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Whisky
in Moray.

It’s 14:08 in Moray.
Morayshire

Whisky in Moray.

The ones we know best first. Swipe for more, or scroll down for every one.

Glenfiddich Distillery→
Cardhu Distillery→
From the magazine13 hours ago

Speyside, in Moray, is said to have more than half of Scotland's malt whisky distilleries, largely thanks to the water of the River Spey.

The Spey carries a great volume of water from the mountains to the coast, and that water holds fewer dissolved minerals than in other parts of the country, which goes towards producing a gentler, fruitier malt. The river even decides who can use the name. To be classed as a Speyside whisky, a distillery has to stand on or near its banks, and draw its water from the river itself or from the springs and streams that flow into it. Glenfiddich and Glenlivet are the best known, but Glenrothes, Aberlour and Balvenie are well worth tasting too.

Read the full story in Issue 9
Distillery of the day12 hours ago

Strathisla Distillery.

A Speyside distillery on the River Isla at Keith, founded in 1786, whose single malt goes into Chivas Regal.

Read about it
Did you know12 hours agoLucy GillmoreWritten byLucy GillmoreRead Lucy’s piece

Speyside's Malt Whisky Trail links eight of Scotland's most famous distilleries, with tours and tutored tastings.

‘The actual number of working distilleries here, however, is 51. Most are not normally open to the public, but during the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival, many of them throw open their doors for a few days which is one of the biggest draws.’

Lucy GillmoreWritten byLucy GillmoreRead Lucy’s pieceSee Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival 2027 · Morayshire
Quiz11 hours ago

Cardhu distillery takes its name from the Gaelic. What does it mean?

Did you know11 hours ago

Glenfiddich takes its name from the Gaelic for valley of the deer, which is where the stag in its emblem comes from.

The distillery is still owned by William Grant & Sons and run by the fifth generation of Grant's descendants.

See Glenfiddich Distillery · Morayshire
In Issue 13The magazine

The Unsung Corner

Sam Heughan grew up in the grounds of a ruined castle above Loch Ken. Three decades on he's back, building a net-zero distillery in the Galloway hills. He talks to Rosie Morton about coming home.

Read it in Issue 13
A pairing10 hours agoMorayshireGlenfiddich DistilleryBalvenie Castle, 0.2 milesMorayshireCardhu DistilleryBallindalloch Castle and Gardens, 4.1 milesMorayshireStrathisla DistilleryHuntly Castle, 9.0 miles

A castle and a dram.

The distilleries with a castle within ten miles: the tour in the morning, the ramparts after lunch.

See all the distilleries
Did you know10 hours ago

The Grant family of Glenfiddich only began blending whisky because their biggest customer, the Pattisons of Leith, went bust in 1898.

When the Leith firm collapsed in December 1898, the Grants were left without their largest buyer. So they began blending their own whisky, and went on to build export markets in many countries. The early blend that did best took its name from the old slogan of Clan Grant: 'Stand fast Craigellachie'.

See Glenfiddich Distillery · Morayshire
Quiz9 hours ago

Balvenie Castle, on the northern edge of Dufftown near Glenfiddich distillery, was once held for a yearly rent of what?

Did you know8 hours ago

William Grant built Glenfiddich partly from stones lifted out of the bed of the River Fiddich, and the whole distillery cost just over £800.

When Grant and his family built it by Dufftown in 1886 and 1887, they saved every penny they could. Where they were able, they used stones from the river itself, buying quarried stone only for the biggest buildings, the warehouse and the malt barn. The distillery that became one of the best-known names in whisky had cost a little over £800 by the time its first spirit flowed.

See Glenfiddich Distillery · Morayshire
From our guide8 hours ago

Speyside Cooperage.

Whisky wouldn’t be whisky without the oak casks it matures in, and the age-old art of coopering (or cask-making) is alive and well at the Speyside Cooperage. Take a tour to watch the practitioners at work – shaping, shaving and charring their barrels – while learning about the skills that go into the trade. Recommended.

See the place
Did you know7 hours ago

When John Walker & Sons bought Cardhu distillery in 1893, the Cumming family who founded it kept running it.

The Kilmarnock blenders had been buying Cardhu's whisky for years before they bought the distillery on Speyside itself. The sale came with terms: the Cummings would go on running Cardhu and have a seat on the Walker board. More than a century later, Cardhu's single malt is still a key part of the Johnnie Walker blends.

See Cardhu Distillery · Morayshire
From Issue 2 of Hidden Scotland magazineIssue 27 hours ago

The Story of Speyside

Christopher Coates on how Speyside became the home of malt whisky, from George IV calling for Glenlivet in Edinburgh in 1822 to the smugglers, taxes and Highland line behind it.

Read the story