Whisky Tour of Scotland: Self-Drive from £282pp

8 Days / 7 nights.  From: £282 per person sharing.

Day 1
Arrive Edinburgh Airport and pick-up self-drive car.  Spend the day exploring Edinburgh, Scotland's capital city. Visit the Scotch Whisky Experience located in a former school building on the Royal Mile. The exhibition takes the visitors through the intricate process of producing Scotland's national drink and this is followed by a drive through the history of whisky! A wee dram will follow before shopping possibilities in the extensive whisky shop.
 
Overnight Edinburgh.
 
Day 2
This morning leave Edinburgh and head north across the impressive suspension bridge over the Forth Estuary to Perthshire. Time for some sightseeing in the small market town of Perth, also to visit nearby Scone Palace, the private home of the Earl and Countess of Mansfield. Later follow the A85 towards Crieff for a visit of the Famous Grouse Experience at Glenturret Distillery on the site of Scotland's oldest distillery. Nestled on
the outskirts of Crieff, this distillery offers the perfect location to escape the stresses of the world. The second part of the tour is an interactive experience based around the Famous Grouse, the bestselling blended whisky.
 
Day 3
This morning follow the A93 to Blairgowrie. Take the A924 turning to Pitlochry. In this region you have a few choices of distilleries to visit: Blair Atholl, Edradour, (the smallest distillery in Scotland), or Aberfeldy. Return onto the A93 heading North. The road now climbs steadily through the skiing region of Glenshee to Braemar. This is the region known as 'Royal Deeside'. Overnight in Royal Deeside/Aberdeen area.
 
Day 4
Today spend the day exploring the Royal Deeside region. The main distillery here is Royal Lochnagar, which after a visit from Prince Albert in 1848, was given the "Royal" warrant and supplied the Royal family with whisky for some time. Pass Crathie, possibly stopping to see the church where the Royal Family attends Sunday service when on holiday at nearby Balmoral Castle. Overnight Royal Deeside.
 
Day 5
Continue your journey, travelling through the Grampian Mountains, along the A939 passing Tomintoul, the highest village in Great Britain, and on to Grantown on Spey. There are a number of whisky distilleries in this particular stretch of the route and whisky connoisseurs might have their favourite whisky from this area. Some you may like to visit are:  Glenflarclas, Cardhu, Knockando, Glenlivet, Balvenie and Macallan. Distilleries. Take your pick! After your visit (or visits!), continue to Nairn, a popular seaside resort famous for its golf course and its beautiful sandy beaches. Time permitting, a visit to Cawdor Castle can be made before arriving for next overnight stop in the Inverness area.
 
Day 6
Leave Inverness and drive south. Follow the shores of Loch Ness, the most famous loch in Scotland. Stopping at the Loch Ness Exhibition Centre and nearby Urquhart Castle from where sightings of the 'monster' are most frequently reported. Continue along the A82 to Fort Augustus and finally arrive in Fort William, situated at the foot of Ben Nevis Britain's highest mountain. Visit Ben Nevis Distillery located just in the shade of Britain's tallest mountain and the soft waters of its peak makes an important part of the character of the whisky. Still produced in the old traditional way a visit here shows the intricate process of producing Scotland's favourite drink. Continue along Loch Linnhe before arriving in the Oban area for overnight.
 
Day 7
 
After breakfast visit Oban Distillery. Nestling beneath the steep cliff that overlooks Oban, one of Scotland's oldest sources of single malt scotch whisky is but a stone's throw from the sea. Take a guided tour and learn about the ancient craft of distilling. Afterwards, drive inland via the Pass of Brander to Loch Awe. Head south to Inveraray with a possibility to visit the castle, seat of the Clan Campbell. Continue south on the A82 and follow the shores of Loch Lomond, the largest and perhaps most beautiful of all Scottish lochs. Through to the Trossachs region, passing Drymen along the A811. Turn towards Killearn. Here visit the nearby Glengoyne Distillery. History records the distillery as 'Burnfoot of Glenguin' in 1836. You will see the malting, mashing, fermentation, distilling and maturation. At the end of the tour we will have an opportunity of sampling the famous malt. Unlike most other single malts, Glengoyne has been preserving the essence of its flavour for decades by using air dried barley rather than barley dried using harsh peat smoke. The result is a more subtle, complex whisky in which all of the delicate flavours are freely allowed to express themselves. Overnight Trossachs area
 
Day 8
Travel to Edinburgh via Stirling and return car at airport before checking-in for departure flight.