Whisky Trail

When thinking of Scotland, most people think almost simultaneously of the country’s popular Scotch Whisky. What would a visit of the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park be without experiencing Scotland’s most popular produce? From all the hundreds distilleries that once existed in Scotland about 100 are still active.

Below you can find 12 distilleries within the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park and those that are not more than 50 miles away from the Park. Most distilleries offer tours where you can learn how to create Scotland's popular drink and taste the results of the process at the end of the tour. Besides tours for beginners, some distilleries even offer tours for whisky experts or tours where you can create your own blended whisky. On the Whisky Lovers Trail you can find many bars and accommodation providers specialized on whisky. If you like to learn some basics about Scotch Whisky just have a look at the bottom of this page.

Whisky Regions

Scotch Whisky can be traditionally divided by its region where the whisky is produced. There are 5 traditional regions: The Highlands, Lowlands, Islay, Campbeltown and Spreyside. Spreyside in the north-east of Scotland has half the whisky distilleries and was traditionally considered as part of the Highland region. Now it is recognized as its own region as Campbeltown which has just recently recognized as an own whisky region again. All regions have their distinct character in taste.

Types of Scotch Whisky

There are basically two different types of Scotch Whisky: Single Malt Scotch Whisky and Single Grain Scotch Whisky. Single Malt Whisky is produced from only one distillery and has only water and malted barley as ingredients. Single Grain Scotch has whole grains of the cereals additionally to the ingredients Single Malt Whisky has. Besides these two types there are Blended Scotch Whiskies which can be divided into 3 types. Blended Malt Whisky, for example, is a blend of at least two different Single Malts from different distilleries. Blended Grain Whiskies is the same with the difference that Grain Whiskies and not Malt Whiskies are blended. A whisky that is called Blended Scotch Whisky is a blend of Single Malt(s) and Single Grain(s).

Flavours

Besides all the types mentioned above there is an additional way to categorize Scotch: Peated or not (less) peated. The Islay Region, for example, is well-known for its smoky flavour while the Highlands are known for the sweetness and are only slightly smoky. Also the Lowland as well as the Speyside whiskies are known for their light but complex flavours.

There are many words that can be used for describing the flavour of whisky. The most basic ones are: Fruity, floral, peaty, feinty, sulphury, woody, winey and cereal. For more general rather than precise descriptions, common words are: light, smooth, rich, clean, fresh, coarse, rich and heavy.

A Good Whisky

After having some basic knowledge about Scotch Whisky an important question arises:  How can I recognize a good whisky? Well, unfortunately (or luckily) there is no general answer and you have to try out which type(s) of Scotch you prefer the most. However, there are a few points that can help you not to get too disappointed:

Now that you are prepared for your whisky experience you just need to choose the distillery you like to visit. For more information about each distillery and the whisky they produce click on the buttons:

If you want to know which Distilleries and Breweries are in or nearby to Loch Lomond and the Trossachs
click here.