Glenmorangie Distillery Tour

If you enjoy the experience of the Glenmorangie Distillery Tour you'll be drooling with delight when you are spoilt for choice in the shop.

Whisky distilleries have always been popular visitor attractions in Scotland, (maybe for the tasting) and none more so than Glenmorangie.

For a Scotsman who doesn't drink (unusual in itself) I really enjoyed this tour, and I would go back.

Glenmorangie Distillery is situated in Cadboll just outside Tain, the oldest Royal Burgh in Scotland, about 26 miles north of Inverness. Established in 1843, the Distillery has been producing its famous Glenmorangie malt on the shores of the Dornoch Firth, in the malt heartland, and a really nice part of the Highlands.

Glenmorangie whisky is available in a wide range of "finishes" - the whisky can be finished in sherry, port wine, madeira, and burgundy casks, illustrating the difference in taste the wood can make to the whisky.

Quality standards dictate that casks are made of slow-growth wood, specially selected, and then air-dried for two years. The Distillery uses only American ex-Bourbon oak for maturing its Glenmorangie whisky, and all barrels are discarded after the third refill stage.

The second largest and fastest growing single malt whisky in the UK was the first distillery in Scotland to steam heat the stills instead of using the customary coal fires, which could scorch, affecting the flavour. They also use the tallest stills in Scotland, at over 16 feet high.

Glenmorangie whisky is widely recognised as the best single malt in Scotland, and many have declared it to be their favourite tipple.

The Name Glenmorangie was taken from the Glen of the Morangie Burn which means "glen of great tranquillity". The company is unusual in that it sells virtually all of its product as single malt rather than producing for blending purposes, and their famous “Glenmorangie Elegance” is a 21-Year Old malt whiskey, one of the oldest to be released from the Distillery.

Amazingly, Glenmorangie is still a relatively small, family controlled business, owning three distilleries: Glenmorangie, Glen Moray and Ardbeg. They support an employee-nominated charity of the year, and raise funds for the charity through personal and company events.

No visit to Scotland would be complete without a distillery tour, and Glenmorangie will not disappoint. The distillery tour will let you see the skilled mashmen, stillmen and warehousemen as they go about their daily work. You will also see the fermenting room, filtering processes, bottling and labelling, the cooking of the preserves and sauces.

At the visitor centre you will learn about Glenmorangie's pioneering experiments on the effects of wood on whisky, which have led to the "Wood Finish Range" of malts. Guided tours start every half hour during the summer from 10.30am and the last tour starts at 3.30pm. In the winter the tours start at 10am and groups are welcome. If a Scotland whisky tour is on your agenda, you should try the Glenmorangie distillery tour.

Opening Times :

All year : Monday to Friday 9am - 5pm

June to August : Saturdays 10am -4pm, Sundays 12.00 - 4pm

Closed during Christmas holidays.