Visiting Distilleries

A VISIT TO SCOTLAND JUST ISN'T COMPLETE WITHOUT SAMPLING THE AMBER NECTAR – WHISKY. AND THERE'S PLENTY TO KEEP YOU AMUSED, AS IAN BUXTON EXPLAINS

Believe it or not, you can just walk through the gates of most of Scotland's distilleries and they won't throw you out! In fact, more often than not, they want you there so badly that they'll pour you a drink and invite you to look around! More than a million visitors a year enjoy this hospitable policy and visiting distilleries has become an important tourism activity, especially in remote areas. Where jobs have been lost through mechanisation, the visitor centre has created welcome new employment. Distillers now vie with each other in a contest to create the latest
and greatest facilities.

GLENFIDDICH is the world's best selling Scotch malt whisky – and still fiercely independent. They were the first to open their doors back in 1969, and now welcome around 80,000 visitors a year. The distillery itself is in the heart of Speyside and notable for being one of the very few that still bottles the finished product right at the distillery.

Over the years the facilities for guests have grown to include a multi language film presentation, a guided tour, a brand exhibition and – best of all – a generous tasting session. There's also a shop and you can afford to spend freely because the tour itself and the dram afterwards is free. Even the car park comes with their compliments, making it a welcome haven for harried city dwellers.

The visit encompasses the whole production process, from malt mill to bottling line, and there's no pressure to buy; though it's churlish not to at...

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• By : Ian Buxton
• In : Drinks
• Issue : 5
• Page : 72
• Words : 1,619