Whisky of the Firths – Glen Ord, Tain and Balblair
A day by car, from Inverness and back.
The route
North of Inverness the coast is cut by three firths, the Beauly, the Cromarty and the Dornoch, and there is a distillery on or near each.
This is a day among them, from Inverness and back, with two distillery tours and lunch in Tain between. One tour is at Muir of Ord, a few miles in from the Beauly Firth, and the other at Edderton, above the Dornoch Firth, where Balblair dates itself to 1790. Two tours are as much as one day holds, so the other distilleries along these shores are left for another day.
Before you go
Book the Singleton of Glen Ord Distillery, Muir of Ord
Book the first morning tour at Glen Ord, one that has you back on the road by noon: check its start and length when booking.
Book Balblair's afternoon Discovery Experience, listed at 2.30pm, and confirm the time when booking: Balblair opens Monday to Saturday from April to September, Monday to Friday from October to March, and never on a Sunday.
Book a bed near Inverness
The day starts and ends in Inverness, so book a bed in or near the city if you are not already staying there. Anyone who has tasted should not drive that day; if in any doubt, leave the car until the next day.
The day
The firths
The day heads north from Inverness over two bridges, the Kessock and the Cromarty, with never more than an hour at the wheel at a time. The road home climbs over Struie Hill, high above the Dornoch Firth, and ends back in the city.
2 hr 33 min at the wheelAbout 90 miles
The Singleton of Glen Ord Distillery, Muir of Ord
An attraction
It's 27 minutes' drive over the Kessock Bridge to Tore, then west on the A832 to Muir of Ord; leave three-quarters of an hour before the tour. Glen Ord is where the Singleton is made. Book the morning's first tour and be on the road by noon. One drink can put a driver over Scotland's limit, so the driver drinks nothing. On a Monday Greens in Tain is shut, so lunch is at the Storehouse at Foulis Ferry, just past the Cromarty Bridge, with Balblair about 40 minutes on.
More about The Singleton of Glen Ord Distillery, Muir of Ord
53 min by car
Tain
Drive 53 minutes on by the A9, over the Cromarty Bridge and north past Alness. Tain is a royal burgh that owed much of its importance to the shrine of St Duthac, where King James IV came on pilgrimage at least once a year. Lunch is at Greens on the High Street, noon to 2.30pm, Tuesday to Saturday: ring 01862 893874. If Greens is full, ring Platform 1864 at the old station on 01862 894181. Leave Tain half an hour before your Balblair tour: by 2pm for a 2.30pm start.
13 min by car
Balblair Distillery
An attraction
It's 13 minutes' drive up the A9, past Glenmorangie, and west on the A836 to Edderton. Two tours fill this day, so Glenmorangie is not a stop. Balblair sits at the foot of Struie Hill and works with a single pair of stills. Book its afternoon Discovery Experience, for ages 12 and over. It is listed at 2.30pm: confirm the time when booking. Inverness is 60 minutes' drive home by the B9176 over Struie Hill; after dark, or in cloud, snow or ice, take the A836 and the A9 past Tain.
If it rains
Rain changes almost nothing: both tours and lunch are under a roof. What it takes away is the view from the Struie road on the way home. In low cloud, or in snow or ice, leave the B9176 alone and go home from Balblair by the A836 and the A9 past Tain, which takes about the same time.
Worth a detour
- Tain Museum
A short walk from the High Street, on Tower Street, Tain & District Museum and Clan Ross Centre is the volunteer-run museum of the old burgh and of Easter Ross, with its Pilgrimage Gallery. It opens from 10am to 4pm, Tuesday to Friday, from April to the end of October, and entry is free, with a donation invited. Half an hour here fits only if lunch is quick.
- The Struie viewpoint
The way home leaves the A836 about six miles west of Balblair and takes the B9176 over Struie Hill. About two miles up it, a lay-by looks over the Dornoch Firth and the Kyle of Sutherland: the Million Dollar View. It is on the day's own road, so it costs only the minutes spent looking. The road is high and open; in low cloud there is nothing to see, and in snow or ice the A9 by Tain is the way home.
Where to eat
Greens Restaurant, a restaurant in Tain.
Platform 1864, a restaurant in Tain.
Make it a weekend
