The Land of A visitor guide to one of ’s five whisky regions. Whisky

The practice of distilling whisky No two are the same; each has has been lovingly perfected its own proud heritage, unique throughout Scotland for centuries setting and its own way of doing and began as a way of turning things that has evolved and been rain-soaked barley into a drinkable refined over time. Paying a visit to spirit, using the fresh water a distillery lets you discover more from Scotland’s crystal-clear about the environment and the springs, streams and burns. people who shape the taste of the you enjoy. So, when To this day, distilleries across the you’re sitting back and relaxing country continue the tradition with a dram of our most famous of using pure spring water from export at the end of your distillery the same sources that have been tour, you’ll be appreciating the used for centuries. essence of Scotland as it swirls in your glass. From the source of the water and the shape of the still to the wood Home to the greatest concentration of the cask used to mature the of distilleries in the world, Scotland spirit, there are many factors that is divided into five distinct make Scotch whisky so whisky regions. These are , wonderfully different and varied Speyside, Highland, Lowland and from distillery to distillery. Campbeltown.

Find out more information about whisky, how it’s made, what foods to pair it with and more: www.visitscotland.com/whisky For more information on travelling in Scotland: www.visitscotland.com/travel Search and book accommodation: www.visitscotland.com/accommodation Campbeltown

With just three working distilleries, A victim of its own popularity, the Campbeltown is the smallest demand for the region’s whisky whisky-producing region in was so great that distilleries Scotland. While some have couldn’t keep up and ultimately argued that this doesn’t warrant the quality of its malt whisky the area being designated a dramatically began to fall. whisky region, the characteristics Campbeltown fell into further of the town’s single malts are decline when rival whisky region incomparable to others around Speyside was connected to the the country and have earned newly-built railways in the north a loyal following of whisky of Scotland, allowing superior enthusiasts. quality spirit to reach the market more quickly. In its heyday, the small harbour town of Campbeltown Nowadays, the three distilleries was a prolific whisky producer that remain in Campbeltown with more than 30 legal produce whisky with a curious distilleries, once earning it the mix of characteristics quite unlike moniker of ‘whisky capital of anything in Scotland. Although the world’ before later being local sources are depleted, peat conferred on Dufftown in from Tomintoul in the Highlands Speyside. ensures the single malts retain their historic smoky palate. The With ample pasture and many proximity of the distilleries to the local farms growing barley, rolling sea mists from the Mull of coupled with nearby peat bogs Kintyre has ultimately ensured and coal mines, Campbeltown that maritime influences are very distillers had all the resources prominent in Campbeltown’s dry they needed to produce fine single malts, both with a whiff of Scotch whisky at their fingertips. the sea on the nose and a salt, It is little surprising then that the briny flavour on the palate. town became such a whisky boomtown in the 1800s. The key Browse the listings in this guide to its success however was its to find out more information about GLEN SCOTIA bustling port, with the arrival of the distilleries in the Campbeltown ships from around the world en region, how to visit them or simply route to and from – which of their drams to sample. GLENGYLE the ‘second city of the Empire’.

Be sure to check out our guides for the other four whisky regions: SPRINGBANK Islay, Highland, Lowland and Speyside. www.visitscotland.com/distilleries-guides SAMPLE Glengyle/ • Kilkerran Single Malt Fun Facts: Every year, the Kintyre Pensinsula celebrates with the Kilkerran WHERE TO BUY Music Festival, where you can hear the very best of traditional and Distillery Available to purchase online. contemporary Celtic music. Tours available LOCATION Glen Scotia Campbeltown. Distillery HOW TO GET THERE Tours available Campbeltown sits at the southern tip of the Kintyre peninsula. LOCATION The A83 runs the length of the Campbeltown. peninsula from Arrochar near where it becomes the HOW TO GET THERE A82 to Glasgow. is located on High Street in Campbeltown. OVERVIEW The is situated OVERVIEW in the centre of Campbeltown on One of only three distilleries left Glebe Street, and it has a long in Campbeltown, Glen Scotia’s and colourful history, starting with original site on Parliament Street a tale of two brothers. William is said to be where the Stone of Mitchell and his brother John ran Destiny came from. the , just down the road. They were farmers who Glen Scotia Distillery is one of worked hard to produce barley to the smallest in Scotland, and was use in the distilling process. After founded in 1832. The area around a quarrel between the two, William the distillery is known for mist, left the family business to start up which rolls in off the sea, and the the Glengyle Distillery on his own town’s are characterised in 1872. by this distinctive, salty tang.

After some economic setbacks, SAMPLE Mitchell’s Glengyle has made • Glen Scotia 15 Year Old substantial contributions to the • Glen Scotia Double Cask Campbeltown distilling industry, • Glen Scotia Victoriana producing a rare single malt which has been savoured for WHERE TO BUY generations. Many distilleries Available online. in this region have closed and Glengyle is one of the few remaining working distilleries, in a region which was formerly known for its booming whisky producers.

The whisky is sold under the name of Kilkerran, due to the fact that the Glengyle name was already Looking out over the harbour used in another Highland blend. at Campbeltown

06 the majority of distilleries concern Springbank themselves with consistency, Springbank is less concerned Distillery resulting in some of its 10 Year Old single malts, for instance, being Tours available more sherried than others – an additional quirk to a very unique LOCATION distillery. Campbeltown. SAMPLE HOW TO GET THERE • Springbank 10 Year Old Campbeltown sits at the southern • Springbank 12 Year Old tip of the Kintyre peninsula. • Springbank 15 Year Old The A83 runs the length of the • Springbank 18 Year Old peninsula from Arrochar near Loch • Springbank 21 Year Old Lomond where it becomes the • Longrow Peated A82 to Glasgow. Tours start from • Longrow Red Cadenhead’s Whisky Shop at 30 • Longrow 18 Year Old Union Street, which is at the end • Hazelburn 10 Year Old of the A83 in Campbeltown town • Hazelburn 12 Year Old centre. WHERE TO BUY OVERVIEW Available at most major retailers As most distilleries in Scotland and online. are centuries-old businesses, many have changed hands several times over the decades. OTHER NEARBY The one exception to the rule is ATTRACTIONS IN Springbank, which remains the CAMPBELTOWN only independent, family-owned • Campbeltown Museum distillery in Scotland. First founded • Campbeltown Heritage Centre in 1828 on the site of Archibald • Skipness Castle Mitchell’s illicit still, the distillery • Tarbert Castle is still going today in the hands • Taynish NNR, near Tayvallich of Mitchell’s great-great-great- • Kilmartin Glen grandson, Hedley Wright.

Campbeltown was once known as the ‘whisky capital of the world’, but it slipped into decline leaving only three working distilleries today. Much of the original Springbank Distillery remains intact, including decades-old machinery like the mill and kilns. As such, traditional methods are still employed by hand, including malting the barley on the distillery’s malting floor.

It is also the only distillery to make whisky using a unique process called two-and-a-half- times distillation. The first half of the distillation (the low wines) is redistilled a second time, before being added to the second half for Whisky barrels outside a third and final distillation. While Springbank Distillery

08 09 Driving around Scotland is a great way to see more of the country but before you head out exploring by car, there are a few rules and regulations you should be aware of: www.visitscotland.com/travel/information/driving-in-scotland Be sure to check out our guides for the other four regions. Drink responsibly: find useful information about drinking:www.drinksmarter.org

10