Introduction

This post reports on a small group Speyside Tour starting from Aberdeen in N.E. Scotland.

Information on the Speyside Tour- Part 1

First, I collected guest from Aberdeen. Then drove S W first stopping for coffee about 1 hour later at a roadside cafe. At the cafe we encountered a small fleet of Porsche motor cars evidently involved in a Highlands rally.

Next stop was Corgarff Castle. This is an isolated but very picturesque structure which started as a Tower House. It was taken over by the British Army in the 18th century as part of an initiative to subdue the Highlands. The army built the curtain wall surrounding the base of the castle.

Corgarff Castle, Highlands, Scotland

Corgarff presented some great photo opps aided by the remarkably sunny weather.

Highland Scenery at Corgarff Castle, Scotland

Next we drove about 10 mins to Glenlivet Distillery where we joined the 1220 tour. This covered the basic malting, mashing, fermentation, distillation and maturation processes. Overall a good tour. Glenlivet has a very long history. It has expanded to meet increased demand and is now owned by the French drinks group, Pernod Ricard.

Here is an image of the stills. Not well balanced pic due to restrictions on photography in turn due to alcohol vapours.

Whisky Stills at Glenlivet Distillery

Maturing Whisky at Glenlivet Distillery, Scotland

Whisky Tasting with Tour Guide at Glenlivet

Our next destination was Aberlour, about 20 mins away where we availed of a spot of lunch.

Information on the Speyside Tour- Part 2

At 3.00pm we joined the tour of Aberlour Distillery.This was led by a very competent guide with highlight being the tasting of 5 malts. This 2 hour long tour was well attended as our visit coincided with the Speyside Whisky Festival.

Tour Group at Aberlour Distillery, Speyside

Here is an image of the stills at Aberlour. Like Glenlivet, photography is restricted due to alcohol vapours.

Whisky Stills at Aberlour Distillery, Speyside

Aberlour was our final visit of the day. We then returned to Aberdeen and fond farewells at conclusion of a fascinating Whisky Tour which was aided by unusually sunny weather.

En-route we passed through the whisky town of Dufftown which was decorated to celebrate the Whisky Festival.

Dufftown, Speyside, Scotland

More Information

For more information on distilleries and many other aspects of Scotland please refer to the Visitors’ Guide to Scotland, ISBN 978-1-9161332-0-4. This book is also available via Kindle.