Did you know
Two brothers from Eigg.
Hugh and Kenneth MacAskill, brothers from Eigg, founded the distillery in 1830. They had bought Talisker House and a good deal of land on Skye five years earlier.
Isle of Skye
Talisker Distillery
Skye's oldest working distillery, on the shore of Loch Harport at Carbost since 1830.
Welcome
Talisker Distillery stands on the shore of Loch Harport at Carbost, in the shadow of the Cuillin, and has been making whisky since 1830.
Visited and photographed by Simon Hird
It is the oldest working distillery on Skye, and its single malt is celebrated for a bold maritime character: smoky, peppery and shaped by the sea.
The Distillery Tour and Tasting takes an hour with a guide, through the history and the making of the whisky, and ends with three drams. If you would rather not take a tour, the retail store and Campfire Bar welcome visitors for a dram or a cocktail, and the Three Chimneys serves lunch on the waterfront in front of the distillery. Booking ahead is strongly recommended, particularly in summer, and the distillery is about a 45-minute drive from Portree.
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Before you go
Booking ahead is strongly recommended, particularly in summer.
Children under 8 cannot go on tours, and groups are no bigger than 16.
- Where
- Talisker Distillery, Carbost, Isle of Skye IV47 8SR, on the shore of Loch Harport.
- Open
- Daily, 10am to 5pm from March to October and 10am to 4.30pm from November to February. Closed 25 and 26 December and 1 and 2 January. Distillery maintenance runs from 11 October to 1 November 2026, when the Distillery Tour and Tasting does not run; the shop is open seven days a week.
- Bar
- From 11am on opening days, with last orders at 4.30pm from March to October and 4pm from November to February.
- Price
- Distillery Tour and Tasting from £22 a person (1 hour, 3 drams); Made by the Sea tasting from £20 (30 minutes); The Discovery Tour from £60 (1.5 hours). Prices read 21 October 2026.
- Booking
- Booking ahead is strongly recommended. Tours take up to 16 people, and bookings can be changed or refunded up to 48 hours before the tour.
- Parking
- Parking on site, with five accessible spaces in front of the main entrance, the nearest about 60 metres from the Brand Home building.
- Getting there
- About 45 minutes by car from Portree and roughly three hours from Inverness. A stop on a local Skye bus route is about two minutes' walk away; services are limited, so check Traveline Scotland.
- Access
- The Brand Home building, with the bar, shop and tastings, is on one level and step-free. The distillery building has a lift to the first floor, but the Upper Tun Room and some areas of the Still House are up internal staircases. Accessible toilets are in the Brand Home.
- Children
- Children under 8 are not permitted on tours; those aged 8 and over are welcome with a valid ticket. Anyone under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.
- Dogs
- Guests visiting with a dog are advised to check the distillery's current policy before arriving.
- Food
- The Three Chimneys at Talisker, on the waterfront in front of the distillery, serves lunch from 12 to 3 in winter and from 12 to 7 from April, and is closed on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
Opening hours
- Monday
- 10am–4.30pm
- Tuesday
- 10am–4.30pm
- Wednesday
- 10am–4.30pm
- Thursday
- 10am–4.30pm
- Friday
- 10am–4.30pm
- Saturday
- 10am–4.30pm
- Sunday
- 10am–4.30pm
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Add your reviewDid you know
Did you know
The King o' drinks.
In 1880 Robert Louis Stevenson, the author of Kidnapped and Treasure Island, wrote that his idea of the king o’ drinks was Talisker, Islay or Glenlivet.
Did you know
The fire that saved it.
A major fire in 1960 meant the stillhouse had to be rebuilt. That fresh investment may well have saved Talisker when many of its sister distilleries closed in the 1980s.
Did you know
Five stills, and a U-bend.
Talisker runs two wash stills and three spirit stills, a layout left over from triple distillation before 1928. The wash stills' pipes bend in a U to send some vapour back for a second run.
Did you know
Why 45.8 per cent.
Talisker is traditionally bottled at 45.8 per cent, a strength blenders say shows off its spice and intensity best.
Ben Lerwill
From our guide to Skye
The reputation of Skye’s oldest working distillery goes before it. Standing on the shores of Loch Harport since the year 1830, and granting superb views of the Cuillins, Talisker is well known for its full-bodied single malt. Tours and tastings let you see for yourself why the fuss is deserved.
Read more
What is on
What is new across Skye, day by day.
New places, news and stories, as we find them.
What is on on SkyeWhere it is
On the shore of Loch Harport at Carbost, about a 45-minute drive from Portree.
Close byThe places nearest the distillery, around Carbost.
Caora Dhubh Coffee CompanyA tin-roofed coffee shack on the shore of Loch Harport, across the car park from the Talisker distillery.Under a mile 1 min by road
The Bar at Talisker DistilleryThe whisky bar in Talisker Distillery's Brand Home at Carbost on Skye, open from 11am with tasting flights and cocktails.Under a mile 1 min by road
The Three Chimneys at TaliskerThe Three Chimneys' restaurant beside the Talisker distillery, on the edge of Loch Harport, cooking seafood to go with the whisky.Under a mile 1 min by road
The Oyster ShedA seafood shed up the hill from Carbost, shucking oysters to order over Loch Harport.Under a mile 3 min by road
Talisker BayA beach of stones and sand on the west coast of Skye, with a sea stack at one end and a waterfall off the cliffs at the other.5 miles 8 min by road
Fairy PoolsClear pools and falls on the Allt Coire a' Mhadaidh where it comes down Coire na Creiche into Glen Brittle, under the north side of the Black Cuillin.5 miles 7 min by road
Stay nearby
Places to stay near the distillery, and when each is next free.
Skyewalker Hostel- Sleeps 27
- In Portnalong
- 3 miles from Carbost
Sligachan Campsite- To stay
- In Sligachan
- 7 miles from Carbost
Sligachan Blackhouses- Sleeps 6
- In Sligachan
- 7 miles from Carbost
Glenbrittle Campsite- To stay
- In Glenbrittle
- 7 miles from Carbost
Make a day of it
Talisker Distillery and lunch at Carbost
Talisker Distillery is stop 1 of 2 on a day we have planned, with the drives worked out.
You are here01Talisker DistilleryA short walk- 02DinnerThe Three Chimneys at TaliskerThe end of the day
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Read on
What we have written about it, the collections it is in and more on Skye.
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Find out more
For further reading, before you go. The details on this page were checked on .
- Talisker DistilleryTours, tastings, opening hours and how to get there.malts.comOfficial↗
- Distillery Tour and TastingThe one-hour tour with three drams, with prices and booking.malts.comOfficial↗
- The Three Chimneys at TaliskerLunch on the waterfront in front of the distillery.talisker.threechimneys.co.ukOfficial↗
- Traveline ScotlandBus times and journey planning for Skye.travelinescotland.comOfficial↗
- Talisker Distillery: a whisky jewel in Skye's crownThe distillery's history, from the MacAskills to the fire, and how its stills work.whiskymag.comWhisky Magazine↗
- Talisker BayThe walk to the bay at the settlement of Talisker.walkhighlands.co.ukWalking guide↗