Glenlivet Distillery

Overview

"The Glenlivet" Distillery has the distinction of being the first licensed distillery in the Glenlivet area. At one time there were around 200 illegal stills around this area and the name "Glenlivet" was used by many competing distilleries. Glenlivet's owner, John Smith son of the founder, realised the importance of branding so in 1884 he took legal action to reserve use of the title "The Glenlivet".

The B9136 road that leads to the distillery from Tomintoul is very attractive and this is our recommended route to Glenlivet, but the distillery is clearly signposted from all directions with brown tourism signs. 

Glenlivet Distillery has a very good visitor centre with a well presented café and shop in a recently refurbished building. The distillery itself is a mixture of old buildings and more recent industrial looking buildings that detract a bit from the charm of the place. 

The basic free tour last about 45 minutes and at the end you get to sample either a 12, 15 or 18 yr old "Expression" of The Glenlivet malt. If you aren't sure about whisky, it is better to try the younger malts as they tend to be lighter and more delicately flavoured.

Specialist tasting tours can also be booked at Glenlivet. On these tours, you get to sample some Glenlivet straight from the cask, and then get a sampling session where you can try some exclusive "expressions" of Glenlivet. These tours cost from £45 - £300 and should be booked in advance via the Glenlivet website.

Whilst visiting the distillery we also recommend taking a short drive to the old Packhorse Bridge that crosses the River Livet. To get here, return to the B9136 and turn right, at the next T junction turn right onto the B9008 which is signposted to Tomintoul. Just after passing through the small group of houses at Glenlivet, you see a brown sign to the Packhorse Bridge. The old bridge is on your right and there is space to park your car so you can stop here for a picnic by the River Livet.

Children under 8 years are not allowed in production areas.