The Best Whisky Distilleries in Scotland: From Historic Icons to Hidden Gems

I’ve spent nearly a decade working in Scotland’s whisky industry – writing about it, photographing it, and being lucky enough to be invited behind the scenes at distilleries from Islay to Speyside. In all that time, I’ve never lost the thrill of walking into a working distillery. Because Scotland’s whisky distilleries are so much more than places to sample a dram of Scotch on a tour – they’re gateways into the country’s landscapes, history and craftsmanship. So consider this my personal guide to the best whisky distilleries in Scotland: the ones genuinely worth your time, sorted by region, with the tours, tastings and whisky hotels I’d send a friend to.

Scotland is home to more than 130 active distilleries, from windswept island names on Islay and Skye to elegant Speyside houses surrounded by rolling hills. Some lean into centuries-old methods and smoky peated malts; others bring striking modern architecture, Michelin-starred dining or intimate family-run charm. I’ve rounded up the ones I love most – iconic names like Glenfiddich and Talisker alongside the lesser-known gems where the whole thing feels deeply personal and authentically Scottish.

The Best Whisky Distilleries in Scotland: From Historic Icons to Hidden Gems

There are so many scotch whisky distilleries, that it’s almost impossible to count as new ones keep popping up as well. In this guide I have only include distilleries that are open to visitors, as there are many sites that are not open for tours and tastings, only whisky production. It’s easy to forget that whisky distilleries are not tourist attractions at their heart, they are factories for whisky production. But it’s of course great to see so many of the distilleries being able to open their doors to those curious about how scotch whisky is made and there are some truly fantastic experiences out there.

Why trust my guide to the best whisky distilleries in Scotland?

I am a whisky writer and photographer who’s been working in the scotch whisky industry for nearly a decade, exploring distilleries, tours and tastings so I dare say this is an area of knowledge where I have a lot of experience and also passion for. I’m really lucky that in my job as I am often invited to go see distilleries across the country, so thought it would be a good idea to share my experiences and recommendations with you here. I hope this guide can be helpful in planning your trip to Scotland and you can also find all my other articles about the country here!

This guide will be continuously updated as I discover more whisky experiences across Scotland, and was last updated in June 2026.

How to choose the best whisky distillery tour in Scotland for you?

It can be difficult to choose which distillery to visit, since there are so many across the country. I usually recommend looking up which ones that will be in the area of the country you wish to visit or to visit the one that is already your favourite. For example, if you are a Glenmorangie fan, then it’s really special to get to visit the very place where all their whisky is made. There are many fantastic distillery experience across the country and my hope with this guide is that it can help you find the one that suits you best. If you have any questions you are of course more than welcome to pop them in the comments and I will answer as soon as I can.

Additional information

When planning a whisky trip you don’t just need to know what distillery you want to visit, but also all the logistics around it, like where to stay. Especially if you are going to a remote part of the country – and distilleries do love being located in the weirdest corners far away from everything else sometimes.

Whisky hotels in Scotland

Since Scotland is so passionate about its whisky, it might not be a surprise that there even are whisky themed hotels and accommodation available here too. Here below you can find some of my recommendations.

• Ardbeg House – read my review of Ardbeg House here
• Glenmorangie House
• The Dowans – this Speyside hotel has an excellent whisky bar and the rooms are also named after distilleries in the area. Read my full review here!

What are the whisky regions of Scotland?

Something that can make it a little easier to navigate all the distilleries, is that they are sorted by regions. The regions used to be described as having regional flavour characteristics but nowadays it isn’t really true anymore however geographically it helps identify where different distilleries are located. So in this guide I have also divided the distilleries by region.

• Lowlands: the southernmost part of the mainland
• Highlands: the northern part of the mainland (except for Speyside) plus all the island (except for Islay)
• Speyside: A little area in between Aberdeen and Inverness
• Campbeltown: A small area on the peninsula of Kintyre in the northwest part of the mainland
• Islay: The Isle of Islay in the Inner Hebredies

Lowlands

The Lowlands were not a very exciting whisky region for a long time, often overlooked by visitors wanting to go to the highlands, Islay or Speyside. Nowadays things have changed drastically as scotch whisky distilleries in this area have boomed and popped up everywhere with visitor experiences and distillery tours that have been named some of the best in Scotland. There is great variation of distilleries as well, ranging from peated to unpeated and historic sites as well as brand new ones. A really fun whisky region and easy to visit since a lot of the distilleries are located near Edinburgh or Glasgow.

My distillery recommendations: Lindores Abbey, Glenkinchie & Port of Leith

Lowland distilleries

• Annandale
• Auchentoshan
• Bladnoch
• The Borders
• Kingsbarns
• Lindores Abbey
• Falkirk
• Rosebank
• Eden Mill – read about my visit to this brand new distillery – and its golf simulator + bar with a view – here
• Moffat

Edinburgh distilleries

• Holyrood
• Glenkinchie – read about my experience at the ‘garden distillery’ just outside of Edinburgh (coming soon!)
• Port of Leith

Glasgow distilleries

• The Clydeside
• The Glasgow Distillery

My Lowland articles

• Where to go for a whisky tasting in Edinburgh: Scotch whisky tours & distilleries
• The Lost Close Whisky Tasting Edinburgh: an underground Old Town experience
• The Scotch Whisky Experience in Edinburgh: Tours, tastings & Scottish restaurant
• Johnnie Walker Princes Street Edinburgh: the tours, tastings and rooftop bar
• Edinburgh: A local’s guide and recommendations to things to do and see
• The best hotels in Edinburgh: 19 luxurious recommendations from a local
• Edinburgh Gin Distillery Tour in Edinburgh: A botanical experience in the heart of the city
• The best time to visit Edinburgh: A seasonal travel guide

Highlands

The highlands is probably the most confusing whisky region because of its vast area and that it also includes all the islands, besides Islay. So to make things a little easier, I have split the highlands up into smaller location-based sub-categories and listed all the island distilleries together. The northern highlands are near and north of Inverness, eastern along the east coast, western along the west coast and the southern are from the lowlands border and up toward Inverness. There is an abundance of scotch whisky distilleries and tours to be found in this massive area of Scotland and some of the best experiences are located really remotely.

My distillery recommendations: Aberfeldy, Fettercairn, Glencadam & Deanston

Northern Highlands distilleries

• Balblair
• Brora
• Clynelish
• Dornoch Distillery
• Glenmorangie
• Old Pulteney
• The Dalmore – read more about this luxurious bespoke distillery experience
• The Singleton of Glen Ord
• Tomatin
• Wolfburn
• Uile-bheist

Eastern Highlands

• Arbikie
• Fettercairn
• Glencadam – read more about this hidden gem distillery
• Glendronach
• Glen Garioch
• Royal Lochnagar

Southern Highlands distilleries

• Aberfeldy – read more about one of my favourite distillery tours in Perthshire
• Blair Athol
• Glengoyne
• Deanston
• Luss Distillery
• The Glenturret – read more about my experience at the distillery and the two star Michelin restaurant
• Tullibardine

Western Highlands distilleries

• Ardnamurchan
• Ben Nevis
• Nc’Nean
• Oban

Island distilleries

• Abhainn Dearg on the Isle of Lewis
• Highland Park on Orkney
• Jura on the Isle of Jura
• Lochranza on the Isle of Arran
• Lagg on the Isle of Arran
• Isle of Harris
• Isle of Raasay – read about my visit to the Isle of Raasay and distillery
• Scapa on Orkney
• Tobermory on the Isle of Mull
• Talisker on the Isle of Skye
• Torabhaig on the Isle of Skye

My Highland articles

• Isle of Raasay Guide – the hidden island gem next to the Isle of Skye
• A whisky trip with Sip Seekers & Bolfracks House (coming soon!)
• Isle of Skye restaurants, cafés and oyster sheds

Speyside

I don’t think anyone would question that Speyside is home to some of the best and most renowned scotch whisky distilleries and tours, not just in Scotland, but in the world. If you already know some big whisky names, it is quite likely that they might be from Speyside as it’s a fairly small area with a very high density of distilleries. It is a gorgeous part of Scotland to visit and plenty to do besides just scotch whisky tours and tastings. I particularly love visiting during the summer or autumn as the landscape looks so romantic.

My distillery recommendations: Glenfiddich, The Glenlivet & Strathisla

Speyside distilleries

• Aberlour
• Balvenie
• Benromach
• Benriach
• Cardhu
• Cragganmore
• Glenallachie
• Glenfiddich
• Glen Moray
• Dallas Dhu
• Glenfarclas
• Strathisla
• Speyburn
• Tamdhu
• Tomintoul Distillery
• The Glen Grant
• The Glenlivet
• The Macallan – read more about the luxurious distillery dining experience here

My Speyside articles

• A whisky writers guide to Speyside in Scotland
• Staying at The Dowans Hotel in the Speyside Whisky Region

Islay

Islay is an island off the west coast of Scotland – and one of my absolute favourite places on Earth. You never know what will happen during your visit. If storms will keep you on the island as none of the planes can land. Or if a swan will terrorise the local food shop. But it will always be an adventure to visit and the whisky will always taste incredibly.

If you like smoky whisky in particular, you might love the whisky from Islay as the distilleries here predominantly make heavily peated whisky. Although some do make an unpeated style of scotch whisky so don’t be scared away if smoky whisky isn’t your thing and you still want to visit this beautiful part of Scotland for a tour. I brought my mother to the island fairly recently and she does not like whisky at all but still had a fantastic time seeing the wildlife and fantastic landscape you can find here.

My distillery recommendations: Lagavulin & Ardbeg

Islay distilleries

• Ardbeg
• Ardnahoe
• Bowmore
• Bruichladdich
• Bunnahabhain
• Caol Ila
• Kilchoman
• Lagavulin
• Laggan Bay
• Laphroaig
• Port Ellen
• Portintruan

Although Jura technically is a highland distillery as it is located on the island with the same name right next to Islay. But because of its close proximity I also wanted to include it here as it’s very convenient to combine a trip to both Jura and Islay if you are in the area.

My Islay articles

• A guide to all the distilleries on Islay: tours, cafés & recommendations
• Isle of Islay in Scotland: A guide to visiting the whisky island
• Inside Ardbeg House: Islay’s Ultimate Whisky Hotel
• Another Place The Machrie Hotel: elegance and coastal luxury on the Isle of Islay
• Isle of Islay Hotels & Where to Stay: from coastal luxury to cosy cottages

Campbeltown

Campbeltown is the smallest whisky region, out of the five, but it was once known as ‘the whisky capital of the world’. In it’s hey day there were around 30 whisky distilleries in this small area and when you visit you can still see the traces of many of the now lost distilleries. Nowadays only three historic distilleries remain with a couple of new ones being built as I write this. I will update this guide as soon as I have news about visitor experiences opening in the future. In the meantime I would recommend a visit and tour of the ones mentioned here below to try some lovely scotch whisky and explore one of the most remote corners of Scotland’s mainland.

My distillery recommendation: Glen Scotia

Campbeltown distilleries

• Springbank
• Glen Gyle
• Glen Scotia

My Campbeltown articles

Coming soon – currently busy writing these! 👩🏼‍💻

FAQ – The best whisky distilleries in Scotland

Looking for more inspiration for your Scotland trip?

• Romantic getaways in Scotland: The Most Luxurious Escapes for Couples in 2026
• The best hotels in Edinburgh: my reviews of the most charming spots to stay in the city
• Weekend trip to Edinburgh: the ultimate itinerary from a local
• The Best Afternoon Tea in Edinburgh, Scotland: Scones, Sandwiches & City Views
• The best hotels in Inverness: a guide to the best hotels and castles to stay at in and near the city
• Things to do in Edinburgh: insider recommendations from a local
• A guide to all the distilleries on Islay: tours, cafés & recommendations