Think Scottish Highlands: for exceptional drams

A glass of crisp wine in a French vineyard, gelato in the south of Italy, a dram in the Scottish Highlands… food and drink taste unequivocally better when enjoyed in their very home.

The landscape here in the Scottish Highlands lends itself to whisky making. The smell of the maltings, the hospitality from those who have dedicated their careers to crafting beautiful drams and the rugged mountain air and soft flowing rivers that influence the character of the malts – this backdrop makes drinking a malt whisky here something that can only be felt to be described.

For conference and incentive organisers, consider building an away-afternoon into your itinerary to reconnect the team, discover drams, and inspire some great connections. Alternatively, arrange an in-house whisky experience before, during, or after dinner.

If it’s been a few years since you’ve visited a distillery – or if you’ve never been behind the scenes at these homes of whisky wizardry – it’s time to reconsider. The experiences our local partners provide will exceed your expectations tenfold! We’re taking you on a virtual tour of two of our closest partners to tempt you with what awaits…

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Tomatin Distillery

Our local distillery, Tomatin Distillery Co Ltd, is nestled in the Monaliadth Mountains, just 15 miles south of Inverness.

Here, the progressive nature of the distillery is echoed by the wind farms that glint in the sunlight, standing over a site that opened in the 1800s – long before trunk roads connected this charming hamlet distillery with larger cities.

Our take: A tour of Tomatin offers an honest insight into the world of whisky making – guided through working warehouses and past the cooperage. It’s rare for a distillery to handle barrel-making and repairs in-house, so it’s a great sight to see.

With most of the workers living on-site, this distillery channels passion, history, and a huge amount of love into each bottle, yet the product remains fresh, modern, and reflective of contemporary tastes.

Each year, before the Christmas close-down, the team switches to producing a lightly peated malt named Cu-Bocan, before the stills are cleaned down for a new year. The resulting limited-bottling offers a unique flavour that is not to be missed.

Tomatin also offers the option to bottle your own from casks in their visitor centre and distillery exclusives, only available on-site, including a number of expressions from ‘Warehouse 6’.

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Glen Ord Distillery

Sitting north of Inverness, Glen Ord is a lesser-known but equally special distillery that forms one part of the ‘three corners’ of Diageo’s well-known Singleton whisky empire.

Our take: A modern transformation has injected colour, vibrancy, and contemporary zing into this historic distillery – the stunning bar and visitor centre are not to be missed!

Take a tour here to discover the depth of skill that leads to whisky production and learn how the coastal position influences the drams. Experiences include a Classic Tour that lasts just over an hour, a fully immersive behind-the-scenes Cask to Malt Tour (2.5 hours), or a tasting experience featuring five Singleton expressions paired with canapés.

Visitors can take home a bottle of distillery-exclusive Singleton or bottle their own – each expression slow-batch distilled to capture the essence of the distillery.

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Kingsmills Whisky Bar

For a whisky experience without the need to travel, the Kingsmills Whisky Bar offers an impressive collection of malts, including a number of rare bottlings and unique finds. Our team is hugely passionate about malts and pairing each guest with a dram they will love.

In the comfort of our lounge – or, for larger groups, by the fire in the Adams Room – we offer hosted whisky flight experiences to discover Scotland through our national spirit. Choose to explore four balanced blends, take a Tour of Speyside, or opt for the Cream of the Crop: four malts, each aged 21 years or older and each the crème de la crème of the region.

Whisky Partners

Our whisky partners are also on hand to curate bespoke experiences for your guests. Connect with the Dram Caddy, Hamish Malcolm, to host a golf-inspired whisky tasting, head down for informal drams at the cities popular whisky snug The Malt Room or take a small group to Beau Wallace‘s secret whisky cellar and tasting room Grand Drams – tucked away just 700 yards from the hotel.