Fettercairn Whisky Tour

OVERVIEW

Tour a nearly 200-year-old Scotch distillery and sample a dram of its exceptionally refined whisky. From the day it opened in 1824, Fettercairn distillery has operated a bit differently. Illegal whisky makers were hired as the first still men because of their uncanny natural talents for distilling. The family of four-term Prime Minister William Gladstone once owned the property. Even more unusual is that pure water from the Cairngorms Mountains is not only used as an ingredient but also to cool the outside of the copper stills to increase the condensation inside. While touring, you will observe the unique distilling process and the dunnage warehouses where the whisky is aged and develops most of its flavor. It makes for a difference that you can taste, as you will discover by sampling one of Fettercairn’s single-malt whiskies. It will most likely be the amber honey-colored 12-year-old. If so, be sure to note the soft spice taste and black toffee finish.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Tour a 16th-century castle that generations of the Burnett family lived in for 350 years.
• See the ivory horn that Robert the Bruce gave the family, along with the land for the castle.
• Stroll the walled gardens and admire the oversized, highly fragrant Malmaison Carnations.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.