Distillery tours. If you have seen one, you've seen them all. After all, the ingredients and the processes of Scottish Single Malt Whisky are the same at any distillery. Right?
But, let me tell you – not all whisky distillery tours are made the same! Take it from someone who has toured a wide variety of distilleries across the different whisky regions of Scotland. If you're short on time or resources, you could be forgiven for not wanting to spend money on visiting several distilleries or time on researching the best tour along your route. If you do not already have a favourite whisky, you could even be forgiven for thinking that any distillery tour will do.
Every distillery tour is a unique experience. There are so many steps and details involved in whisky making, it is unlikely that all the information will stick with you the first time round. Every distillery has a slightly different process and tours can emphasise different aspects of a distillery's distinct character. With every tour I join, I learn something new about whisky and pick up a piece of information to add to my personal whisky-wiki.
I have had the pleasure to join some fantastic distillery tours, but of course not every distillery is as great as the next. Based on these experiences, I have distilled a list of key elements that the perfect distillery tour simply has to have – see what I did there?
History
The first ingredient is history. The best distillery tours start with a journey back in time. There is a long tradition in Scotland of making whisky, and a lot of the history of whisky begins with illicit stills in barns or cellars and ends with the expansion of the market due to a world-wide thirst for more.
Although they have this in common, each distillery has its own unique history to tell. My favourite distillery tours start by delving into these stories, telling visitors more about the families that started the distillery and how they dealt with hardships caused by new tax laws or changing markets. I love hearing about the heritage connected to certain whisky brands and the interesting facts on the history of making whisky. Do you know at what point in history distilleries started to produce more single malts than blended whiskies? Or the name of the first woman to run a major whisky distillery?
Lean back and start immersing yourself in the history of the dram you are about to taste.
Location
The next ingredient to add is location. The fact that no whisky tastes the same is not unrelated to the specific location of each and every distillery. The location of the still house and the warehouses, their proximity to the coast or the mountains and the quality of the water source are important for the character of a single malt whisky.
Most tour guides will explain how the location of the distillery has an influence on the different tasting notes that you experience. Just don't always expect to find out where the distillery stores their casks. They will not give away all their secrets!
One thing I particularly enjoyed about the tour at the Clydeside Distillery is that even though it is such a new distillery, the tour focuses a lot on the rich history of whisky making in Glasgow and of the Pumphouse where the distillery is located. Based at the former Queen's Dock, one of Glasgow's largest and most iconic docks where thousands of whisky barrels were loaded onto ships that sailed the seven seas, the Pumphouse was used to operate a hydraulic swing bridge at the dock's entrance. The building's role in the smooth running of the dock's traffic shines through in the video at the start of the tour and the drawings and photographs on display in the halls and the exhibition rooms. This gives visitors the feeling of being in a building that was as utterly significant for the city then as it is now!
Explaining the Process of Whisky Making
The next ingredient of a perfect distillery tour is an overview explaining the process of whisky making. Every distillery does this differently, but the essence is always the same – taking visitors on a journey from an unassuming grain of barley to the golden liquid we all enjoy to drink so much.
Simplicity is key. The whisky making process is Making whisky is a highly complex process that and requires not only labour-intensive steps such as germinating the barley, spreading it out and turning it to dry and sometimes even kindling a fire with peat to malt it. Whisky also involves a series of complex chemical and technological processes such as fermentation and temperature control. From the malt floor to the mill to the mashtun, on to the washbacks, worts in, wash out – all at different temperatures, on to the stills – two kinds – down different pipes and through the spirit safe – is your head spinning yet?
The best tours explain this process step by step in the simplest terms to give every visitor a rough understanding of what is going on. If your interest is piqued, there is hardly a question your tour guide would not be happy to answer! At The Clydeside Distillery, the tour guides will set the scene before you see the whisky production process in action. They explain the process before entering the production floor and then run through each step again as you move through the rooms. That way, you get two explanations of how to make whisky – there is no way you could miss an important detail!
A Whisky Tasting
And with that, we have reached the final ingredient of any great distillery tour – the whisky tasting. You could simply not leave a distillery without trying some of their own whisky and learning about the different tasting notes that the master distiller is developing.
Tastings vary greatly among different distilleries, but personally I prefer those that invite you to sit down around a large table and spend some quality time with your guide and other guests. The tasting is when you finally get to talk about your own favourite whiskies, exchange stories about other distilleries with your neighbours and compare taste notes. Your tour guide will walk you through the proper process of tasting whisky and often you will get to taste a variety of different whiskies from the distillery. Now is the time to ask any questions you might have left – or simply enjoy your dram. It is up to you!
A Fantastic Tour Guide
A perfect whisky tour is more than just the sum of these elements though. The best tours also need an enthusiastic person who ties everything together and offers guidance through the complicated process of whisky making – your tour guide.
No tour will ever be exactly the same – not even within the same distillery – because each tour guide will add their own personal spin to the experience. Some might focus more on the history of the distillery or want to convey the significance of the location, while others are more interested in the nitty-gritty details of the production process. It is that personal element that makes an excellent tour stand out from the rest.
The guides at the Clydeside Distillery have shown that they provide such an outstanding experience for all visitors – their 5 star status from Visit Scotland and consistent review results are proof of that. What I like in particular is that every staff member at the distillery speaks at least one foreign language, in order to be able to explain the process to anyone who is not entirely confident with that language – or the Scottish accent!
By the time you finish your tour, your head will brim over with knowledge and a new appreciation for the process of whisky making! You could develop your new knowledge by trying the whisky flights in the café at The Clydeside Distillery or even pair them with the food there, all made with the best local produce, such as the Taste of Scotland platter. If you’re ready for a pick-me-up, you can have a coffee and a whisky glazed doughnut. Or you could also test your new expertise in the Clydeside retail shop and pick a whisky to take home.
Ready to experience the magic of the Clydeside Distillery for yourself? Book your distillery tour here.
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