Distillery tours
Distillery Tours in Central Highlands
Plan a distillery tour in Central Highlands: 10 distilleries to visit, with tastings and experiences you can book directly. Expect Single Malt, Gin, Craft Spirits and more. Highlights include Blair Athol Distillery, Dalwhinnie Distillery, Deanston Distillery.
10distilleries
Glengoyne Distillery
Highland-line single malt near Loch Lomond
The Glenturret Distillery
Claimed oldest working distillery, with Michelin dining
About distillery tours in Central Highlands
The Central Highlands form one of Scotland's most rewarding stretches of whisky country, a broad sweep of Perthshire glens, Trossachs lochs and the old drove roads that climb towards the Cairngorms. This is gentle, green Highland scenery rather than the dramatic west coast, and the whiskies tend to follow suit: rounded, honeyed, lightly fruity malts made for easy enjoyment. The region also carries an outsized share of Scottish distilling history, with The Glenturret near Crieff and Edradour above Pitlochry both laying claim to being among the country's oldest and smallest working distilleries.
For visitors, the appeal is geography. Distilleries cluster within comfortable driving distance of one another and of well-served gateway towns, so a single base can open up several very different experiences. Pitlochry alone holds both Blair Athol and Edradour; Dewar's Aberfeldy sits a short drive west; and the trio of Deanston at Doune, Tullibardine at Blackford and Glengoyne towards Loch Lomond bracket the southern edge. Add Dalwhinnie, the lofty malt high on the A9, plus the newer Strathearn and Luss distilleries, and you have a region that suits both classic single-malt pilgrims and those curious about small-batch craft.
Tours range from short signature walk-throughs with two or three drams to in-depth warehouse tastings and hands-on distilling days. Most are intimate, friendly affairs.
What to expect on a tour
A standard visit walks you through the full journey from malted barley to maturing cask: the mash tun, the washbacks where fermentation bubbles away, the gleaming copper stills, and usually a dunnage warehouse heavy with the smell of ageing spirit. Guides at Central Highlands distilleries tend to be local and genuinely knowledgeable, and the smaller sites here, such as Edradour and Strathearn, offer an unusually close-up view of equipment you can almost reach out and touch. Expect a tasting at the end, anything from a single signature dram to a flight of cask-strength samples on the more premium tours.
Allow at least an hour to an hour and a half per distillery once you factor in the tour itself, time at the tasting and a browse of the shop or bar. Glenturret pairs whisky with a notable food offering, while Dewar's Aberfeldy and Glengoyne lean into heritage storytelling and blending. Photography is often welcome in visitor areas but usually restricted around the stills and warehouses for safety reasons, so check with your guide.
Getting there & around
The Central Highlands are among the easiest Scottish whisky regions to reach. The A9 is the spine of the area, running north from Perth past Tullibardine, Blair Athol, Edradour and on to Dalwhinnie, the highest distillery in Scotland, perched near the Drumochter pass. Perth, Pitlochry and Stirling all have mainline rail stations, and Pitlochry in particular makes a fine walkable base with two distilleries on its doorstep. Glengoyne sits roughly fourteen miles north of Glasgow off the A81, with Deanston near Doune and Stirling a short hop away.
A car gives you the most freedom to link several distilleries in a day, but it raises the obvious question of drinking and driving. Many distilleries will happily provide take-home driver's drams in small bottles so the nominated driver misses nothing. Otherwise, organised whisky tours and private drivers operate widely across Perthshire and the Trossachs, and some sites are reachable by local bus, including Glengoyne via the service from Glasgow's Buchanan Bus Station.
Best time to visit
Distilleries here welcome visitors year-round, but spring through autumn brings the longest days and the greenest glens, ideal for combining tastings with walks around Pitlochry, Loch Lomond or the Trossachs. Summer is busiest, so book core tours well ahead. Late autumn and winter are quieter and atmospheric, with cosy warehouse tastings, though some smaller distilleries reduce hours or pause tours seasonally. It is always worth checking opening times and tour availability directly before travelling, as schedules and individual experiences change from year to year.
Frequently asked
- How many distilleries can I realistically visit in one day?
- Two is comfortable, three is possible if they are close together and you book sensibly spaced slots. Pitlochry's Blair Athol and Edradour are only a few minutes apart, and Glenturret, Aberfeldy and the Pitlochry pair sit within easy reach of one another. Allow at least an hour to ninety minutes per visit, plus travel and lunch, and remember that quality of experience usually beats quantity.
- Do I need to book in advance?
- For most tours, yes, especially premium, warehouse or small-group experiences and anything at busy times like summer weekends. The smaller distilleries have limited capacity and can sell out. Walk-ins are sometimes possible at the larger visitor centres, but booking ahead is the safest way to guarantee a place and avoid disappointment.
- How much do tours cost?
- Prices vary by distillery and depth of experience. Entry-level signature tours with a couple of drams typically sit in the lower tens of pounds, while in-depth warehouse, cask-strength or hands-on distilling experiences cost considerably more. Always check current pricing on each distillery's own website, as rates change and some offer the tour fee redeemable against a bottle purchase.
- Can I drive between distilleries and still join the tastings?
- Not if you are the driver and intend to drink. Scotland's drink-drive limit is low and best treated as zero before getting behind the wheel. Many distilleries offer driver's drams, small take-home bottles so you can taste later, and organised tours or private drivers let everyone enjoy the whisky. Plan transport before you plan your drams.
- Are the tours suitable for children and families?
- Policies differ. Some distilleries welcome accompanied children on tours and offer soft drinks or non-alcoholic tastings, while others restrict access to over-18s for parts of the experience. If you are travelling as a family, check each distillery's age policy in advance and ask whether under-18s can join the walk-through even if they cannot taste.
- Are the distilleries accessible for visitors with limited mobility?
- Accessibility varies a great deal. Larger, modern visitor centres tend to have step-free routes and accessible facilities, but historic and small-scale sites often involve stairs, uneven floors and narrow warehouse spaces that can be difficult to navigate. Contact the distillery directly before your visit to discuss specific needs, as staff can usually advise on which parts of the tour are accessible.
- Can I buy whisky that isn't available elsewhere?
- Often, yes. Many Central Highlands distilleries sell distillery-exclusive bottlings, single casks or hand-fill releases that you won't easily find in shops, and some tours include the chance to fill your own bottle. If a particular bottling matters to you, it is worth checking availability with the distillery beforehand, as stocks of limited releases come and go.