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Four-Day Islay Whisky Tour

Quick Details

Single Occupancy Room 1 person per room
£1175
Double Room 2 people per room
£1950
Twin Room 2 people per room
£1950
Triple Room 3 people per room
£2925

Discover some of Scotland’s Finest Whisky Distilleries

Fall in love with Islay, home to some of Scotland’s finest whisky distilleries! This tour takes you to a Scottish island paradise. Islay is home to stunning scenery, ancient history and traditional culture.

Itinerary

Day 1
After departing Edinburgh, you head west into the Loch Lomond & Trossachs National Park. Your journey will take you along the shores of Loch Lomond, the largest of Scotland’s lochs, as well as one of the countries most scenic locations. The landscape becomes more mountainous as you travel further west, crossing the impressive Rest and Be Thankful viewpoint, as your guide tells you about the history and culture of this stunning part of Scotland.

As you travel through Argyll, you will make a short stop in the attractive fishing village of Inveraray. It is then a short drive down the Kintyre Peninsula to Kennacraig, where you will board the early afternoon ferry to Islay. The ferry crossing is around two hours and offers for some beautiful views of the islands of Gigha, Jura and Islay as well as the area surrounding West Loch Tarbert. There is time to relax in the ferry bar with an Islay whisky, grab some lunch from the restaurant and soak up the sea air before you arrive.

On arrival in Islay, we will visit our first distillery of the tour! Bunnahabhain Distillery. Pronounced ‘Bunn-na-ha-venn’, meaning ‘mouth of the river’ in Scots Gaelic, this distillery is in a stunning location offering gorgeous views of the Paps of Jura and offers a range of peated and unpeated drams. On occasion due to ferry timetables, a later ferry to Islay may be arranged, in this event the visit to Bunnahabhain will be replaced by an alternative distillery on the Scottish mainland, such as Auchentoshan.

Following your visit to Bunnahabhain, it is a short drive to Bowmore to check in to The Bowmore House or Island Bear for your three-night stay. On rare occasions we may need to place you in different accommodation, we will make you aware of this in advance.

Days 2 & 3
With two full days to explore, there are plenty of options for sightseeing, and your guide will share some of their favourite places with you. These can include empty beaches, whitewashed villages, ancient sites, the Kildalton Cross, medieval strongholds, fresh seafood, local wildlife and traditional cultures. With only around 3000 people and nine world-class distilleries, the chances of finding a ‘wee dram’ on Islay are pretty good.

The distillery and whisky experiences give you an insight into Islay’s most famous export. We’ve planned a wide range of tours and tastings, including a warehouse experiences, tours and exclusive tastings! Each tour is a little different and there will be lots of delicious drams to taste – you won’t be disappointed!

Each night on Islay, there are plenty of options for eating, drinking and relaxing. Your tour guide will let you know all the best places to get the most out of your time in Bowmore. There is an eating option for all budgets and tastes, and with so much local produce on offer, you will be spoilt for choice. The whisky bars aren’t too bad either. Slainte Mhath, as they say in Gaelic.

Day 4
After a final hearty breakfast, you catch the morning ferry back to Kennacraig. Arriving on the mainland, you head to the loch-side town of Inveraray. This is the seat of the Clan Campbell, home to the Loch Fyne Whisky shop and your stop for lunch. After lunch (and some last-minute whisky shopping) your journey now hugs the shores of Loch Fyne and Loch Long before climbing up to the Rest and be Thankful pass for sweeping views.

Then it is to the shores of Loch Lomond. With time to stop for some lovely views and stretch of the legs, this is the last stop on your tour before crossing the River Clyde and into Scotland’s largest city of Glasgow. Some of our guests may be leaving the tour here, so we may make a short stop in central Glasgow (George Square) before returning to Edinburgh.