4 Best Sights in Inverness and Around the Great Glen, Scotland

The smallest distillery in Moray was founded in 1898. It's now owned by the spirits company Gordon & MacPhail and produces an array of distinctive (often slightly peaty) malts, as well as its distinctive Red Door gin. An informative hourly tour will lead you through the facilities, including seeing the poignant signatures of distillery managers before and after a 15-year closure in the late 20th century. Tours end with a tutored nosing and tasting.

A 20-minute drive south of Kingussie on General Wade's Military Road (A889) lies Scotland's highest Highland distillery: Dalwhinnie. It's also the coldest, as the village of the same name—which comes from the Scottish Gaelic "Dail Chuinnidh", meaning "meeting place"—has the lowest average temperature in the country. The distillery was founded here, on the edge of the Cairngorms National Park, in 1898, with the site chosen for its access to spring water from the nearby Lochan na Doire-uaine. You can find out all about Dalwhinnie's origins and its whisky-making process on a short, fun, and informative guided tour (£17) that includes a tasting of three single malts paired with handcrafted chocolates. For a more comprehensive tour and tasting experience (with six whiskies, including exclusive bottlings) opt for the "Expressions" tour (£65). In both cases, take-out taster drams are available for drivers. Don't fancy a tour? Then simply stop by for a drink in the distillery bar, while admiring the surrounding mountain scenery.

Established in 1897 and once the largest malt distillery in Scotland, Tomatin is more of a large industrial complex than a typical pagoda-roofed Speyside distillery, yet the working nature of this place makes for a fascinating tour. Knowledgeable and playful guides take visitors through every step of the whisky-making process, with fun extras like a chance to stand inside a disused mash tun, and a photo op with barrels dating back to the mid-1900s. Tours conclude with a tasting of three single malts, including the heavily peated Cu Bocan—worth the price of admission alone. Tomatin Distillery is located 13 miles northwest of Boat of Garten, on the road from Inverness.

It may only have opened in 2014, but this pretty, pagoda-roofed distillery has already gained a stellar reputation for its smooth, mellow, and sometimes slightly peated single malts. Come for a guided tour to learn about the distillery’s history and ethos—it prides itself on its green credentials, with all its power and heat provided by local renewables—followed by a tasting of an Ardnamurchan dram in the bar. Whisky geeks might want to pay extra for the “Behind the Scenes” tour (£50), which includes a visit to the warehouse and several drams; you’ll need to book in advance online. The distillery is located in Glenbeg, about a 45-minute drive west of Strontian on the road to Ardnamurchan Lighthouse and Sanna Bay Beach.