This tour incorporates the Strathisla, Glenfiddich, GlenAllachie, Balvenie, Macallan, Aberlour, Cardhu, Glenfarclas, Ballindalloch and Speyburn distilleries.

Speyside is teeming with whisky distilleries and whisky-related activities, so visit here and you’ll be absolutely spoilt for choice. Our South Speyside tour is not for the faint hearted with 10 distilleries over 11 days!

But if the thought of an 11 day whisky tour makes you rub your hands together with glee (as it does us) then read on for how you might fill that one free day/the afternoons or mornings when you’re not at the distilleries. The distilleries on this tour are all in very close proximity, so we’ve only chosen seven neighbouring things to do, because… Over-Information!

The Distilleries

The Strathisla Distillery is the furthest north – 20 minute’s north from Dufftown – and offers an opportunity to create your own blend in the style of Chivas Regal, check out their dedicated page for more information.

After Strathisla, we recommend the following order for ease of movement, but take your pick and mix them up if you like – they’re all so close by. Five days to visit the Glenfiddich (check out their dedicated page to find out more about the distillery and their founder William Grant), GlenAllachie (take a look at their dedicated page for more information on this award-winning distillery) and The Balvenie in Dufftown (find out more about their superb tour on their dedicated page). Then the Macallan and Aberlour distilleries in/very near Craigellachie (The Aberlour Distillery's Casks from the Past tour is a tutored tasting for serious whisky aficionados, check out their dedicated page for more information).

Then four days to visit Cardhu in Aberlour (take a look at their dedicated page to find out more about the first distillery to be officially pioneered by a woman), and Glenfarclas and Ballindaclloch. Don’t forget to take a day off for the sake of your liver!

The Whisky Line

We can’t think of a nicer way to spend a week (or a fortnight) than visiting each distillery, and there’s lots more to see and do in the area. The Whisky Line (are you noticing a theme here?) Britain’s most northerly heritage railway, runs from Keith to Dufftown and is a lovely way to spend a morning. Included is the option to have a Driver Experience with one of their powerful diesel shunters – a great wee slice of history – check out their website for events all year round, including the scary-looking Ghost Train at Hallowe’en!

Speyside Cooperage

Speyside Cooperage has already been mentioned in our North Speyside Tour, but it overlaps nicely here too and should be absolutely top of your list of things to visit – their tour takes you through the lifecycle of the cask, shows you the incredible skill of the coopers at work, and even gives you the opportunity to try it for yourself with a mini cask.

Linn Falls

This is a picturesque circular walk through Aberlour, through the woods and up to the Linn Falls, then back down along the Aberlour distillery. The Falls themselves are beautiful and offer a sun-trap at their foot.

Dufftown Whisky Museum

More whisky fun at the Dufftown Whisky Museum, which delves into the secrets of whisky making, as well as the lives and times of whisky smugglers. Exhibits have been donated by distillers in the area as well as HM Custom and Excise, including illicit stills, tools and historical whisky manufacturing equipment. The team at the Museum also run the Dufftown Speyside Whisky Festival each year in late September – worth tying in if you can!

Knockando Woolmill

Stepping away from our whisky-focussed activities for a moment, the Knockando Woolmill is a real hidden treasure. A heritage working woollen mill, it was restored in 2010 after the BBC programme ‘Restoration’ and opened to the public in 2012 by HRH Prince Charles. Visitors can see the machines in operation, speak to the head weaver and visit the café and shop, where the woollen mill’s very high-quality collection is for sale. Beautiful stuff.

Ballindalloch Castle

Although closed over the winter, Ballindalloch Castle is definitely worth stopping for at any time of year. In winter, take a walk round their woodlands and riverside walks; and in summer the children’s Playground, Picnic Area, Tearoom, Gift Shop and Castle itself all look good and are “a tasteful blending of middle-ages fortification and Victorian gentrification that brings to mind a romantic chateau from the pages of a children’s fairy-tale”. Lovely!

The Craigellachie Bridge

One of Scotland's most iconic bridges, The Craigellachie Bridge was built by Thomas Telford in 1814. The cast iron 150ft (46m) bridge spans the River Spey and is a remarkable piece of engineering. It can be viewed from the bridge itself or from the riverbank below and is a beautiful piece of art – don’t forget your camera!

Accommodation

Speyside’s whisky distilleries make it a hot-spot for tourists so we recommend booking accommodation early.

The Craigellachie Hotel boasts the fantastic Quaich Bar and the Copper Dog pub, or try the quaint Highlander Inn in Craigellachie, also home to a fine selection of whiskies. The Highland Spirit bed and breakfast in Dufftown offers a Mortlach History and Whisky Walk (Mortlach was the first legal distillery in Dufftown) and includes 7 malt whiskies for the journey. The Dowans Hotel in Aberlour has a 500 strong collection of rare, indulgent and exceptional whiskies in its bar The Still, and a restaurant offering fine modern Scottish dining.