Distillery and Whisky News September 2020

Hello whisky lovers and welcome to our September edition of Distillery and Whisky News - and if you're reading this in Scotland, welcome to the never ending uncertainty of Autumn weather!

Actually, Autumn is no different from any other season in Scotland and if you live here you'll long have had weather sayings as part of your vocabulary:

  • If you don't like the weather, wait 10 minutes
  • Ooo, that's the evenings fair drawing in now (AKA, it's getting dark early)
  • There's no such thing as the wrong weather, just the wrong clothes

And our current favourite, as offered by our latest podcast interviewee Peter Holroyd in response to the persistent rain: "Oh well, it'll be whisky soon!". Check out his interview below. 

But first! We have some super exciting news for you - a brand new interactive feature on our website - from today you can plan your perfect whisky holiday around Scotland’s distilleries and whisky venues with our Plan Your Trip feature! We're very excited - let us know what you think!


Plan Your Trip!

Beautiful Scotland

We've been working hard during lockdown, holding our breath until we could travel again and therefore tell you about our brand new interactive feature!

If you've been thinking about a Whisky Holiday - our brand new Plan Your Trip feature is for you - all of Scotland's whisky distillery tours, extensively stocked whisky bars, wonderful whisky-themed hotels, and fantastic shops to taste and buy whisky for your journey home.

Plan your perfect trip around Scotland - pick the distilleries you’d like to visit and map your route from your home or hotel, then download your personal itinerary to your device including directions.

PLAN YOUR TRIP

We've created 15 recommended routes to take, with each of the distilleries, plus incredible things to see and do in each area - take a tour of Scotland and cross off distilleries on your own bucket list.

Take a look and let us know how you get on - we can't wait to hear about all your whisky adventures!


DistilleryTours Podcast - Kingsbarns

Peter Holroyd

This month we spoke to Peter Holroyd, Distillery Manager at the Kingsbarns Distillery in Fife.

Peter gives us a deep dive into the production of their award-winning Dream-to-Dram, from the mixture of yeasts they use, to their long-distillation; from their cut points to how their mixture of casks gives such a fruity but rich flavour – and there’s a surprise in his comparison to a sweet-shop favourite.

LISTEN NOW

If you enjoyed hearing about the Kingsbarns Distillery and would like to try a bottle of their Dream to Dram, we’re delighted to say that their Visitor Centre, shop and tours are open to visitors – please do book in advance.

Find out more about the Kingsbarns Distillery, their tours and their whisky, at DistilleryTours.scot.


Venue of the month: Glenmorangie House

The Glenmorangie House restaurant uses locally sourced ingredients

Glenmorangie House's food and whisky offering is hard to beat. An integral part of your stay and a real highlight for many guests, they mix new flavours with traditional Scottish favourites, and specialise in creating dishes that enhance the enjoyment of Glenmorangie single malt scotch whisky.

Meals are courtesy of their award-winning Head Chef, John Wilson, who prides his team on using locally sourced ingredients, so you get to enjoy the very best meat, seafood and vegetables from the surrounding area. From the wonders of a full Scottish breakfast to four and five course tasting menus featuring the likes of freshly caught lobster, venison and passion fruit tart drizzled in a sauce made with Glenmorangie 18 Years Old.

When it comes to whisky, they're one of the best connected hotels you could stay in, hosting very special Whisky Tasting Weekends throughout the year. We can’t think of anything better than a whole weekend dedicated to drams, and whatever level of whisky enthusiast you are, you will definitely leave with some new favourites. 

Find out more about Glenmorangie House, their whisky and their dining, at DistilleryTours.scot.


Distillery of the Month: Deanston

Deanston Distillery

The Deanston Distillery sits at the edge of the River Teith near Doune in Perthshire, making it the perfect location for the production of everyone's favourite drink.

Water from the river flows over granite, making it very soft and perfect for making whisky - the final result is a sweet and fruity whisky with a malty honeyed spiciness - absolutely lovely and well worth a visit.

We're happy to say that Deanston has now reopened to the public with their Warehouse 4 Experience and Deanston Tasting Tour, as well as four different tastings to choose from: 

  • Deanston Family: Explore and enjoy their core range including: Deanston 12yo, Virgin Oak and Deanston 18yo. 
  • Deanston Special: 4 drams of their limited editions. 3 of their choice and 1 of your choice to try from their unique limited edition range.
  • Deanston Premium: A chance to taste some of the most complex Deanston whiskies. This tasting includes a dram of New Make Spirit, of Deanston 18yo, 2002 Pinot Noir, 2002 Organic PX Ltd Edition and 1991 Muscat Ltd Edition.
  • Deanston Highlands & Islands: Sample the Deanston core range and explore whiskies from their sister distilleries, Bunnahabhain and Tobermory. This tasting includes Deanston 12yo, Bunnahabhain 12yo, Tobermory 12yo and Ledaig 10yo.

The Deanston Distillery is part of our Perth and Kinross tour - take a look on our Plan Your Trip pages now.

Find out more about the Deanston Distillery on their dedicated page on the DistilleryTours.scot website.


Looking for inspiration for your next Distillery Tour? Follow us on TWITTER, FACEBOOK and INSTAGRAM to hear more.

Author: by David Riddell
Published: September 22, 2020