When in Scotland - drink like the Scots! Whisky is of course the national drink of Scotland, with a heritage that can be dated back to 1494, and it's not difficult to see why whisky and whisky tastings are so popular. A whisky tasting is the perfect way to learn more about the amber drink, its culture and importance to Scotland. As someone who currently works within the whisky industry I've explored a lot of the different options you can find here in the city, so let me share some of my favourites!
A bespoke whisky tasting.
If you want a personalised, friendly and educational whisky tasting - check out my different options! Swedish whiskies, an introduction to scotch whisky, quirky whiskies, international whiskies, pairings with chocolate, cheese or fika - how would you like to discover whisky?
And if you can't find an option that suits your needs, please just get in touch and I'd be happy to discuss further.
A whisky tasting for everyone.
Located right next to the castle, you'll find this charming building which is an old school, where there's a shop, a restaurant, a whisky bar (probably Edinburghs best one if you are looking for scotch) and of course their whisky tours!
There's tours for whisky beginners and for the more experienced. I can highly recommend the Tasting Tales which combines whisky tasting with some really interesting stories about the distillery, brand and people behind it. It's also paired with some Scottish nibbles that just enhances the experience even more!
Whisky Walking Tours w Justine
A historic whisky tasting.
Justine is such a lovely person and she sits on so much knowledge about whisky, and especially older whisky brands and how they're linked to Edinburgh. On her tour you get to walk around Leith whilst Justine tells you all about different buildings and brands that you can see traces of all around you. You also finish the tour with a whisky tasting of some brands that are linked to what you've just been learning about. A really fun and interesting tour and tasting!
A distillery whisky tasting.
Edinburgh's own distillery on a walking distance from city centre! Here you can learn about both whisky and gin at a working distillery and get to try their own gins. The whisky will just have to wait a few years for but in the meantime they have created four whiskys - blended malts and one grain whisky - that represent four flavour profiles as a preview of what they will be striving to achieve. I can really recommend trying the grain whisky which has a lovely sweetness and is absolutely delicious! A whisky tasting with a preview of what style they're currently producing.
A whisky tasting for enthusiasts.
Royal Mile Whiskies is a really good whisky shop on The Royal Mile and sometimes they offer whisky tastings with reps from different whisky brands and they're often really good. Angela from Mackmyra hosted a tasting last year and gave out a lot of interesting information and a lot of good whisky. And the year before there was a tasting with a representative for a lot of different international brands which was one of the best tastings I've ever been to. That was the first time I got to try High Coast American Coast and a Kavalan Solist which are still some of my favourite whiskies because of their intense flavours. Usually you get the price of the ticket as a discount if you purchase anything on the evening. Definitely a whisky tasting for the enthusiasts!
* If you like wine then you should check out their sister shop Drinkmonger who sometimes offers wine tastings. Click here if you'd like to read more about on of their wine tastings that I attended.
A whisky tasting for the flavour explorers.
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS) do so many fun and quirky things with whisky which I just love! Some of my favourite ones are the Distillery Visits where brand ambassadors or brand representatives from different distilleries or brands come to a SMWS venue to host a tasting and invite you to learn more about them and their whisky. Often you also get to try SMWS own bottlings from that distillery which is a really interesting comparison.
If you like what I do and would like to support me don't forget to use my link if you'd like to buy a membership, bottle or tasting!
Have you ever been to a whisky tasting?