A visit to the most famous Scottish distilleries is a must-do for anyone visiting the country. Speyside is home to more distilleries than any other part of Scotland, including the most northerly distillery, Glenfiddich. Other notable distilleries include Glenlivet, a hydroelectric plant, and Strathisla, a distillery built over 200 years ago on the Isle of Skye.

Speyside is home to the most distilleries in Scotland

The Speyside region of Scotland is famous for producing some of the world’s best single malt whiskies. With more than 50 distilleries, Speyside offers a variety of expressions that are all distinct from one another. While there are many differences between Speyside malts, the whisky produced here is often lighter in color and more fruity in flavor. Speyside whiskies are often described as being “flavourful and delicate,” with flavors of vanilla, nutmeg, and dried fruit.

Speyside is also home to more than half of Scotland’s distilleries. The region is also home to many high-quality food producers. The largest city in the region is Elgin, but Speyside spans all directions from there. The Moray Coast features rugged beaches, seafood restaurants, and fisheries.

There are many distilleries in Speyside, but they’re spread out so you can visit several in one day. If you stay in a town like Dufftown, you can walk to several distilleries in one day. Alternatively, you can take a tour at one distillery and stay at another. The staff at Glenlivet and Glenfiddich both gave excellent tours.

Glenfiddich is the most northerly distillery in Scotland

In Gaelic, Glenfiddich means “valley of the deer,” and the distillery in Dufftown, Scotland, is located in this beautiful valley. The distillery uses water from the spring Robbie Dhu, which is crystal-clear. It bought 1,200 acres surrounding the spring decades ago to make its whisky. Today, the distillery has 30 stills and a little under a million barrels aging on-site.

Glenfiddich is the largest distillery in Scotland and is also one of the world’s best-selling single malts. It opened in 1886 and is known for its ageing process. It also offers numerous limited-edition bottlings. A small distillery on the same property, Kininvie, produces single malt and blended malts.

Visitors can learn about the history of whisky production at Glenfiddich during the distillery tour. The tour also features a whisky tasting. The tour lasts 90 minutes or up to four hours, depending on your level of interest.

Strathisla is the oldest distillery on the Isle of Skye

The Strathisla distillery is the oldest distillery on the Isle of Skye, and is the third oldest in Scotland. It is owned by Diageo and is located in Carbost. It produces 10-year-old whisky, which has been nominated for the Classic Malts series.

The distillery was first established in 1786, as the Milltown distillery. It was taken over by William Longmore in 1830, and in the 1870s he rebuilt the distillery. He changed the name of the distillery to Strathisla and later sold it to George Pomeroy, a London financier. He was later jailed for tax evasion, and Seagram acquired the distillery in 1950.

Today, the distillery operates four stills, a 4.8-ton stainless steel mash tun, and eleven Douglas-fir fermentation tanks. Water from the nearby Broomhill Spring is used in the distillery’s ageing process. The final product is bottled as blended Scotch whiskey.

In 1786, George Taylor leased land for a distillery on the Isle of Skye. Though the distillery does not produce single malt, it is used in Chivas Regal blends. To learn more about the history of the distillery, visit the Strathisla visitor centre, called The Home and Heart of Chivas Regal. The distillery’s name is derived from Gaelic and means “Isla river.” It also received an honourable mention in the 1886 Edinburgh International Whisky Competition.

Glenlivet is a hydro-electric plant

In 2008, Glenlivet distillery announced plans to expand its production, adding a new mash tun, washbacks and stills. The expansion cost about £15 million and increased capacity. For now, the distillery’s bottlings are only sold through the travel retail industry. The Glenlivet 12yr Single Malt has won five gold and four silver medals from the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. The distillery is also home to the Glenlivet Guardians club, which offers access to a club room and helps with special bottlings.

The project will create clean, renewable energy, which will reduce the distilleries’ dependence on fossil fuels. It will also supply renewable electricity to the grid. The project is being developed by Crown Estate Scotland, a company that manages the Scottish distillery industry. The company has secured an Option Agreement to develop the project. The project is expected to be fully operational by 2022.

The project has received support from SNH, SEPA, and the Community Council. Most distilleries in Scotland are built around MacLean’s Nose design and are geared toward the bulk blended whisky market. However, Adelphi has been mindful of the increased demand for single-malt Scotch whisky in recent years and has worked to create an environment that is sympathetic to the needs of consumers.

Cardhu is the first distillery founded by a woman

The Cardhu Distillery, located in Speyside, is the only distillery in Scotland founded by a woman. It has been a female-run business for 100 years. When you learn about its history, you will find that the story is captivating. The distillery is currently undergoing a renovation to reduce overall light pollution, conserve water, and protect local pollinators and wildlife. It also intends to reopen as a Green Tourism Gold accredited site.

Despite being the first female distillery in Scotland, the distillery is still relatively unknown to the public. Helen Cumming, the daughter-in-law of John Cumming, bought the farm where the distillery was situated in the early nineteenth century. Although she didn’t have a distilling license, she helped transform the distillery into a legitimate business. Her husband John was arrested three times for distilling without a license, so Helen was often watching for excise officers. She would even put up red flags to warn her neighbours of approaching excise officers.

Today, Cardhu distillery produces 3.4 million litres of whisky on a weekly basis. It uses water from the Lyne Burn and Mannoch Hills to distil the whisky. Its washbacks are made from three different types of wood: Douglas fir, Scottish lark, and stainless steel. The entire distillation process takes about seventy hours.

Glen Scotia is a family-owned distillery

There are only three distilleries left in Campbeltown, but one of them is Glen Scotia. Located on a rocky outcrop in the town centre, this family-owned distillery has been making spirits for three generations. Founded in 1784, it is one of only a handful of Scottish distilleries that are still family-owned and operated.

The Glen Scotia distillery was originally built in the year of the death of Scottish novelist Sir Walter Scott. It was part of the Victorian Whisky Capital of the World, and was purchased by industrialist Duncan MacCallum. The distillery changed hands a few times during its history, and was last owned by the Bulloch family until March 2014. The family has since made the distillery into a world-class distillery, and Sandy Bulloch, the company’s chairperson, has been responsible for keeping the spirit production and marketing at a high level.

The Glen Scotia distillery is located in Campbeltown, Scotland. In the 1830s, it was owned by Stewart & Galbraith and Company. It wasn’t until 1891 that it was sold to the Duncan MacCallum estate. In 1891, the distillery was bought by industrialist Duncan MacCallum. He made improvements to the distillery’s frontage along the town’s High Street. In 2014, the distillery was bought by Loch Lomond Group, a company with strong roots in Scotland.

Glen Scotia uses the same yeast as distiller’s yeast

Glen Scotia is a distillery in the Campbeltown, Scotland area. It is known for its oily, fresh maritime flavour. The distillery produces various styles throughout the year. Different batches have varying fermentation times, producing different flavour profiles. Short fermentations produce whisky with fruity notes, while long fermentations impart smoky notes. Typically, unpeated Glen Scotia whiskies have notes of honey and pear. It is also possible to find heavily-peated versions with notes of nuts and smoke.

The quality of Glen Scotia’s spirit has improved since the whisky maker took over the distillery eleven years ago. The former owner of the distillery, Springbank, was not involved in the new distillery’s production. While the distillery was staffed with former employees from Springbank, they were not responsible for directing the process. Instead, the distillery’s staff supervised the production process.

Today, many distillers are emphasizing the importance of yeast in the production of whisky. Although yeast does not get as much press as other factors such as barrel finishes, some distillers are beginning to emphasize the role of yeast in their marketing campaigns. One distillery, Glenmorangie, has even named one of its bottlings after yeast. The name “Allta” is Scots Gaelic for “wild,” and it is Glenmorangie’s first whisky to contain wild yeast.