FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

There is no single “best” whisky region, as each offers something unique. Speyside is home to the highest concentration of distilleries, Islay is famous for its peated whiskies, the Highlands offer incredible variety, and Campbeltown provides a more off-the-beaten-track experience. The best choice depends on your whisky preferences, travel style and available time.

We recommend a minimum of 3–4 days to properly explore a whisky region such as Speyside or Islay. If you’d like to visit multiple regions, 5–8 days allows for a more relaxed experience with time to enjoy Scotland’s scenery, culture and hospitality along the way.

Each season is offering a different experience. Spring and autumn are particularly popular due to quieter roads, beautiful scenery and moderate temperatures. Summer offers longer daylight hours, while winter can provide a more intimate and atmospheric experience. Our private whisky tours operate throughout the year, while our scheduled group whisky tours run from March to October.

This depends on the style of whisky you enjoy. Speyside is ideal for first-time visitors, Islay is renowned for smoky whiskies, the Highlands offer exceptional diversity, and Campbeltown appeals to those seeking a more specialist whisky experience.

Yes. Scotland’s whisky regions are also home to spectacular landscapes, historic castles, coastal scenery, wildlife, local food and charming villages. Many non-whisky drinkers thoroughly enjoy the experience.

A private whisky tour is a fully personalised experience exclusively for you and your group. Unlike scheduled tours, private tours offer complete flexibility over the itinerary, accommodation, pace and distillery visits.

Private tours offer greater flexibility, personalised itineraries, exclusive experiences and the freedom to travel at your own pace. They are ideal for couples, families, groups of friends and whisky enthusiasts looking for a more tailored experience.

Yes. We can design a fully customised itinerary based on your preferred whisky regions, distilleries, interests, accommodation requirements and travel dates.

Absolutely. Where availability allows, we will always try to include your preferred distilleries and experiences within your itinerary.

Absolutely. Many of our guests combine regions such as Speyside and the Highlands or Islay and Campbeltown. We can advise on the most practical itinerary based on the length of your trip.

Yes. Many of our private whisky tours are designed specifically for couples seeking a personalised Scottish whisky experience.

Yes. We can create itineraries that balance whisky experiences with sightseeing, history, food, nature and cultural attractions.

Yes. We regularly create bespoke itineraries for celebrations, incentive travel, corporate groups and special occasions.

Definitely. Our tours are designed to showcase Scotland as a whole, combining distillery visits with scenic drives, historic sites, local food experiences and cultural highlights.

We usually visit between two and three distilleries per day. This allows enough time to enjoy tours, tastings and the surrounding scenery without feeling rushed.

Most distillery tours include an introduction to whisky production, a guided walk through the production areas and a tasting of selected whiskies at the end of the experience.

A distillery tour includes a behind-the-scenes look at how whisky is produced, while a tasting focuses on sampling and learning about different whiskies.

When you book a whisky tour with Scottish Routes, we take care of arranging all included distillery tours, whisky tastings and visitor experiences on your behalf. Our team works directly with Scotland’s distilleries to secure bookings, allowing you to enjoy a seamless whisky touring experience without the hassle of planning and reservations

Yes. Most distilleries have visitor shops where you can purchase bottles, gifts and distillery-exclusive releases.

Many distilleries offer exclusive bottlings and special releases that may not be available elsewhere, though availability varies throughout the year.

At Scottish Routes we encourage responsible drinking so if for any reason you decide you do not wish to taste whisky during your distillery visits, you would be welcome to do so. Many distilleries will allow you to take drams away with you, should you not wish to consume these on the premises.

All of our tours depart from the Royal Mile in Central Edinburgh. You can check-in for our tours at the check-in desk inside Caffé Nero, 1 Parliament Square, Royal Mile, Edinburgh, EH1 1RE.

Our pick-up point is located in the heart of Central Edinburgh, within easy walking distance of many hotels. Edinburgh Waverley Train station is within 5-10 minutes walk, and multiple bus routes serve the area for those travelling from other areas of the city. There is no parking available at our departure point, so we would recommend using public transport to reach our departure point.

All tours return to Edinburgh and finish at 22 St Andrew Square, Edinburgh, EH2 1AY, a central location within easy walking distance of many city centre hotels, restaurants, public transport links and Edinburgh Waverley railway station.

To allow for a smoother and quicker departure from Edinburgh, we ask all travellers to meet at a central departure location. This means you will have more time to explore Scotland’s distilleries and scenery whilst on tour with us.

On our multi-day tours, each passenger may bring one piece of luggage, roughly equivalent to standard airline cabin baggage.

If you need to bring additional luggage, please get in touch before travelling and we’ll do our best to accommodate your request where possible.

We do all we can to make our tours as accessible as possible, though due to the design of our minibuses, we do ask that everyone travelling is able to climb the steps to board the bus. During tours of production facilities, due to the historic nature of some buildings some areas may not be fully accessible, though alternatives are often available.

As our scheduled tours are designed around distillery visits and whisky tours, we do operate a strict over 18’s only policy for joining our scheduled tours. For those looking to travel with under 18’s, we are able to welcome all ages on our bespoke and private tours.

If possible, we will wait as long as we can. However, due to the fact that we have booked time slots at attractions and travel services, we cannot wait for late arrivals. If you are running late, please call us immediately to let us know, and we will see what we can do. However, if you are not at the departure point by the advertised time of departure, we reserve the right to leave, and no refund will be given. Please see terms and conditions for further details.

Yes, some of our partners offer our guests a discount on entry and purchases. Your driver/guide will make any discounts available known to you at each attraction.

All of our scheduled tours are conducted in English. For private and tailor-made tours, foreign language guides can be arranged. Please ask at the time of inquiry or booking.

Yes. Accommodation with breakfast is included on all of our multi-day tours. For private tours, we can also recommend and arrange accommodation as part of your bespoke itinerary.

We are not able to directly book any accommodation for you before or after your tours with us, but would recommend staying in Edinburgh’s Old Town the nights before and after your tour with us, to minimise the risk of any travel disruption.

We recommend booking 3–6 months in advance, particularly for Islay tours, peak summer travel and sought-after distillery experiences.

Yes. We are always happy to recommend restaurants, whisky bars and local dining experiences before and during your trip.

We recommend comfortable walking shoes, waterproof clothing, layers and a small day bag. Scottish weather can be changeable at any time of year.

Our multi-day whisky tours include transportation throughout the tour, accommodation with breakfast, selected distillery tours and tastings, ferry crossings where required, and the services of an experienced local guide. Full details of what is included can be found on each tour page and will be confirmed at the time of booking.

Yes. All distillery tours, tastings and whisky experiences listed in your tour itinerary are included in the tour price. Included experiences are clearly outlined on each tour page and in your booking confirmation.

Our cancellation policy can be found in our booking terms and conditions. If you have any questions before booking, our team will be happy to help explain the applicable cancellation and refund terms.

Our scheduled small-group whisky tours are limited to a maximum of 16 passengers. For those seeking a private tour, we can accommodate groups of all sizes, from solo travellers and couples to families, corporate groups and whisky clubs.

If you’ve left an item on the coach, please contact us as soon as possible with a description of the item. We’ll do our best to locate it and arrange its return. Please note that postage and handling costs may apply if shipping is required.

Had a great time with us? We’d love to hear about it. Your review helps future travellers discover Scottish Routes and supports our small team. If your guide made your trip extra special, be sure to mention them in your review.

You can leave a review on Google or TripAdvisor. Every review is greatly appreciated!

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