Scottish Routes Ltd - Edinburgh

Graham T.

Way back in 2015, my friend and I did the Islay Tour, with stops at Deanston, the Largie stones, and Oban on the way down and Loch Lomond and Inverary on the way back. While on Islay we stayed at the Bowmore House and visited all the distilleries, except Bowmore, the Kildalton church and stone, Islay Ales, Machir Bay, and a peat cutting area'. Our guide James was knowledgeable and great fun to be around. He even managed to get us a quick dram at Caol Ila although that was not considered to be one of our scheduled distillery visits. I would totally do this trip again, and plan to do so with the tour which includes all of the distilleries (including the new one). So much fun, and a right sized tour group in the mini bus.

MAUREEN R.

Absolutely brilliant. We visited nine distilleries over the course of five days. We sampled more than a few drams. (And were graciously offered driver's drams if we were at our personal limit.) We were treated to both tastings and tours, plus gorgeous scenery, and even some cultural heritage stops along the way. And my fellow passengers were all lovely. John S. was a cracking driver / guide. He was knowledgeable, helpful, and had some great "bad" jokes. And his music playlist was brilliant. The final drive back to Edinburgh, he let us pick our favorite songs to play. I would recommend this tour to anyone.

James T.

Had an absolutely amazing time on Scottish Routes Islay & Campbelltown Tour!

Over the week we were able to visit brilliant distilleries, try out some of the best whiskies I've ever tasted in my life, stay in fantastic accommodation and got to drive through breathtaking landscapes.

And a big thanks to our very informative and entertaining driver-guide Jamie for the sometimes funny, sometimes poignant, always insightful commentary and context of our trip.

I'll definitely be looking to travel with Scottish Routes again!

Dominic L.

I went on the Islay Whisky tour with John Scott and had the most fantastic experience. I was lucky in that there were 12 others on the tour who were a truly wonderful group of people, but John brought it all together for us and I will take home unforgettable memories and a new knowledge of some wonderful whisky. I would highly recommend this tour to anyone who enjoys whisky.

H C.

We just finished a fantastic 3 day whisky tour.
5 stars are not enough!

We were planning a trip to honor my husband's retirement.
I had initially contacted a local travel agent in my city, and the price she initially quoted was astronomical! No way I could afford it.

That's when I started looking on line. I discovered that Scottish routes offered tours similar to what I was wanting and very good prices. But I couldn't find one to fit my timeline, so I simply emailed and asked if something was possible in my timeline.

After a few emails with Clare, I told her what distilleries I must see, and that after those, I really didn't care, just as many as possible. After she had what I wanted, she was able to quote me EXACTLY what I wanted, in my timeline, at a wonderful price that I could afford! It was a fraction of what the first travel agent quoted.

Clare and Sofia worked with me, and answered all my questions and they took care of everything!

When the day finally arrived, we were met at our hotel by a lovely lady Catherine who was our driver and tour guide.
She was phenomenal. She took care of us, she was very knowledgeable, and she made the trip fun. Her lunch and/or supper recommendations were perfect! I would highly recommend her as your guide!

We visited 9 distilleries in 3 days. They took care of all the schedules, the fees etc.
All we had to do was show up and enjoy the trip.

They booked us into a fantastic bed and breakfast. Comfortable, clean, big hearty Scottish breakfast! (Or whatever you want)

The whole experience was a trip of a lifetime.

I do recommend you take their tours. If they don't have one listed that fits your need do not hesitate to contact them. They went above and beyond to make our trip fantastic.

I would give them 100 stars if possible!

Thank you all for a great experience!

Sarah L.

Just a whirlwind. Places I never thought I'd see and one of a kind whisky tastings! Jamie, our tour guide, is incredibly funny and helpful, and knows a fair bit about whisky as well. The accommodation is a delight (worth going to Islay just for the hospitality there). Could go on!...

George M.

From the first time I contacted Scottish Routes in early January 2023 until the moment we said goodbye to our amazing Guide Catherine, this experience has been absolutely excellent!

Preparation:
We contacted Scottish Routes in early January 2023 to begin planning for our Single Malt journey to Scotland. From the very first contact, email responses were very quick. Catherine was the first person we exchanged emails with and she ended up being our tour guide. She is simply amazing, was very responsive with all our inquiries and proactively suggested tastings, experiences, distillery tours etc.

All we had to do was provide dates, suggested distilleries we wanted to visit and Catherine took care of the rest. Within a matter of days she had put together an amazing itinerary, which included transportation (pickup/drop off at our Edinburgh hotel) and lodging throughout the trip. She also booked all our distillery tours and tasting experiences. She even booked all our dinner reservations.

The process was so smooth, efficient and easy. Once booked all we had to do was wait a few months for the big day to arrive!

The Trip:
Our amazing itinerary that Catherine put together, consisted of three days in Islay and two days in Speyside, with some travel in between. We visited the following distilleries:
⁃ Islay: Bowmore, Caol Illa, Ardnahoe, Bruichladdich, Lagavulin, Laphroaig, Ardbeg
⁃ Speyside: Glenfiddich, Glenlivet, Macallan, Dalwhinnie (on our way to Speyside, we did a quick visit to Oban, lovely town!)

Catherine arranged tours/tasting experiences at Bowmore, Caol Illa, Lagavulin, Laphroaig, Ardbeg, Glenlivet and Macallan.

The tours at Bowmore and Caol Illa, were so educational, we learned about the entire process to produce single malts and some really good tastings at the end. Guides were very informational and access around the distilleries is impressive, we saw it all!

The tasting experiences at Lagavulin, Ardbeg, Glenlivet and Macallan are simply amazing, we tasted some of the finest single malts, distillery exclusives and walked away with a deeper understanding of the unique tastes of these amazing single malts.

Catherine setup our itinerary so that our first day on Islay was dedicated to tours, we learned about the production process and from then on we had tasting experiences, it was perfectly arranged. This attention to detail is what really sets Scottish Routes apart, they provide a truly outstanding experience.

All our lodging was excellent and picked by Catherine. The restaurant suggestions were also excellent and all taken care of by Catherine.

Transportation was in a very new sprinter van, the four of us were very comfortable and Catherine is an amazing driver. Throughout our travels, she suggested excellent spots for lunch, scenic roads and informed us of different and important locations in Scotland’s history. Her knowledge and passion for all things Scotland is amazing, we learned a lot.

Conclusion:
Scottish Routes and Catherine, were simply amazing. From start to finish, they made our experience in this single malt journey truly outstanding. They took care of all the details, made for a totally stress free planning process and the trip itself was a once in a lifetime experience, that left us with memories we will treasure forever.

If you’re thinking of heading off on your own Single Malt journey, go with Scottish Routes and Catherine, you will not regret it.

Thank you Catherine and Scottish Routes for this amazing experience.

Now off to plan for the next one…

Angela G.

What a fantastic experience! Our tour guide, Jamie, for the Four-Day Islay Whisky Tour was truly exceptional. From the moment we boarded, Jamie brought enthusiasm and a deep knowledge of whisky and the region's rich history. Their commentary and curated playlist made the drive even more enjoyable.

When the ferry to Islay was out of service for a couple of days, Jamie handled the situation like a pro. Along with Scottish Routes, they quickly rerouted us to Campbeltown, ensuring we didn’t miss the chance to explore another region. Once we reached Islay, they worked hard to maximize our time, getting us to as many distilleries as possible despite the ferry disruption, which was beyond their control.

The tastings were delightful, and the scenic routes were breathtaking. It was clear that Jamie genuinely cared about our experience, making it even more enjoyable. I highly recommend this tour with Scottish Routes and Jamie to anyone eager to explore Islay's incredible Scotch heritage!

Jamie - the Griffin clan thanks you very much for making our trip amazing!