Distillery Visit | Wild Turkey

Wild Turkey is one of the gems of the American whiskey industry and home to a family dynasty that spans three generations. Recently, Matt was invited to Kentucky to visit the distillery and new visitor centre, which are about one hour's drive south of Louisville, and meet the names behind the brand.

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When driving through Kentucky in May you could almost think you were in Scotland. Green rolling hills and farms zip by. But once you hit the town of Lawrenceburg, where the Wild Turkey distillery is located, this changes. Now you are definitely NOT in Scotland. The quaint main street is lined on either side with old colonial buildings, each adorned with a fluttering Stars & Stripes flag. Now you know that you are well and truly in Kentucky - the heartbeat of the American whiskey industry. 

Distillery Visit | Lochlea

The rolling hills of rural Ayrshire are home to one of Scotland’s most up-and-coming new single malt distilleries – Lochlea. The distillery is one of very few in Scotland to operate a true ‘field to bottle’ policy and they are beginning to make waves in the Scotch whisky world and beyond with a series of impressive early releases. Last Autumn, Matt was invited to pay a visit. 

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The journey to Lochlea was met with very poor weather, often described in Scotland as ‘driech’. A bumpy flight from London and the following drive to the distillery through torrential rain were fairly brutal. Hats off to Sarah from Lochlea’s marketing team who came to pick us up from Glasgow and got us to the distillery safely. She really pulled the short straw that day. 

Distillery Visit / Ad Gefrin

With Ad Gefrin, England has its newest single malt whisky distillery. It also has the country’s most northernly, sitting just a few miles from the Scottish border in the small town of Wooler in the far north of Northumberland. With its opening last month, Ad Gefrin brings the total number of distilleries making whisky in England to 40. Matt was invited for a visit.

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Ad Gefrin is impressive. From the road it cuts an imposing figure with its glass-fronted still house showing passers-by that whisky is now being made there. The £16 million project was conceived and funded by the Ferguson family and is unlike any distillery that you will see. The family’s love of history and whisky has been combined in a unique way. But more on that later … 

Distillery Visit / White Peak

Nestled next to the bustling River Derwent in the heart of the English county of Derbyshire there is a quiet whisky revolution going on. This is where the White Peak distillery is located, close to the small town of Ambergate near Matlock. 

They have wasted no time in joining the English whisky elite and have already won several awards despite only releasing their first whisky just over a year ago. Matt took a trip to the Peak District to take a look for ourselves.

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Several years ago, Max and Claire Vaughan had a dream. That dream was to open an English whisky distillery in their home county of Derbyshire. This became a reality in 2015 and White Peak was born. In doing so, it would become Derbyshire's first ever single malt and join the ever-expanding English whisky scene. 

Distillery Visit / Dalmore

The Dalmore distillery and its range of single malts are held in high regard by whisky drinkers and collectors alike. Sitting in a gorgeous location on the shores of the Cromarty Firth and looking across to the Black Isle, this north Highland distillery is currently closed to the public. 

The reason - a combination of the recent Covid pandemic and forthcoming planned extension work that will see the production capacity doubled. We were delighted to receive an invite to visit last November.

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Dalmore was founded in 1839 by Alexander Matheson and is located in the small Highland town of Alness, which is around 35 minutes drive north of Inverness. The name translates from the local Gaelic as 'big meadow' and the water used in production is taken from the nearby Loch Morie. This flows the 10 miles from the loch to the distillery via the River Averon.

Distillery Visit / Fettercairn

Tucked away at the foothills of the Cairngorm mountains sits a hidden gem of a distillery. Turning off the A90, the main road between Aberdeen and Dundee, the country lanes begin to narrow to the point where you wonder where you are going. Then you see the sign of Distillery Road and your destination sitting on the curve ahead - the distillery of Fettercairn.

The distillery has been there since 1824 and looks like many traditional distilleries of the age. However, something very contemporary is happening there as Fettercairn spearheads a programme to reintroduce Scottish oak to the Scotch whisky industry and its expressive flavours into people's glasses. We were invited to learn more about the distillery and innovative project.

Distillery Visit / Glenkinchie

Despite having been to Edinburgh for work and pleasure on numerous occasions, we had somehow never got around to visiting Glenkinchie. For much of its recent history this unassuming distillery was the closest to Scotland's capital and attracted many visitors because of the fact. Now it has increasing competition with the Holyrood distillery built right in the centre of Edinburgh and a couple more new ones out in Leith. So what have owners Diageo done? Given it a major revamp and made it even more important than ever.

Glenkinchie is now the official Lowland home of Johnnie Walker, the world's best selling Scotch whisky of which its single malt is an important component. The distillery is one of four dotted around Scotland that each play a similarly influential role within the famous blended range. The other three official regional homes of Johnnie Walker that form Diageo's Four Corners of Scotland are Caol Ila on Islay, Cardhu in Speyside and Clynelish in the Highlands. Each has been renovated to tell each distillery's individual story within the wider Johnnie Walker tale.

Distillery Visit - Clydeside

Visiting a distillery for the first time and adding it to our list is always exciting. But when that distillery is new and has just started production, then it is even more exciting. This was the case when Matt paid a visit to the Clydeside distillery in Glasgow and was given a tour of their state-of-the-art facilities that are pulling whisky fans down to the banks of the River Clyde.

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From the moment you approach the Clydeside, you cannot help but be impressed. Walking along the River Clyde from the centre of Glasgow takes you passed the modern architecture of the SSE Hydro complex and the disused Finnieston Crane, a true ghost of Glasgow's maritime past. Soon afterwards the distillery appears around a curve in the river.

Distillery Visit - Paul John

The Paul John distillery in Goa has been helping to to put Indian single malt on the world whisky map with a string of award-winning products. Tobias Gorn, friend of us at Whisky For Everyone, was recently invited to visit as part of his work with the IWSC and agreed to write about it for us.

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To be invited to a distillery many miles away in Goa, India is a great honour and pleasure. The story begins when I had the recent privilege to be invited to judge at an Indian drinks competition in Mumbai; my good friend, fellow judge and whisky legend Steve Beal received an invite which he kindly extended to some fellow international judges. The kindness and generosity was greatly appreciated and I could not refuse.

Distillery Visit - The Macallan

The last five years have been extremely vibrant for the whisky industry. Many new distilleries and whisky-making projects of varying sizes have been proposed and built. Arguably one of the biggest and most controversial is the re-housing of The Macallan, the hugely popular single malt brand, in to a brand new production facility. This opened back in the Summer and Matt paid a visit to take a look on a recent visit to Speyside.

Distillery Visit - Blair Athol

Blair Athol is a gem of a distillery. Nestled in the centre of the Highlands at the southern end of the town of Pitlochry, the distillery is one of the oldest in Scotland that remains in operation. Long labeled as 'The Home of Bell's', it is now starting to market itself in its own right. One recent crisp Autumn afternoon, Matt paid a visit.

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My first recollection of Blair Athol as a fledgling whisky fan was not favourable. Driving through Pitlochry and heading south, we had spotted the distillery. Outside was a massive sign proclaiming it as 'The House of Bell's'. At the time, my thinking was that single malts were better than blends and it instantly made me disinterested in the place. Now, a decade later I know better.

Distillery Visit - Glen Scotia

Glen Scotia is a single malt distillery located in the town of Campbeltown at the end of the Mull of Kintyre peninsula. The town was once a major centre for Scotch whisky production with over 30 distilleries operating during its Victorian heyday. 

Now only three remain – Glengyle and Springbank being the other two. Earlier this year we were invited for a private tour of Glen Scotia with Iain MacAlister, the Distillery Manager.

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Glen Scotia sits a couple of streets back from Campbeltown's largest curving natural harbour. In an unassuming side road is the distillery. It was founded in 1832 by members of the Stewart and Galbraith families and is currently operated by Loch Lomond Distillers, who have been involved since 1999. In 2014 it was taken over by Exponent Private Equity and they set about rescuing the ailing distillery.

Distillery Visit - Balcones

The Balcones distillery was ahead of its time and helped to kick off the craft distilling boom in the United States. They have also helped to put American single malt and Texan whisky on the map. Now the distillery is celebrating its 10th anniversary and Matt was invited over for a special tour.

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It seems difficult to imagine the spirits scene without any small artisanal distillers. However, this current landscape is very different to that of a decade ago when we first began writing Whisky For Everyone. The American whiskey sector was dominated by a limited number of major players and in our UK market there seemed little choice.

Distillery Visit - Benromach

The small Speyside distillery of Benromach is celebrating two anniversaries this year – 120 years since it was originally built and 20 years since it was renovated and reopened by Gordon & MacPhail. On a recent visit to Speyside, Matt was given a personal tour by Distillery Manager Keith Cruickshank on a bright sunny Spring morning.

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Benromach has long been a favourite single malt of Whisky For Everyone. The classic 10 years old won our first ever Whisky of the Year way back in 2009 and we have always been impressed with their releases, almost without exception. It is a delight to see the distillery going from strength to strength as it hits its 20th and 120th anniversaries.

Distillery Visit - Westland

The Westland distillery is located in the SoDo district of Seattle in the west coast American state of Washington. It was established by Matt Hoffman in 2010, who wanted to set up a craft distillery near to his home town of Tacoma following a period of studying brewing and distilling at Herriott Watt University in Edinburgh. Westland has recently been taken over by drinks company Remy Cointreau.

Washington has a vibrant craft brewing and distilling community. Washington and neighbouring Oregon are two of the major barley and hop growing areas in the world, which has driven this growth and vibrancy. The state also has a temperate climate and this is perfect for whiskey maturation.

Distillery Visit - Bushmills

The Bushmills distillery is located in the town of the same name in Northern Ireland. It sits up near the coast in Co. Antrim, close to the famous World Heritage Site of Giant's Causeway. During a recent long weekend over in Belfast, we decided to drive up and pay a visit to one of the oldest distilleries in the world.

Distillery Visit - Glen Ord

The Glen Ord distillery is located on the edge of the north Highland village of Muir of Ord. On a bleak October afternoon, and with a couple of spare hours to hand, I decided to take the short but scenic train ride from Inverness. The visit was one of nostalgia. Much like the trip to Glenmorangie earlier in the year, Glen Ord was one of the first distilleries that we visited on our fledgling whisky journey.

Distillery Visit - Glenmorangie

Glenmorangie has a special place in our hearts at Whisky For Everyone. Looking back you could argue that it is the place where it all started for us, the place that sparked our interest in whisky. It was over a decade ago and on a holiday to the north Highlands that we decided to ‘visit something synonymous with Scotland’. That something was the Glenmorangie distillery.

We did the basic tour and remember being fascinated by the place – its location, the whisky making process (although we cannot pretend to have understood it), the architecture and the whisky itself, which we sampled in a small tasting at the end. We left with a bottle of the now retired Cellar 13, which we considered expensive at £40 (oh, those were the days ...) and cracked it open on the sleeper train home to London.

Distillery Visit - Glendronach

It is not easy to find the distillery of Glendronach. The address is given as 'near Huntley' and as you drive along the busy A96 from Aberdeen towards Inverness you see a large brown tourist sign that tells the distillery is off to the right. But, then you drive. And drive. And drive, down and increasingly narrow and winding road.

You begin to wonder if you've gone wrong somewhere as the brown signs disappear, or if it even exists. But then you are rewarded - there nestled in a small valley is the padoga of a distillery. The picturesque scene means that you have finally reached your destination.

Distillery Visit - Talisker

The distillery of Talisker is located in the village of Carbost on the rugged Hebridean island of Skye. Talisker is a Viking word translating as 'sloping rock' and is named after Talisker Bay, which is about five miles away. The distillery was founded in 1830 by the MacAskill brothers and they were from the nearby island of Eigg. They purchased the land as it was cheap - this was because it was not good for farming. The village of Carbost was built at the same time as the distillery and the houses used for distillery workers.