This tour incorporates the Tomatin, Speyside at The Snug, Dalwhinnie, Royal Lochnagar, Cairn and Glenlivet Distilleries.

Speyside, Dalwhinnie, Royal Lochnagar, Cairn and Glenlivet distilleries all nestle comfortably in the Cairngorm National Park (find out more below), with the Tomatin Distillery just slightly north-east, but still within easy driving distance of the others.

As ever, we recommend taking your time, savouring all that Scotland and the distilleries have to offer. Each of the distilleries of the Cairngorms and Beyond Tour are at least an hour’s drive from each other, so relax, see what else this incredibly beautiful area has to offer, and take a day for each tour.

The Snug

The Speyside Distillery isn't currently open to the general public, but never fear - instead you can go to The Snug, Speyside Distillery’s Visitor Experience in the heart of Aviemore, check out their dedicated page to find out more. It's open 7 days and you can browse the store for gifts, arts, crafts and spirits, treat yourself to a dram, or book a tasting event. And if you book in advance, the Distillery can accommodate a few visitors at a time - by appointment only though, so be organised and make the most of your trip!

Snow Sports

If you’ve braved Scotland at its most wintery, take advantage of the snow and get your ski-on in the Cairngorms National Park. There’s slopes for all skill levels – Glenshee is the largest ski and snowboard area in Scotland and is closest to the Royal Lochnagar Distillery at around a 30 minute drive south (check out Royal Lochnagar's dedicated page for more information, including their Dram at the Dam tour with a walk up to their Top Dam water supply). If the weather’s too good for natural skiing, drive north from the Royal Lochnagar for 30 minutes to The Lecht which has a ‘snowfactory’ on the beginners’ slopes. Aviemore is a great hub for snowsports shops and also includes the Speyside Snug, with the Speyside Distillery just south-west between Aviemore and the Dalwhinnie Distillery (take a look at their dedicated page for tours on how they use the coldest of conditions to produce smooth, golden heather honey-like spirit).

Glenshee

Cairngorm Reindeers

With the caption ‘Reindeer are not just for Christmas!’ how can you resist?! As Britain’s only free-ranging herd, the Cairngorm Reindeer Center offers daily hill trips are available as well as access to the paddocks for hand-feeding. Santa will be jealous!

The Whisky Castle

Can’t get enough whisky? Us neither! Located in the charming village of Tomintoul, just a short drive from the Glenlivet Distillery, The Whisky Castle is the highest whisky shop in the UK. They have more than 600 malt whiskies, many of which are single cask, independently bottled and from small batches, they do tasting to match malts to your palette and budget, and offer a Highland Market and café.

Balmoral Castle

When The Queen goes on holiday, does she choose Bermuda? Fiji? The Seychelles? No, she comes to Scotland! And you can see where she comes too, just not when she’s visiting. Balmoral Castle opens to the public from April to July and offers grounds, gardens, exhibitions, gift shop and the Pipers Hall Café. There’s even a Safari Tour, where wildlife species regularly spotted include birds of prey, red squirrels, red deer, red grouse, black grouse, snow bunting and salmon. Happily, and perhaps unsurprisingly, Balmoral Castle is just a few minutes’ drive from the Royal Lochnagar Distillery - take a look at their dedicated page to find out more about their tours.

Balmoral Castle

Abernethy Adventure Unlimited

If your kids need a break from all that watching-their-parents-enjoying-themselves, an alternative could be the Abernethy Adventure camp in Nethybridge. Full-board camps last up to a week and include a full itinerary of activities like “Gorge Plunging, Water Fights, Volleyball, Abseiling, Archery, Dry Slope Skiing, Kayaking, Mountain Biking, Raft Building and Zip Wire. Jealous much?

Probably not that jealous actually, as you'll be able to tour the Tomatin Distillery just 15 miles north-west of Aviemore on the A9. Check out their dedicated page and find out more about this distillery's heritage dating back to 1897 and earlier!

Accommodation

The Cairngorms are a tourism hot-spot in summer and a snow-sports-enthusiast’s dream when it snows, so we recommend booking in advance.

The aforementioned Balmoral Castle offers accommodation year-round in their five holiday cottages. The MacDonald Hotels group offers Luxury Woodland Lodges on its Aviemore resort. The Muckrach offers both luxury accommodation and a self-catering lodge, together with a restaurant, outdoor activities and events diary. Culdearn House arranges whisky breaks and has a special selection of malts and single barrel casks, which are “often complex and differ significantly from the more readily available ‘classic malts’.” We’re not sure what that means, but we’re willing to try!