Scotland is the home of whisky, with well over a hundred working distilleries and a style for every taste.
From Speyside’s fruity, sherried malts; Islay’s peat and sea spray; the honeyed Highlands; the light, grassy Lowlands; briny Campbeltown; and the island distilleries of Skye, Orkney, Arran, Harris and more – plus a fast-growing band of gin distilleries.
Here are the best whisky and gin distilleries to visit, grouped by region.
One practical note: Scotland has strict drink-driving laws, so pick a designated driver or take an organised tour (most distilleries will give non-drinking visitors a “driver’s dram” to take away).
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The heartland of Scottish whisky. Tucked between the Cairngorms and the Moray coast, Speyside has more distilleries than any other region – over fifty – most producing the fruity, honeyed, often sherried style the area is famous for. The brown tourist signs of the Malt Whisky Trail make it easy to hop between them.
The world’s best-selling single malt, and one of the most visitor-friendly distilleries in Scotland. Open seven days a week, with everything from the 90-minute Explorer Tour to in-depth warehouse tastings, plus a good bar and restaurant on site. A great first distillery if you’re new to whisky.
The most architecturally striking distillery in Scotland — its grass-roofed visitor centre, opened in 2018, is built into the hillside and worth the trip in itself. The experiences are polished and premium, and tasting here is a proper treat. Book well ahead.
Founded in 1824 and one of the biggest names in single malt, with a smart visitor centre, a bright café and bar, and a range of tours and tastings — including chocolate-and-whisky pairings. The surrounding glen is beautiful for a wander too.
A much-loved name for richly sherried, full-bodied malts. The tutored tastings here are aimed at people who really want to dig into the whisky, and the riverside village of Aberlour is a charming base. Tour availability varies, so check ahead.
Proudly family-owned for six generations, and one of the friendliest, most down-to-earth visits in Speyside. The good-value Classic Tour includes a free taste of the 10 and 15-year-old, and the staff clearly love the place.
The oldest continuously operating distillery in Speyside (licensed 1786) and one of the prettiest anywhere, with its pagoda roofs and waterwheel. It’s the spiritual home of Chivas Regal, and you can try your hand at blending your own.
One of the very few distilleries still doing it all the traditional way — its own floor maltings, coppersmith and cooperage. The in-depth small-group tour is a favourite of serious whisky fans. Spaces are limited, so book early.
Not a distillery but a brilliant addition to any Speyside trip — the only working cooperage in the UK you can visit, where you watch skilled coopers build and repair the casks that give whisky so much of its flavour. Great for families.
Pronounced “eye-luh”, this small Hebridean island is the spiritual home of peated whisky – smoky, medicinal, maritime drams that people either adore or can’t abide. Ten working distilleries sit within easy reach of each other, many right on the shore. The annual Fèis Ìle festival in late May is a riot.
Rich, deep and intensely smoky, with distinctive pear-shaped stills and a gorgeous setting beside the ruins of Dunyvaig Castle. One of the most iconic names in Scotch and a must for peat lovers.
Cult-favourite, intensely peated whisky with a devoted global following. The Old Kiln Café is one of the best places to eat on the island, which makes Ardbeg an easy half-day in itself.
Famously bold and medicinal, with a big hit of peat smoke and sea air — and a royal warrant, as King Charles is a long-standing fan. Plenty of tours and tastings; book ahead as it’s deservedly popular.
Islay’s oldest distillery (1779), right in the island’s main village on the shore of Loch Indaal. The refurbished shop and bar serve great drams and cocktails with a cracking view, and the warehouse tastings are special.
The island’s most progressive distillery, making everything from the unpeated Laddie to the ferociously smoky Octomore — plus The Botanist gin. The warehouse tasting, drawn straight from the cask, is a highlight.
A gentler, largely unpeated coastal style in a wonderfully remote spot — the most northerly distillery on Islay, at the end of a long single-track road, looking across to Jura. The smart visitor centre (opened 2021) has a café-bar and a balcony made for the view.
Islay’s only farm distillery, growing its own barley and doing everything from field to bottle on site — a proper revival of traditional craft distilling. Friendly, hands-on tours and a good café.
Islay’s largest distillery, with a smart modern visitor centre and floor-to-ceiling windows in the still house framing the Sound of Islay and the Paps of Jura. A more refined, gently smoky style.
One of Islay’s newer distilleries, opened in 2018, with arguably the best views of the lot across to Jura. The café-bar and tour are excellent, and being relatively new, it tells the whisky-making story beautifully.
The Highlands is the largest and most varied whisky region – the entire northern mainland plus Perthshire – so the styles range hugely, from soft and honeyed to big and robust. These distilleries are scattered across some of Scotland’s most spectacular scenery, which makes touring here a joy.
Home of the tallest stills in Scotland, which give Glenmorangie its smooth, elegant, citrussy character. A polished visitor experience near the Dornoch Firth, and an easy, approachable malt for newcomers.
Luxurious, richly sherried whisky with the famous royal stag emblem. The tours lean premium and the setting on the Cromarty Firth is lovely. One for a special occasion.
One of Scotland’s oldest and smallest, tucked right in the middle of the bustling harbour town of Oban — so it’s wonderfully easy to combine with a seafood lunch and a ferry. Tours range from a reasonable introduction to in-depth tastings.
Claims to be Scotland’s oldest working distillery, with whisky-making here since 1763. Still gloriously hands-on and traditional, with a Lalique-backed fine-dining restaurant if you fancy making a day of it.
One of the smallest traditional distilleries in Scotland, in a postcard-pretty glen above Pitlochry, where the whisky is still made the old way by a tiny team. Charming, and easy to reach from the central belt.
The honeyed heart of Dewar’s, with a genuinely good interactive visitor centre (Dewar’s Aberfeldy Distillery) that’s great for families and blends fans alike.
One of the highest and coldest distilleries in Scotland, right on the A9 in the Cairngorms — handy for breaking a Highland road trip. The whisky-and-chocolate tasting is a lovely touch.
A characterful, old-school distillery sitting in the shadow of Britain’s highest mountain. An easy, good-value visit if you’re in Fort William for the West Highland Line or Glen Nevis.
Just 40 minutes from Glasgow at the edge of the Highlands, making unpeated, slowly distilled whisky in a gorgeous setting. The whisky-and-chocolate tour is one of my favourites, and it’s an easy half-day from the city.
The islands aren’t an official whisky region of their own, but they deserve their own section — from Skye to Orkney, Arran to Harris, these distilleries come with ferry trips, sea views and some of the most memorable settings in Scotland.
Skye’s oldest distillery, on the shore of Loch Harport, making a peppery, maritime malt that tastes of the sea air around it. A hugely popular visit, so book ahead — and combine it with the Fairy Pools and the Cuillin.
Orkney’s famous distillery, crafting beautifully balanced, gently smoky malts for over 220 years, with plenty of Viking heritage woven through. Distillery tours and tastings run year-round.
A modern, welcoming distillery in the north of Arran, framed by mountains and often circled by golden eagles. Arran is the easiest island distillery to reach from Glasgow, making it a great first island whisky trip.
Arran’s stylish, peated sister distillery in the south of the island, with a sleek visitor centre, café and sea views. Pair it with Lochranza for a full Arran whisky day.
Set right on Mull’s famously colourful harbourfront, making both the unpeated Tobermory and the peated Ledaig. One of Scotland’s oldest commercial distilleries and a lovely stop on any Mull trip.
The first legal distillery on the tiny island of Raasay, just off Skye, opened in 2017. A beautifully designed visitor experience with rooms to stay overnight — a real away-from-it-all whisky escape.
The “social distillery” on Harris, famous first for its gin and now for The Hearach, its inaugural single malt. As warm and welcoming a distillery as you’ll find, in one of the most beautiful corners of the Hebrides.
One island, one road, one distillery — and a famously friendly community in the village of Craighouse. Reached via Islay, so it pairs naturally with an Islay whisky trip.
The Lowlands lean light, soft and grassy — gentle, approachable whiskies often called the “Lowland ladies”. Best of all, this is the most accessible region of the lot, with distilleries right inside Edinburgh and Glasgow that you can reach without a car.
The “Edinburgh Malt” and the Lowland home of Johnnie Walker, just 30 minutes from the capital through the gardens of East Lothian. A polished sensory tour ending with a tutored tasting and a wee cocktail — an ideal first distillery.
A modern distillery in a handsome old pumphouse on the River Clyde, right in the city. Easy to reach on foot or by public transport, family-friendly, and a great option if you only have a couple of hours in Glasgow.
The first single malt distillery in central Edinburgh in nearly a century, a short walk from the Royal Mile. It makes both whisky and gin and is all about flavour and experimentation — a fun, central, hands-on visit.
Scotland’s first “vertical” distillery, a striking modern tower on the Leith waterfront. Even if you don’t tour, the bar at the top is worth it for cocktails and panoramic views across the Firth of Forth to Fife.
Often called the spiritual home of Scotch — this is the site of the earliest written record of whisky distilling, from 1494. A lovely distillery built among the abbey ruins, with a real sense of history.
A legendary, much-mourned Lowland triple-distilled malt, brought back to life on its original canalside site in Falkirk. The revival tours and rare tastings are a treat for whisky fans.
Once known as the whisky capital of the world, with more than 30 distilleries, the remote Kintyre town of Campbeltown now has just three — but they punch well above their weight, with a salty, oily, characterful house style all of their own. It’s a trek to get here, and worth every mile.
A cult favourite among whisky lovers, and one of the last distilleries to carry out every stage — from floor malting to bottling — on the one site. Tours are intimate and sell out fast, so book the moment they’re released.
A characterful, recently revived distillery making briny, complex Campbeltown malts. Smaller and quieter than Springbank, with warm, knowledgeable tours and warehouse tastings.
Campbeltown’s third distillery, reopened in 2004 and producing the well-regarded Kilkerran single malt. Tours are limited, so check ahead — but it completes the Campbeltown trio nicely.
Scotland makes a huge amount of the UK’s gin, and many distilleries now welcome visitors for tours, tastings and even make-your-own sessions. Here are some of the best to visit.
Home of the beautiful Isle of Harris Gin, infused with hand-harvested sugar kelp, in one of the warmest, most welcoming distilleries in the country. The bottle alone is a thing of beauty.
A central Edinburgh favourite, with tours, tastings and gin-making experiences at its Arches distillery. A fun, hands-on afternoon right in the heart of the city.
Edinburgh’s first dedicated gin distillery in over 150 years, distilling in the old animal hospital at Summerhall. Relaxed, characterful tours with plenty of personality (and gin).
Islay’s original gin, made at Bruichladdich with 22 wild botanicals hand-foraged across the island. The foraging-and-gin experiences are a lovely contrast to a day of peated whisky.
A St Andrews favourite making both gin and whisky, with popular tastings and gin-making experiences — a great pairing with a round of golf or a day on the Fife coast.
Right up on the far north coast near John o’ Groats, making the lovely Rock Rose gin with locally foraged botanicals. A worthwhile stop on the North Coast 500.
Prefer to book a guided tour with a driver — and skip the worry of who stays sober? These Scottish whisky experiences can be booked online through GetYourGuide, with free cancellation on most.
A small-group three-day tour into the heart of Speyside, with distillery visits, tastings and two nights’ accommodation included. The easiest way to do Speyside properly without driving.
A half-day trip from Edinburgh to Glenkinchie in the East Lothian countryside, with a guided distillery tour and a tutored tasting of three drams and a cocktail. No car needed.
A relaxed city-centre whisky tasting wrapped up with Scottish history and folklore from a local guide — perfect if you’d rather sip than drive, and a great introduction before you head to the distilleries.
It depends on your taste and time. Speyside has the most distilleries packed close together and the classic fruity, sherried style, so it’s the best for a dedicated whisky trip. Islay is unmatched for smoky, peated drams and atmosphere. The Lowlands (Edinburgh and Glasgow) are easiest if you’re short on time or don’t have a car. For scenery, the Highlands and islands are hard to beat.
Can I visit distilleries without driving?
Yes. Edinburgh and Glasgow both have distilleries you can walk or bus to (Holyrood, The Clydeside, Edinburgh Gin, Pickering’s), several Speyside distilleries are reachable on the Stagecoach 36 bus from Elgin, and organised tours with a driver let you taste freely. Most distilleries will also give non-drinking visitors a “driver’s dram” sealed to take away.
Do I need to book distillery tours in advance?
For the popular ones, absolutely. The Macallan, Springbank and Talisker regularly sell out weeks ahead, and small distilleries have limited spaces. Booking online before you travel is always the safest bet, especially in summer and during festivals.
How much do distillery tours cost?
Entry-level tours typically start around £15–£20 and include a tasting of two or three drams. More in-depth warehouse tastings and premium experiences range from roughly £40 to several hundred pounds for the most exclusive options. City gin experiences are usually £20–£40.
When is the best time to visit Scotland's distilleries?
Spring to early autumn (April to October) is ideal, with longer opening hours and better weather for touring. Some smaller distilleries close or reduce hours over winter. Two highlights for whisky fans are the Spirit of Speyside Festival (early May) and Islay’s Fèis Ìle (late May).
What's the difference between Speyside and Islay whisky?
Speyside whiskies are generally elegant, fruity and sweet, often matured in sherry casks, with little or no peat. Islay whiskies are typically heavily peated — smoky, medicinal and maritime. If you’re new to whisky, Speyside is the gentler introduction; Islay is for those who love bold, smoky flavours.
Can children come to distillery tours?
It varies by distillery. Some welcome children of all ages on the tour (such as The Clydeside, Holyrood, Lindores Abbey and Rosebank), while others set a minimum age of 8 or higher, and gin distilleries are often over-16 or over-18 only. Always check the individual distillery’s policy before booking.
Is Campbeltown worth the journey?
If you’re a keen whisky fan, yes. It’s a long drive down the Kintyre peninsula, but the three surviving distilleries — Springbank, Glen Scotia and Glengyle — make a distinctive, characterful style you won’t find elsewhere, and the town has a faded charm all of its own.
I’m Kate Hopper, the Scotland-based travel writer behind Love from Scotland. With 30 years experience travelling around Scotland, let me help you plan your best ever trip.
