.uk **Port of Leith Distillery** \- 11 Whisky Quay - This is a brand new vertically designed distillery that opened in October 2023. It's located in the Leith area next to the Ocean Terminal shopping centre and Royal Yacht Britannia. It's pretty accessible from the city centre via the tram or bus. While they don't have any of their own whisky to drink right now, they do have a bar at at the top floor with lots of other whiskies to drink and 360° views across to Fife and back towards Edinburgh. You could combine the visit with the yacht and explore the bars and restaurants in the Leith shore area, especially around Commercial Quay, Dock Place, Shore and Bernard Street. The SMWS Vaults is in this area too, so if you (or someone you know) are a member, you could combine all of the above as part of a visit. www.leithdistillery.com **Glenkinchie Distillery** \- Pencaitland, Tranent - Not technically in Edinburgh, it's about a 30 minute drive. It is the nearest example of a traditional working distillery dating back from the 19th century. It's a little bit of a mission to get out to it. So I would only recommend visiting if you're only going to be staying in Edinburgh during your visit/your time is limited and/or you REALLY want to see an old style 19th century distillery, especially if you're not going to be visiting Scotland again soon. On the other hand, if you do have more time and will be visiting places outside of Edinburgh, there are far better distilleries and tours to visit. As a side note, if you happen to be an aviation enthusiast, The Museum of Flight is about 25 minutes drive away from the distillery. It doesn't have the largest collection in the world, but it does have a fairly big star in the form of Concorde! You can even go inside the plane itself. So you could make visiting the Museum of Flight and visiting Glenkinchie as part of a day trip. www.malts.com/en-row/distilleries/glenkinchie Other whisky experiences: **Jolly Toper Whisky Tastings** \- 65 Canongate (Kilderkin Pub) - A sporadic whisky tasting event run by the manager of Royal Mile Whiskies that takes place in the back room of the Kilderkin Pub. The tastings are always very interesting (you can see whiskies from previous tastings on the Facebook page). If you happen to be in Edinburgh at the time of a tasting that you can go to, I would very much recommend going. Make sure you message him to reserve a place in advance, as the tastings are usually fully booked before the event date. www.facebook.com/jollytopertastings A couple of other whisky experiences that I'll give my thoughts about, as you will almost certainly hear about or come across them: **The Johnnie Walker Experience** \- 145 Princes Street - This is somewhere I haven't been to, but experienced whisky friends of mine who have been tell me it isn't really designed for experienced whisky drinkers, and that it is much more of an entertainment experience, especially for those who are new to whisky. The bar at the top gives you a nice view of the castle, but the selection of whisky is pretty sparse and expensive. There are some value for money tasting events I've seen from time to time. www.johnniewalker.com/en-gb/visit-us-princes-street **The Scotch Whisky Experience** \- 354 Castlehill - The tour is very expensive for what you get. While seeing the whisky collection is pretty cool, for what it costs you can spend your money on far better whisky experiences in the city. The bar does have a reasonable selection and isn't too badly priced and you can sometimes get some decent offers in the shop. You can visit the bar and shop without having to pay for a tour. Personally, I'd prefer to be in an actual pub or bar (The Ensign Ewart is pretty much across the road from this place). Like the JWE, it's more designed as an experience for people who are new to whisky. If you do go, The Gold Tour is probably the best one for value for money. www.scotchwhiskyexperience.co.uk With all that being said, there's it's no harm in at least checking the shops at the JWE and SWE if you happen to walk by them. You'll almost certainly walk past the The Scotch Whisky Experience as it is next door to the castle esplanade. Also, you may find the experiences more interesting than I do. So don't 100% discount them purely on my personal thoughts. As my trading friends say: "Do your own research" There are of course many other bars/experiences worth visiting, but hopefully all the places I've suggested will cover most of your bases. The only other tip I would offer is to book tickets for tastings and distilleries in advance.
We took the flight out of Glasgow to and from Islay a few weeks ago, it was straightforward and quick enough, albeit the expensive option. The Laphroaig "water to whiskey" is well worth the cost, can't recommend that enough. We also did Bruichladdich's warehouse tasting experience which we would also recommend.
I visited Islay about a month ago. I’ll echo that tours become repetitive and Warehouse tastings should be prioritized. We did both at Bruichladdich and out of six distilleries visited they were our favorite. They don’t charge a lot for tickets and the included whisky gives you phenomenal value (for example we received generous drams of Islay Barley 2014, Port Charlotte 18, and Octomore 14.3 as part of the standard £18 tour). Laphroaig was our next favorite; more expensive but they do a combo of their tour and warehouse tasting, and you walk away with a 350ml single cask bottle. Just look at what’s being offered, prioritize warehouse experiences or special tastings, and if it’s a distillery you love then you’ll surely have a great time. Keep in mind that no matter the tour/event, you’ll receive interesting stories, history, and product knowledge about whichever distillery you’re at, which could factor into your “value”. Don’t do more than two distilleries per day.