Dalwhinnie Distillery

After reading John R’s review of the tour, I’m a little sad that we arrived at this place so late in the day and didn’t get to partake, but a trip to the tasting room proved to be enough to warrant a return, so I look forward to updating this review in my post tour future!
Like I said, we pulled into this place about 20 minutes before they were closing up for the day — enough for a quick poke around the shop and a whisky tasting flight for yours truly. I have to admit, I hadn’t event heard of Dalwhinnie before pulling into the parking lot, so I was pleasantly surprised to find two new staples in my whisky cupboard after one simple flight! I especially adore that they pair the whiskies with chocolate: everyone should do this ALWAYS.
The distillery itself is picture perfect in the sunshine and makes for a great photo. All in all, I was a fast fan of this place and can’t wait to go back for a proper visit!

Out in the middle of nowhere, it makes a nice rest stop if you’re on a self driving tour of Scotland… plus I got the best lesson about Scotch whisky…
We opted to skip the tour and just do a 3 scotch taster for £10, which also came with a £5 voucher towards a bottle, nice! Other tastings are available too. We got a quick introduction to Scotch whisky, and of 1 of 3 Scotches was a 24 year old limited edition scotch not sold anywhere else. The best lesson thing I learned from this: £1000+ bottle of scotch doesn’t necessarily taste any better than a £40−50 bottle of scotch. Its really all personal taste. The 24yo wasn’t that good.
With the £5 voucher, I got a bottle of Caol Ila for £36, not bad!
Friendly staff and a very nice elegant place for your tasting. Nice bathrooms too!
SIDE NOTE: If you’re an American like me, its generally about 25−35% cheaper to buy the same Scotches in America. Unless its something truly rare and unique, I would just buy in America. Also Scottish bottles come in 700ml bottles… but in America you get 750ml bottles, or just over 7% more. Perhaps the Scots are being cheated by English taxes?

Several of my favorite spots on our trip to Scotland were found by accident, and Dalwhinnie Distillery was no exception.
We drove by Dalwhinnie Distillery on our drive to the Highlands from Invergarry. When we realized they were open even on Sunday, we turned around to go check it out, and even lucked into the tour. I’ve been on winery tours and brewery tours before but this was my first distillery, so I learned a lot, both about the history and the distilling process. The facilities are very impressive, and would have been even cooler to see on a weekday during actual production. Our tour guide was funny and very knowledgeable– my husband is a Scotch connoisseur but even he learned new things about the process, as well as tasting methods. The tour ends with a taste of their 15-​year single malt, and I was able to add a whisky I like to my still-​limited repertoire.
The highest and coldest distillery in Scotland is well worth a visit.

Confession time. After a very long and winding journey through the mountains from the north and west we were thrilled to spot Dalwhinne Distillery in the distance because we were desperate for the loo! Not that its any hardship to stop at a distillery when needs must. In return for the use of their smart facilities we spent a decent amount of time exploring the beautifully stocked shop, availing of some of its contents and taking deep breaths of the whisky perfumed air around us.
Who doesn’t enjoy the smell and taste of a quality single malt scotch whisky? We’ve visited many a distillery in the past, so gave the well reviewed tour a miss. The only disappointment was the lack of a café where we could get some much needed refreshments. Dalwhinnie Distillery felt as though it was in the middle of nowhere (in a good way) on a cold bleak and atmospheric moor. It was freezing cold outside the car surrounded by snow-​capped mountains, and what we craved, even more than whisky, was a nice warming cup of tea. I know, sacrilege! Maybe they have a café in high season. I should have asked. Lovely place, lovely staff, and well worth a visit if you are a fan of scotland’s uisge beatha (water of life). They take credit cards. You’re gonna need one!

First off, I’ve been to a few distillery tours now, and this is in my top two… in fact, it may even be the best one I’ve been to so far.
Having moved to Perth a couple of years back, I often look for day trips when friends or family visit. My plan for today included a gorgeous drive to Dalwhinnie Distillery, a stop at House of Bruar to try on tweed jackets and pretend to be posh, and a walk around Dunkeld before arriving back in the Fair City. With an 11.00 tour at the distillery we easily finished all of these before tea. You could easily throw in a stop in Pitlochry as well. This could also be done on the way to a much longer trip to somewhere like Aviemore or Inverness.
As we were at Dalwhinnie on a Sunday morning, the two of us were lucky enough to be a part of a tour of only four. I love smaller tours because it provides plenty of times to ask questions and learn more about the place. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable as well as helpful. The tour was both entertaining and educational, which isn’t the case at all distilleries.
At the end of the tour you’re treated to a tasting with some small samplings of chocolate. And if there’s anything in any tour in the world that could make me happier, it’s to add chocolate. They also give you a free, although somewhat miniature, whisky glass at the end of your tour along with £2 off of a 70cl bottle.
As with most distilleries, it’s definitely worth phoning ahead to make sure you can get a tour, especially in peak seasons. I will definitely be coming back here when friends visit, as I like to know where they will have a good quality experience.

Dalwhinnie is both the highest and the coldest distillery in Scotland, yet they call themselves «The Gentle Spirit.» I am a fan of their whisky, so made this stop #2 on my Highland/​Speyside distillery tour.
On a May Friday, I was the only one signed up for the 12pm tour. I spent the interim time perusing their modest museum and shop. Right at the last minute, two middle-​aged Germans showed up, so I was spared the awkwardness of getting a solo tour. Our guide spoke decent German and spent the entirety of the tour translating himself (of course, the Germans spoke fine English too, but it was fun having a bilingual tour).
No photography was allowed indoors except for the warehouse (understandably). We saw the relatively straightforward operation, including the massive copper stills. Being a Friday afternoon, the distillery was in the process of closing down operations for the weekend, so we did not get to see much actual distilling work.
Down in the cellars, we saw the hundreds of barrels of whisky patiently awaiting their turns for bottling. Outside, we saw two unique features of the Dalwhinnie operation – their copper «pagoda”-style chimneys, and the external cooling coils. Actually, according to the tour guide, other distilleries have since copied that idea.
Back in the welcome building, we enjoyed a dram of the regular offering (15-​year-​old). I was interested in the 1990 Distiller’s Edition, but none of the employees could tell me anything about it – provenance, tasting characteristics, etc. I bought it anyway, but I was disappointed that Dalwhinnie hadn’t trained their employees to talk up their own products. The entry ticket includes a £2 discount voucher on a 70cl bottle from their shop.