A Fantastic Experience at The Glenlivet! Our visit to The Glenlivet was absolutely wonderful! The distillery itself is stunning — surrounded by breathtaking scenery and beautifully maintained inside and out. Our tour guide, Caitlynn, made the experience even better. She was fun, friendly, and incredibly informative, sharing the history and process behind The Glenlivet with great enthusiasm. It was the perfect balance of education and enjoyment. Highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting Speyside!

My wife and I visited The Glenlivet Distillery in last November and absolutely loved it. This is one of my favorite Scotch brands, so getting to see the original distillery was really special. The area is beautiful, even in winter, and the views around the distillery are worth the trip on their own. The tour was excellent. Our guide was friendly and very knowledgeable, sharing the history of The Glenlivet and the story behind the brand in a way that kept us engaged. We finished with a tasting of several different expressions, which was a highlight. I even got the chance to fill my own bottle of cask strength Glenlivet, which made the experience unforgettable. If you enjoy Scotch or just want to learn more about whisky in a stunning setting, I highly recommend visiting.

Wow, what a beautiful distillery and tasting room. We came in to the distillery while we were out hiking the Drumin Castle Circuit, which is the same hike as the George Smith Smugglers Trail, except for the starting point as the Smugglers Trail starts at the distillery. We had tastings, and my hen and I also had margaritas made with the Caribbean Reserve. Our tasting consisted of very generous pours of the Captain's Reserve, Caribbean Reserve and 15 years of age single malt scotch whisky. Honestly we were not too keen on any of them. I would say we may had needed to push on and try some more until we found the one to our liking, but we needed to finish our hike. If we had drank anymore I sure we would had crawled instead of walk the rest of the trail 😂 We did very much enjoyed the margaritas, but I think we will just keep using tequila instead of the Caribbean Reserve, as it cost £30 for a 70 cl bottle. We would like to thank the Glenlivet Estate and The Glenlivet Distillery staff for their wonderful hospitality as we had a grand time!

Wonderful tour, our tour guide (Jamie) has been wonderful. The tour itself it is a combination of a beautifully made visual experience, walk through the distillery, and whisky tasting. All in all a very nice way to get to know the Glenlivet even better.

Had an awesome time at The Glenlivet Distillery! The tour isn’t as pricey as some others, but it’s packed with history and fun facts about both the brand and Scotch whisky in general. You get to try three whiskies at the end — the 12, 14, and 16-year-old — which is a nice change from the usual 12, 15, and 18. They also give you a 10% discount voucher for any whisky purchase, and you can sample more before you buy. Great whisky, great value, and a really enjoyable.

Although we didn’t get to join the tour, we were totally impressed by the place! The bar was exceptionally nice, and the staff were so sweet and welcoming. We picked up a few souvenirs on our way out and hopefully, we’ll get to try the tour next time!

During my visit to Scotland I wanted to have a whiskey tasting experience and I was thrilled to see the Glenlivet distillery was couple ours away from the place I stayed as Glenlivet is one of my favorite whiskeys. The day I had booked I was running late and called them and asked can they accommodate me and my friends for a later tour. Even it was clearly said they would not be able to reschedule for later time, in the booking details, they told me they will try their best to include me in a later tour as I mentioned I was visiting all the way from New York. Now for the tour I should mention, Amber was really welcoming, knowledgeable and very pleasant the way she interact with guests. Thanks Amber. The Distillery itself sits in a nice estate with beautiful surroundings. Inside the building is modern with a nice waiting area a bar and a store. Although they could improve the variety of merch they have in the store, they have decent offerings.

Beautiful castle and gardens. The castle is a family home so it is closed Friday/ Saturday - best to phone beforehand before visiting. The castle is really well maintained and loved. It has a really good feel to it. The cafe is excellent - a good range of food and gluten free options. The staff are really grand very helpful. The gardens are a joy to walk around.

Amazingly maintained gardens. We did not go inside but perused the gardens and marvelled at the architecture. We didn’t feel like we missed out. Great toilet facilities available. Walled garden a spectacle! River walk was lovely! Would recommend the gardens only ticket to anyone

Just perfect to spend some hours while waiting for somebody visiting some close by distillery 😅 Castle and garden are so nice and well kept. Many gardeners are working each day to maintain the cozy aura. There is a big playground and a picknick area as well. Inside the Castle many precious tableware are on display. The many rooms are delicately furnished and through some narrow stairs it's also fun for children to discover everything. The cafe and shop has a broad variety of sandwiches, cakes and else. Even the toilet for ladies is worth to see, with a carpet in kilt style and nice furnishings.

Stunning castle and grounds, we had such a brilliant time exploring it all. This was our favourite castle for the fact that you get to see so much including inside the castle, the beautiful gardens and grounds, plus the river and Porters Lodge walks, and cafe were all superb and very relaxing. Just what we needed!

More like a stately home come museum of the resident Lairds family history than a castle. It doesn't take long to look around the inside of the castle. We arrived a bit too late in the afternoon unfortunately to make the most of the grounds. Lovely river walk, magnificent trees. The walled garden is a project in the making and all the immediate gardens are extremely well kept and should you get a fine day you could easily enjoy them for many hours. All the staff were very helpful . The outside loos were top notch .

Enjoyed our visit, reasonably priced for both entrance to Castle and grounds. No photography allowed inside so only photos of the grounds. Worth a visit if you're in the area.

Lovely castle and gardens. Staff friendly and welcoming. One of the best houses we've visited, lots of info and photos as well as the furnished rooms. Beautifully maintained gardens.

Absolute must visit!!! Beautiful setting, wonderful for pictures. This is a single family owned, small distillery. Everything about your visit gives you that feel. EVERY employee we met was friendly, sincere, and pleased to be interacting with visitors. The tasting room is one of a kind. Beautiful chandeliers, wood paneling, and full of history. Don't forget to ask about the clock over the bar. Our tasting host, Adi, was wonderful. He got to know us and our tastes before ever pouring a glass. The selection is smaller because of the distillery size but it is certainly not lacking. Not picking up a bottle of 15 yr is my biggest regret of the trip.

Fantastic tour! We went over the basic tour but it was awesome. Went over the entire whisky producing process and went through all stages. Our guide Donna was patient and answered every question we had. I had a chance to taste from their fantastic new make and even bought an awesome limited edition bottle from their cage

Incredible tour, packed with history and humor…lots of fun overall in a perfect setting. Shop had really nice options for not only whisky but other fun merch. Our tour guide was fantastic.

I already loved Glenfarclas whiskies before I did the tour. I love their sherry cask flavours. But seeing how they are making whisky, still using their traditional methods while refusing to be be bought out by luxury companies or change their processes, makes me apprecate them so much more. Also Isla, the tour guide, did a great job and was as friendly as she was informative. We had plenty of laughs and the whisky was braw! A great use of the afternoon and a very photogenic distillery!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Glenfarclas Distillery Tour A brilliant visit to Glenfarclas! Sarah was an excellent guide — friendly, engaging, and very informative, bringing the history and spirit of the distillery to life beautifully. The only slight letdown was the tasting sample at the end, which was on the very small side — a little more would have made the experience feel complete. Overall though, it was a thoroughly enjoyable tour and a great insight into one of Speyside’s most iconic distilleries.

This was our best whisky distillery visit in Scotland - so if you visit only one, this is a MUST! Juile our guide was very knowledgeable and explained in details. The distillery itself is old fashioned in a good way and very unique in keeping the procedures aligned with legacy. We concluded with great whiskey tasting in the beautiful tasting room - and of course bought a bottle home.

This was probably the best whisky distillery tour we've ever had, and we've done a lot so far. Adi was an amazing tour guide! He told us so many details about the whole process of whisky making and the history of the distillery. And we definitely were able to get the family like atmosphere of the distillery. It was lovely. The tasting at the end was also quite nice. They have a beautiful tasting room that feels so cozy and elegant. Our tour including the tasting lasted for around 2 hours and we got to taste 2 of their whiskies. We definitely recommend this tour and probably will come back the next time we'll visit Scotland.

Our first Whisky distillery tour in Speyside. We were staying at the Cragganmore House and decide to swing by in the morning to check out this distillery. We were lucky to be able to join a tour that was starting without pre booking. A small distillery but managed by people with strong passion in whisky making. Our tour guide reached out to the master distiller for depth into some of the processes which was cool. Our guide was however, a bit rushed as there were people on the tour who needed to leave to other distilleries. A shame since a less harried tour would provide an even greater and more intimate experience which I think is key for a small distillery. But overall a good tour.

Very good tour, our guide Alison was very competent and made the distillation process easy to understand. It was nice to visit a smaller distillery, it made us feel closer to the local culture. The tasting was also very nice.

I’d never tried Cragganmore before my visit but as one of the original six Classic Malts of Scotland, it felt like a rite of passage. There’s something magical about a distillery chosen to represent the very essence of Speyside, and I had to see what made it worthy of that title. What truly brought it alive for me was our guide, Kay. With a lifetime steeped in the world of whisky, she shared Cragganmore’s story with quiet authority and warmth. It wasn’t a rehearsed script, but a conversation shaped by years of living and breathing the craft. Her patience (especially with my amateur questions) made the visit feel like I was being welcomed into a tradition rather than observing from the outside. You could sense the depth of her respect for the people and process behind every dram.

Cragganmore distillery is located a bit remotely. You can visit a welcome center. The rooms look nice. We found the staff in the welcome center reacting a bit cool. That’s a pity because it was a big difference in comparison to the other distilleries we visited in the area.

Intimate distillery tour when first visited Cragganmore, this time opted for a guided tasting of Cragganmore's core and extended range. Interactive and did not feel rushed in any way. Cozy environment. The only downside would be having a narrow range of distillery specific bottle options, but that's a reccuring Diageo's issues across the country.

We loved our time at Cragganmore! Our tour guide Rhiann (I hope I spelled it correctly!) was so nice, fun, and friendly! Super informative, really great to see the whole process up close, and the whiskey tasting was phenomenal.

Fine small destillery. Awesome tour the guide was really nice. We where allowed to taste directly out of a Barrel. Wonderful experience, not too touristic.

We went with a few friends from church, and it was an awesome hill walk last Saturday! There is a wee car park that could fill up quickly, so arrive early. No facilities, no signage, but if you stick to the rocky path, you'll reach the top in no time. It took us around 1:20, with a couple of breaks to enjoy the views midway. The dog got a tick though, so check thoroughly before leaving or when back home.

A nice warm up walking through the forest trail...briefly. Incline is steeper than it appears and may be more "advanced" for someone who hasn't had much practice. Views are pretty impressive although cloud can spoil once at the summit. Correct footwear is recommended if its been raining the day before as the peaty ground can be slippery on the decent. Highly recommend Komoot navigation and sticking to the navigation trail when wet! Great "hike" for focus. Oh, and found the painted stones placed by some several years ago, still looking pretty!

A fantastic and challenging walk. Highly recommended. Started around 6am and seen some stunning views as we climbed. There was cloud cover at the summit so wasn't able to get use of the binoculars there but, still a memorable experience. A good pair of walking boots is a must and we did it (with a few stops) in 2hrs 45.

Clear path from carpark, steep ascent to begin with levels off a little after halfway. Good path all the way to the top, on the last section of the ascent there's alot of steps and large rocks, at times a bit slippy this will depend on weather but areas were slightly boggy. Once at the top, the views are amazing, seeing right across Moray and the Cairngorms. The wind was quite strong at the top but there are a few sheltered areas around the large rocks to sit at, to make a cuppa or grab a bite to eat. Not a bad Corbett one of the easiest clear paths to navigate. Would advise, to take an extra layer as it got cold at the top if you stayed for long, as we did, the descent can be a bit skitey, I'd advise proper footwear. Overall fantastic views and only took about 2 hours to get up.

Used to walk this path to the summit of Ben Rinnes regularly however I’ve had a recent 4 year hiatus. Coming back I was interested to see if the views and scenery would be as amazing as I remembered. I’m pleased to report that they were! (Mainly due to sheer luck with the weather of course)! It took me 49 minutes to get to the top, previously I ran up in about 43 minutes I believe the record is about 20 minutes. The path up is well laid, easy to follow but in sections quite stony under foot decent shoes are a must. It is also quite steep in sections, be prepared for high winds as well even on a good weather day. If you want a longer walk you can carry on from the summit which offers some shelter among the rocks from the wind; walking on down the opposite side and looping back to the car park. The car park itself is small so side of the road parking maybe required if it’s busy. I had a decent phone signal at the top and during sections of the climb allowing me to post some photos whilst on the route. All in all this is a fantastic climb with some stunning scenery on a good weather day. Enjoy! If you’ve built up an appetite the Mash Tun in Aberlour nearby would be my recommendation for some amazing food or a decent drink.

This is a great walk and relatively straight forward to do. The path is well maintained although very gravely on the lower sections. Well worth doing and there is plenty parking.

Love this mountain so much, on a good day it's a pleasure and on a bad day it's a challenge. Amazing views and everyone you pass is always so friendly. The first part of the climb is tough as you start off straight up. The middle is pleasant with a flat are, great for stopping to take a few photos. Then the towards the top theres stone steps which aren't so friendly on the knees but if you take your time, you'll get there. The top has rocks which is good for a picnic or shelter from the wind. The white stone needs a paint job but I'm still happy to place my hand on top everytime I climb it. Theres a donation box at the bottom for the folk that maintain the area and paths. Always nice to pop something in.

An amazing experience with Steve our guide. We learn a lot about whisky. And what kindness, culture, and humour from Steve. The customized (only the two of us and no reservation ) tour and the degustation ,and the whisky (ouah) were a must. The welcome of all the staff as well. I strongly advice this tour. Lets also maintain the friendship between Scotland and France at this level. Thank you again.

Our party received a warm welcome from the Ballindalloch Distillery team. We tried a few drams, and picked up the Castle Special Edition with a crime novel. Enjoyed this little stop on the way to our Speyside hotel.

An excellent newer distillery, owned by the family that also owns the Balindalloch estate. Although the distillery has only been in operation since 2014, the quality of the admittedly young whisky is surprisingly excellent. The tour itself was also excellent. Most distilleries in the region are massive affairs with giant rooms dedicated to each stop in the whisky distilling process. At Ballindalloch you get to see essentially artisanal whisky production, with the whole process taking place within one heritage-listed structure. Other fun tidbits: - You get to see the casks that the King and Queen reserved when they opened the distillery in 2014. King Charles' cask was bottled and sold to support a charity. Queen Camilla's is still aging. - The local Lord and Lady who own the distillery often pop in to greet visitors. We were lucky enough to meet them and they were incredibly lovely people. She's an award winning author of cookbooks, and you can buy some there. - There is a murder novel inspired by their castle (The Castle by John Sutherland) and an associated whisky by Ballindalloch, also called The Castle. You can purchase them as a pair

What a wonderful place to visit. Our guide told us that since the foundation hundreds of years ago, the family used to invite « enemies » to diner at the castle to make good connection. This sense of hospitality is still there today. If you want a real, small, authentic family owned distillery with a lot of history, it is the place. Our guide Steve, a real connoisseur, was absolutely fantastic. He knows everything. What a wonderful gentlemen and a good teacher. We are from Canada and knew very few things about whiskey. He made sure to answer all our questions, even the most basic ones. Finally and not the least, their whiskey is fantastic. I ended up with a bottle of their sherry whiskey. Quite unique. Thanks Steve and all the family, you made our whiskey tour memorable and you showed us real Scottish hospitality.

We spotted this whiskey distillery by chance and decided to stop. Talking to Steve was an amazing experience; he was very friendly and clearly passionate about what he does. He shared some really interesting insights with us.The whiskey in the photo was our favourite! We couldn’t buy any at the time since we had only carry-on luggage, though we later learned at Edinburgh Airport that you can actually bring up to 2 liters- good to know for next time! it was a fantastic visit, and we’re excited to order some online!

Our hiking tour on the Speyside way led us to the Ballindalloch Destillery. It was our main goal on this day to reach it in time and taste the whisky there. And it was absolutely worth it! Whilst being entertaining, enthusiastic and informative Steve was also our life saver. He made us aware of a problem with our next accommodation and we could solve it before it caused I much of a problem. The whisky was delicious, the different tastes were a joy to experience and the overall experience was just lovely. Thank you so much for making our day.

What a wonderful distillery and tour. So refreshing to see whisky made with passion and a great emphasis on sustainability. Our guide Cathy was wonderful, full of energy, pride and passion. No restrictions on photography allows you to take away memories to enjoy whilst enjoying a dram of their superb whisky! I can highly recommend the bourbon matured edition3 9yo. A wonderful dram to take home. And to complete a lovely visit we met Iona in the gift shop after the tour. A MUST visit 👍🥃

There was a free car park, with bins and benches around. You can walk to the castle ruins by steps or by path. A small ruin, only spent 15 - 20 minutes here. There was a walled garden with apple trees in. A beautiful place with lovely scenery all around.

Beautiful castle and gardens, but castle access is prohibited currently.

Castle is temporarily closed (but it is easy to climb the fence). Otherwise there is a small community orchard next to the castle that's still open

There are actually 2 entrances to Drumin. The signposted one next to the closed traffic bridge has two routes, a steeper set of steps or a gentler path. Both, of course, eventually get you to the top. The other entrance makes the ruined castle accessible and is reached via the track between the parking for Drumin cemetery and the nearby dwelling. Visited October 2025.

Historic and atmospheric. Drumin Castle sits beautifully in its grounds, with plenty to explore. A quiet, fascinating place to wander and imagine the past. One of my favorite places to visit!

This review includes the castle, however it is just part of the Drumin Castle Walk that is a 2.5 mile long enjoyable ramble that follows the waymarked Drumin Community Circuit and takes in a section of the River Livet as well as the ruins of Drumin Castle. This hike is described in detail on the walkhighlands app and begins at a small car park beside the cemetery by the Bridge of Livit, on the B9137 between the bridge and the junction with the B9008. Actually it is the same trail as the George Smith Smuggler's Trail, except it doesn't begin at the Glenlivet Distillery. So there you go, the reason for doing this hike, as you will walk along the River Livit, have a possibility of seeing Hairy Coos, walk to the ruins of Drumin Castle and have a tasting or drinks at the Glenlivet Distillery within the Cairngorms National Park. This is a small area of the 58,000 acres of the Glenlivet Estate! The castle ruins were open to visitors the day we visited 9/18/25. The castle is thought to date back to the 14th century, and was one of three owned by Alexander Stewart, son of King Robert II; Alexander was notorious for his harsh justice and he became known as the Wolf of Badenoch. There are some rather large Douglas Firs down the steps from the castle. The Glenlivet Distillery is quite beautiful on it's own, however I will do another review on it. However as the designated driver on this trip, I offer that others in your party should drink responsibly!

Beautiful castle ruins and community orchard, beautiful place