HighlandSingle Malt Scotch Whisky

To call Highland single malts diverse is an understatement: stretching from the Glasgow commuter belt to the Pentland Firth and from the fertile east coast to the rugged west, this vast area boasts a rich variety of distillery styles. From light and grassy to heavily sherried – these are whiskies that refuse to be pigeonholed.

Highland whisky is the most stylistically diverse in Scotland

All points of the compass

The simplest way to sub-divide the stylistically disparate 30 surviving distilleries in the Highlands is by geography: Southern for those nearest the Highland Line; Western for the few scattered along the Hebridean coast; Northern for the eastern coastline above Inverness; Eastern along the coast either side of Aberdeen; and Central for the remaining cluster, mostly in Perthshire.

Song of the south

The few distilleries remaining within easy reach of Glasgow and Stirling illustrate this diversity in microcosm: from grassily intense, deceptively powerful Glengoyne to multi-faceted, iconoclastic Loch Lomond; and from the evolving character of ex-mill Deanston to the nuttily fragrant resurrected plant at Tullibardine.

Go west…

The serpentine curves of Scotland’s Hebridean coast are now something of a wasteland for distilleries, but a newcomer is helping to change that: Adelphi’s Ardnamurchan Distillery is the most westerly on the mainland and is set to produce a mix of peated and unpeated spirit.

The long road to its lonely location at Glenbeg makes Ardnamurchan’s new visitor centre an unlikely bet for passing trade, but the other two Western Highland distilleries enjoy more efficient transport links: the maritime fruitiness of Oban and the muscly spiciness of Ben Nevis.

Glengoyne is known for its powerful style of whisky

Moving north…

The eastern coastline north of Inverness is a hotbed of whisky individuality. There’s a general tendency towards medium-weight spirit with a hint of brine, but here you’ll also find the lightly fragrant spice of Glenmorangie, the rich complexity of Dalmore and the uniquely waxy Clynelish.

Eastern contrasts

The Eastern Highlands, taking in Banff and Aberdeen, and heading south towards Montrose, are home to wildly differing distilleries, from Glendronach and Glenglassaugh – tending towards a richer Speyside style – to the more austere, smokier delights of Glen Garioch and Ardmore.

Journey to the centre

Perthshire once counted 70 or so distilleries within its borders; now there are only six in the whole of the Central Highlands. The survivors range from the thickly fruited spice of Aberfeldy and grassy Royal Lochnagar in the shadow of Balmoral, to the succulent honeyed richness of Dalwhinnie.

Did you know?

• The Highlands is the largest geographical area in the Scotch Whisky classification
• Highland distilleries account for about 25% of Scotland’s malt whisky production; include Speyside and that figure rises to more than 85%
• Only three distilleries are allowed to use the ‘Royal’ epithet in their names, and all are in the Highlands: Royal Brackla, Glenury Royal (now closed) and Royal Lochnagar

Distilleries in Highland