Glengoyne Distillery

Glengoyne Distillery sits at the foot of Dumgoyne hill on the A81, a few miles south of Killearn and within easy reach of both Glasgow and the southern edge of the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park. It has distilled here since 1833, when it opened as the Burnfoot distillery, taking the name Glengoyne, from the Gaelic for the glen of the wild geese, in the early twentieth century. Ian Macleod Distillers has owned it since 2003.

The distillery is known for an unpeated Highland single malt and for what it bills as Scotland’s slowest stills, a deliberately gentle distillation the guides present as the key to the spirit’s soft, fruity character. The barley is air-dried rather than kiln-dried over peat, and much of the whisky matures in sherry-seasoned oak. A quirk of geography runs through every tour: the still house stands just inside the Highlands while the maturation warehouses sit across the A81 in the Lowlands, the old Highland Line running between them.

Visits run seven days a week and range from a standard tour and tasting through to longer experiences: a tutored tasting of several expressions, a chocolate pairing with the Highland Chocolatier, and the Malt Master session, where visitors blend and bottle their own single malt in the sample room. A shop stocks the core range and distillery-only bottlings.

Booking ahead is recommended. Dumgoyne, near Killearn, G63 9LB. Tour times and bookings by phone on 01360 550254 or via the Glengoyne website.