Day 1 You head north through the Kingdom of Fife to Lindores Abbey Distillery. This modern Scottish distillery is built on the site of the first ever recorded distiller in the country. After lunch in Braemar, you can sample the delights of the Royal Lochnagar distillery. The outstanding flavour of its whisky was appreciated by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert on one of many visits to their summer residence, Balmoral Castle. Once you’ve warmed with this dram of “the gentle spirit”, you continue through the Cairngorms National Park before reaching Grantown-on-Spey, your base for two nights. Day 2 Time for some fun. Today you spend the whole day exploring Scotland’s most famous whisky region. After a scenic drive towards the coast, your first stop of the day is at Glen Moray, where you can try whisky matured in a wide selection of casks. You travel back up the Spey River to Craigellachie for a visit to the Speyside Cooperage**, where you see another aspect of the whisky making process. After lunch in nearby Aberlour, you visit Cardhu Distillery, which is the first distillery pioneered by a woman, Helen Cumming. Today, Cardhu is the most important whisky in Johnnie Walker Black Label. From here you travel back to Grantown-on-Spey. **Speyside Cooperage will remain closed till 22nd May 2023. If your tour departs on 15th May, you will visit Strathisla distillery instead. And if your tour departs on the 17th May, you will visit Glen Grant Distillery instead. After 22nd May 2023 the Cooperage is visited on Monday and Wednesday departures. Day 3 In the morning you visit Scotland's highest distillery at Dalwhinnie, set in splendid mountain scenery at the heart of the Cairngorm National Park. You then leave the Highlands and journey south to Perthshire. Pitlochry is your lunch stop and later you drive to the Hermitage to get close to nature. Here you can take a fantastic woodland walk amongst the tallest trees in Britain and admire the Black Linn Falls. From here the route south takes you to Dunkeld, where you've got some time to explore, and then over the Firth of Forth and back to Edinburgh. **Itinerary and distillery visits are subject to change.

You leave Aberdeen in the morning and arrive in Royal Deeside, one of the favourite holiday locations of the British Royal Family. At the Cambus O’May forest, you can walk in the woods and re-energise in the pristine environment that makes this area such a draw for Queens, Princes, and Rabbie’s customers. Invigorated by the walk, you head deeper into the national park, as you travel past Cockbridge and Tomintoul. This legendary stretch of road regularly sees the first of the snowy winter weather and crosses the mountain pass known locally as the Lecht. You’ll have plenty of time for photo opportunities on this unforgettable route. Then you delve into the home of whisky, the Speyside region. Here, you stop at the Speyside Cooperage* where you get to know the history of Scotland’s oak casks. Next, you head to one of the Speyside towns for lunch before you visit Cardhu** distillery. This is the first distillery pioneered by a woman, Helen Cumming. Today, Cardhu is the most important whisky in Johnnie Walker Black Label. You leave Cardhu full of appreciation for whisky and arrive in Aberdeen in the early evening. It’s now up to you whether you continue the whisky tasting into the night. *Itinerary and distillery visits are subject to change. *Please note, for departures from 1st April 2024, the tour will not include a walk at Cambus O'May forest, but will include a visit and optional tasting at the Whisky Castle, Tomintoul. **Please note that Cardhu is observing their silent season from 28/09/2023 to 20/10/2023. Tours visiting Cardhu during this time will have a tasting and a talk about the production process at Cardhu. Unfortunately, access to the production facilities will not be available during this time. We apologise for any inconvenience.

The Cairngorms The day starts with a winding drive through the Aberdeenshire countryside and the Cairngorms, the UK's largest National Park. With stunning hills and mountains you will see dramatic views and wildlife on our way to our first stop. Corgarff Four specially commissioned sculptural seats by John Kennedy on the infamous Lecht Road offer spectacular views towards Corgarff Castle. There is an existing standing stone sculpture 'A Moment in Time' by Louise Gardiner which was designed to frame telescopic views of the Castle. Pack-horse Bridge The village of Carrbridge is famous for its 18th century pack-horse bridge, the river Dulnain snakes its way through this picturesque village before emptying into the River Spey. Not only is The Old Packhorse Bridge iconic within Carrbridge itself, but it is also one of the most recognisable landmarks in the whole of Cairngorms National Park, so grabbing a photograph or two is an absolute must. Capital City of the Highlands The city of Inverness has plenty to discover. Inverness city centre lies on the east bank of the river and some of the historic civic buildings are found in the centre including the Townhouse, Inverness Castle and several prominent churches. There are staircases and closes which take you into the residential parts of town, the Victorian Shopping Centre as well as East Gate Shopping Centre. You'll find a number of small cafes, pubs and restaurants for you to try. You'll have a some of free time to wander through the city and explore. As part of this tour you will have access to our Self-Guided audio tour of the Highlights of Inverness. This walking tour can be downloaded from our app and you will be sent details and voucher code before your trip. One of the worlds best known Lochs At 56 km2 , Loch Ness is the second-largest Scottish loch by surface area after Loch Lomond. Its deepest point is 230 metres. Loch Ness is famous for the sightings of "Nessie", the Loch Ness Monster. Discover one of Scotland’s most evocative prehistoric sites The Clava Cairns are about 4,000 years old and were built to house the dead. This is a sacred place in the landscape for millennia, and provides many clues to the beliefs of Bronze Age society. Two parts of the complex, Balnuaran of Clava and Milton of Clava, are open to the public. Culloden Viaduct Designed by Chief Engineer Murdoch Paterson and built by the Highland railway the impressive 29 arches of the Culloden viaduct that stretch over the valley and River Nairn really is a great sight to see on your highland travels. Historic Battle Field On 16 April 1746, the final Jacobite Rising came to a brutal head in one of the most harrowing battles in British history. Visit the battle field and the memorial to the men who lost their lives during this battle. The grounds are also the burial ground for many, you will see clan markers on the field to commemorate the clans who were present on the day.