Join 9 Maple Avenue and Travel Directions, Inc. on a journey through Scotland to explore and taste Single Malt Scotch at Scottish distilleries and visit many historical sights.
During this 8-night / 9-day tour, we will spend 3 nights in Edinburgh, 1 night in Oban and 4 nights in the Speyside region of Scotland, the heart of whisky making. A total of 8 different distilleries will be visited on this trip
Even though the focus of this trip is single malt scotch, we will be visiting many other historical sights as well including: Edinburgh Castle, St Giles Cathedral, Inverary Castle, Urquhart Castle, Dufftown, Ballindalloch Castle, the Speyside Cooperage and the Blair Castle.
Distilleries include: Oban, Ben Nevis, Glenfiddich, Balvenie, Glenlivet, Aberlour, Macallan and Dalwhinnie. We we also visit the Scotch Whisky Experience in Edinburgh.
Trip Information
Highlights:
- Explore and tour beautiful Edinburgh with visits to the Edinburgh Castle and St Giles Cathedral
- The Gold Tour at the Scotch Whisky Experience
- Drive along and see various Lochs, including Loch Ness on our way to the Speyside region
- Tour the famous 17th-century Inverary Castle where an episode of Downton Abbey was filmed
- Enjoy the charming port town of Oban and sample some of the local seafood
- Take the Executive Tour of the Ben Nevis distillery
- Relax in Aberlour, where the group is based for 4 nights to explore the heart of whisky making
- Visit Dufftown, a vibrant and thriving Highland community
- See where the finest casks from the best American Oak are made at the Speyside Cooperage
- Classic Speyside Scotch distillery visits include Glenfiddich, Glenlivet, Aberlour and Macallan
- Explore the 700 years of history in 30 rooms of the Blair Castle
Price $2,400.00
Included:
- 8 overnights at hotels and inns including breakfast
- Private transportation
- Two tour leaders – Matt from 9 Maple and Charles from Travel Directions
- Visits to 8 single malt scotch distilleries
- Special Tastings
- Comprehensive sightseeing including all admissions
- Roundtrip transfers
- All taxes
Not included:
- International Air
Recommended for:
If you enjoy a relaxing trip filled with pubs, distilleries, sights and good company, this trip to Scotland is for you.
This special, once-in-a-lifetime experience will bring you to the heart of Single Malt Scotch making. And we will also visit some of the top historical places in Scotland.
Your Trip Leaders
Trip leaders are Matt Ferguson, a whisky connoisseur from 9 Maple, and Charles Grabitzky from Travel Directions, who leads small groups around the world.
9 Maple Avenue is an intimate jazz bar set in Saratoga Springs, NY. It has the largest selection of whiskies between Manhattan and Montreal. It holds monthly Angel’s Share whiskey tastings. Matt Ferguson has worked for 9 Maple for more than a decade and is a connoisseur of whiskey from around the world.
Charles Grabitzky has been providing guided tours with Travel Directions throughout the world over the past twenty years. Travel Directions is located in Saratoga Springs, NY.
Trip Details
Scotland is part of the United Kingdom and covers the northern third of the island of Great Britain. It shares a border with England to the south, and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, with the North Sea to the east and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the southwest.
In addition to the mainland, the country is made up of more than 790 islands, including the Northern Isles and the Hebrides.
This tour includes three nights in Edinburgh, the capital city of Scotland. We will also travel in a loop through the Highlands and Speyside regions with an overnight stay in Oban and a four-night stay in Aberlour.
“It is true that I once refused to eat haggis in Scotland and that did not sit well with the local population.” – Rick Riordan
Distilleries to be visited:
- Oban Distillery
- Ben Nevis Distillery
- Glenfiddich
- Balvenie
- Glenlivet
- Aberlour
- Macallan
- Dalwhinnie
We will also visit the Scotch Whisky Experience in Edinburgh.
The hotels for this Scotland adventure were picked for their excellence in both quality and location.
Best Western Plus Bruntsfield Hotel:
The Best Western Plus Bruntsfield Hotel is a 4-star town house hotel just a short stroll from Edinburgh city center. It’s perfectly located for visiting all of the major sights and is located near many restaurants, pubs and shops.
Columba Hotel Oban:
Sitting on the North Pier, overlooking the scenic islands and Oban Bay, the Columba Hotel Oban is a perennially popular and very well know Oban hotel offering fantastic accommodation with a great focus on guest service. It is a perfect location to explore the vibrant seaside town which has so much to offer.
Dowans Hotel Aberlour:
A grand Victorian mansion set in ornate terraced gardens and commanding views of the beautiful Spey Valley below, the Dowans Hotel has all the comforts of the 21st century without losing any of the building’s original Victorian charm.
2 Nights in Edinburgh, Private coach to Oban for one night, Private Coach to Aberlour for 4 nights, return to Edinburgh for 1 night.
Itinerary Summary
- Friday, September 18 Day 1, Arrive in Edinburgh for 2 nights, Afternoon City Tour
- Saturday, September 19 Day 2, Edinburgh – Full Day City Tour including visits to Edinburgh Castle, St Giles Cathedral and the Scotch Whisky Experience (B)
- Sunday, September 20 Day 3, Oban – Depart Edinburgh to Oban for 1 night, visit the Inverary Castle and Oban Distillery (B)
- Monday, September 21 Day 4, Aberlour – Depart Oban to Aberlour for 4 nights, visit the Ben Nevis Distillery and Urquhart Castle (B)
- Tuesday, September 22 Day 5, Aberlour – visit the Glenfiddich and Balvenie Distilleries, and Dufftown (B)
- Wednesday, September 23 Day 6, Aberlour – tour the Ballindalloch Castle and visit the Glenlivet Distillery (B)
- Thursday, September 24 Day 7, Aberlour – visit the Aberlour and Macallan Distilleries, and the Speyside Cooperage (B)
- Friday, September 25 Day 8, Edinburgh – Depart Aberlour to Edinburgh for 1 night, visit the Dalwhinnie Distillery and the Blair Castle (B)
- Saturday, September 26 Day 9, Depart for home (B)
Breakfast (B) – 8
Contact Us for More Information and Itinerary Details