If you’re looking for a wee dram of Scottish whisky during your stay in Inverness, we’ve got you covered with our guide to the distilleries you can’t miss - all near Inverness.
Despite what the Irish, the Japanese, and the Americans may say, there is little doubt that the world’s very best whisky is 100% Scottish, and that will always be the case.
With many of the country’s most famous malts hailing from the Highlands, it would therefore be somewhat scandalous for anyone with even a passing interest in what George Bernard Shaw refers to as ‘liquid sunshine’ to visit this part of the world and not (responsibly) indulge in at least a few small drams.
In this post, we’ve shared advice on how to visit them independently or with a specialist tour.
Where to Try Whisky In Inverness
Whilst this guide is meant more for those who are keen to get out and explore the best distilleries near Inverness, we appreciate that not everyone has time in their itineraries to fit in a day trip from the city.
In that case, we’d recommend making your way down to The Malt Room in the evening (an excellent whisky bar in the centre of Inverness). Super knowledgeable staff are on hand to provide advice, with a large selection of whiskies from which you can choose or be guided. Handily, they also offer tasting flights for those that would like to sample a few different malts (from £25 to £150).
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Our Pick of the Best WHISKY DISTILLERIES NEAR INVERNESS
More than half of Scotland’s distilleries are located in the Highlands, so the small city of Inverness is an excellent base from which to explore a few (please have a designated driver though).
This list is by no means exhaustive, but includes the most well known within around an hour’s drive of Inverness.
Tomatin
Just 25 minutes from the city, Tomatin distillery is easy to visit using a taxi so you can indulge in a tasting without worrying about a designated driver. Having produced whisky since 1897, nowadays it tends to focus mainly on blended malts known for a soft character with notes of fruit (as well as being used in many famous blends like J&B, Chivas Regal and Johnnie Walker).
They are currently only offering their ‘Legacy Tour’ which involves a distillery visit and the opportunity to taste three of their malts. It costs £10 per person (£4 for children) and each tour lasts around 1 hour 15 minutes.
You can discover more on their website (including how to book a visit) or find the distillery here on Google Maps.
Glen Ord
Famous for their Singleton of Glen Ord whisky which is said to be ‘sweet, malty and dry on the palate’, Glen Ord tends to cater to the tastes of the south-east Asian market (where almost all their single aged malt whisky is exported), and as such, the distillery is the only place where it’s available to buy in Europe - making it a must-visit if this is your preferred tipple.
They host six guided tours a day during which an experienced team member will guide you through the distillery leading a tutored tasting of three whiskies, ranging from twelve to eighteen years old. The tour lasts one hour and costs £15.75 per adult.
You can discover more on their website or find the distillery here on Google Maps, around 30 minutes from Inverness.
Glen Moray
A speyside distillery that has been producing whisky for more than 130 years, the tours here are super informative. Four times daily tours cost just £7 per adult (free for children), and include optional complimentary tasting of two whiskies.
Additional tasting flights can be added to your tour reservation or enjoyed separately; flights of three or four whiskies starting from £5. Available from the bar between 10 am and 4.30 pm.
Glen Moray is located just outside Elgin (Google Maps), one hour by car from Inverness. You can discover more on their website.
Balblair
Created in 1790, Balblair is the oldest distillery in this part of Scotland and, sitting on a remote and unspoiled hillside overlooking the Dornoch Firth, matches exactly the image one conjures up of a Highland distillery. Around a 50 minutes drive from Inverness, it is actually located just off the North Coast 500, so if you’re heading north after Inverness, maybe coincide your visit with that portion of the trip.
At the time of publication, they are not currently doing tours however they do offer combination tastings of their 12, 15, 18 year old and a special single cask for £25 per person. Bookings must be made in advance, and be done so via their website here.
Find Balblair here on Google Maps.
Dalwhinnie
Whether you refer to this whisky as Speyside or Highland, Dalwhinie - with its notes of heather honey, citrus and vanilla - ranks very highly amongst Scottish malts. Located around an hour from Inverness, it is a little further afield than others on this list but could ideally be combined with a visit to the Cairngorms National Park.
The distillery (here on Google Maps) is running a variety of different tours, including a standard 45 minute tour and tasting for £14. Full details of all available tours can be found here.
Dalmore
Founded on the shores of Cromarty Firth in 1867 by descendants of the Mackenzie Clan, Dalmore is a quintessential Highland Scotch whisky, ranked among Scotland's most renowned single malts (it’s also one of Andrew’s favourites). From a purely aesthetic point of view, we loved how wonderfully old fashioned everything looked here - from the vintage delivery truck to the collections of old casks outside.
Due to the current situation, they have temporarily suspended their regular tours however individual visits are available upon request by e-mail with at least 24 hours notice required. In normal times, expect to pay £12 per person for a standard one hour tour. Children under 8 are not permitted in the distillery.
You can find the distillery here, or visit their website for further information.
Glenmorangie
Also located on the NC500 (not far from Balblair) Glenmorangie is a world famous whisky, with a global following meaning it is nowadays enjoyed as much as a dram as it is in fancy cocktails. Established in way back in 1843, it lays claim to the tallest stills in Scotland and is probably the distillery on this list which sees by far and away the most visitor traffic. Despite this it's still a very worthwhile stop for anyone driving the route, or indeed basing themselves in or near Inverness.
Glenmorangie is due to restart its tours in summer 2021, and are usually open seven days a week in the peak summer period, with tours leaving every half hour from 10 am - 4 pm. It's a good idea to reserve ahead if you have a tight schedule or are a large group.
It cost £7 per person for a standard one hour tour and tasting. See their website for tour booking information and low season schedules or find the distillery here on Google Maps
WHISKY TASTING TOURS FROM INVERNESS
If you’re as keen on the whisky tasting as you are on the distillery visits, we’d highly recommend booking yourself on to an organised tour.
There are a number of companies offering full day tours to various distilleries near Inverness, however we have noted that it is quite rare for the tour price to include all entrance fees (and rarely the additional cost of multiple tastings), even pricey tours such as this one. Therefore, do check this before booking them.
Instead, we’d recommend this highly rated Speyside Whisky & Moray Firth Tour which includes transport, a knowledgeable guide and visits to the Benromach and the Glennfiddich Distilleries, time in the pleasant town of Elgin and a stop at Speyside Cooperage. Find out more here.
