Hamilton & Chase Tours
Whisky and Castles — Private Package 9-day Scotland tour: Edinburgh, St Andrews, the Speyside distillery trail, Aberdeenshire castles, and the Isle of Skye.

9-Day Private Package Journey

Whisky and Castles

Edinburgh, St Andrews, the Speyside distillery trail, Aberdeenshire castles, and the Isle of Skye.

Available as Private Semi-Private Self-Guided
From €3,390 per person 9 days / 8 nights
View Itinerary

Tour Overview

9 days across Scotland.

Scotland has more castles per square kilometre than any other country in Europe and more whisky distilleries than any other country in the world. This nine-day private journey brings these two defining features of Scottish culture together in a route that covers Edinburgh, St Andrews, the Speyside whisky trail, the Cairngorms, the Aberdeenshire castle circuit, and the Highlands. Speyside — the river valley between the Cairngorms and the Moray Firth — contains a third of all the whisky distilleries in Scotland: Glenfiddich, The Macallan, Glenlivet, Strathisla, and thirty others within an hour's drive. The Aberdeenshire Castle Trail includes Balmoral (the Royal Family's Scottish estate), Craigievar (the pink tower house that inspired the Walt Disney castle), Dunnottar (the clifftop fortress where the Scottish Crown Jewels were hidden from Cromwell in 1651), and Eilean Donan. St Andrews is where golf was codified and where Scotland's oldest university has operated since 1413. This is the tour for guests who want to understand Scotland's cultural depth rather than simply its landscapes.

Detailed Itinerary

Your journey, day by day.

Every day is designed with breathing room. Sleep in, take a detour, linger at lunch — the itinerary flexes around you, not the other way around.

Day 1 — Arrival in Edinburgh
Day 1
1

Day 1

Arrival in Edinburgh

The capital — the beginning of everything.

Your private driver meets you at Edinburgh Airport and transfers you to your hotel in the Old Town. Edinburgh is where Scottish history is most densely concentrated: the Castle on its volcanic rock, the Palace of Holyroodhouse at the foot of the Royal Mile, and the closes and wynds where the entire medieval population of the city lived in ten-storey tenements. The National Museum of Scotland in Chambers Street has the most important collection of Scottish material culture in existence — from the Lewis Chessmen (12th-century ivory chess pieces found on the Outer Hebrides) to Dolly the sheep (the first mammal cloned from adult cells, born 1996 in Edinburgh). Welcome dinner in the Old Town.

  • Private airport transfer to Edinburgh
  • Edinburgh Castle and the Royal Mile
  • National Museum of Scotland — Lewis Chessmen to Dolly the sheep
  • Welcome dinner in the Old Town
4–5★ hotel, Edinburgh city centre
Day 2 — Edinburgh and St Andrews
Day 2
2

Day 2

Edinburgh and St Andrews

The Georgian capital and the home of golf.

The morning for Edinburgh: the Georgian New Town — Charlotte Square, Heriot Row, and the Moray Estate — whose regularity and elegance represent James Craig's 1766 plan executed over fifty years by three generations of Edinburgh builders. The Scottish National Portrait Gallery on Queen Street houses the faces of Scottish history from Mary Queen of Scots to Sean Connery. St Andrews across the Forth Bridge in the afternoon: the town on the North Sea coast whose university was founded in 1413 (Scotland's oldest) and whose golf course has been played since at least 1552. The Old Course is the most famous in golf — the 18th hole, the Swilcan Bridge, and the Royal and Ancient clubhouse. The ruins of St Andrews Cathedral, once the largest building in Scotland and the destination of medieval pilgrimage from across Europe. Overnight in St Andrews.

  • Edinburgh Georgian New Town — Craig's 1766 plan
  • Scottish National Portrait Gallery
  • St Andrews Old Course and the Swilcan Bridge
  • St Andrews Cathedral ruins — once the largest building in Scotland
Meals: Breakfast 4–5★ hotel, St Andrews
Day 3 — The Speyside Whisky Trail — Glenfiddich and The Macallan
Day 3
3

Day 3

The Speyside Whisky Trail — Glenfiddich and The Macallan

The valley that produces a third of Scotland's whisky.

Speyside is the river valley of the River Spey between the Cairngorms and the Moray Firth — and it contains approximately forty whisky distilleries, more than any other whisky-producing region in the world. Glenfiddich in Dufftown: the largest-selling single malt Scotch whisky in the world, and the only major distillery still family-owned and family-operated (Grant family, since 1887). The private tour of the copper pot stills, the warehouses of maturing spirit, and the tasting of the 12, 15, and 18-year expressions. The Macallan in Craigellachie: the distillery whose architectural centrepiece is the 2018 Foster + Partners building — a wave of timber and glass above the old distillery buildings — and whose Sherry-cask aged spirit commands the highest auction prices in Scotch whisky. Your Hamilton & Chase contact provides access to normally restricted areas of both distilleries. Overnight in Speyside.

  • Glenfiddich Distillery — family-owned since 1887, world's best-selling single malt
  • The Macallan — the Foster + Partners building and the Sherry-cask whisky
  • Speyside whisky region — 40 distilleries in one river valley
  • Private distillery access with Hamilton & Chase
Meals: Breakfast 4★ hotel, Speyside
Day 4 — The Speyside Trail Continued — Strathisla and Glenlivet
Day 4
4

Day 4

The Speyside Trail Continued — Strathisla and Glenlivet

The oldest working distillery in the Highlands and the most imitated whisky in history.

Strathisla in Keith: built in 1786, it is the oldest continuously operating whisky distillery in the Scottish Highlands and the spiritual home of Chivas Regal. The twin pagoda roofs above the stillhouse are the most photogenic distillery architecture in Scotland. The Glenlivet: the distillery whose licence in 1824 — the first granted under the Excise Act that legalised Highland whisky — sparked the entire Scottish whisky industry. Before legalisation, the Livet valley was the most prolific illegal distilling area in Scotland; afterwards, so many distilleries added 'Glenlivet' to their names that the Glenlivet was forced to go to court to protect the designation. The whisky trail road through the valley in the afternoon: the Speyside Cooperage at Craigellachie, where casks are made and repaired by hand, is the only working cooperage in Scotland open to visitors.

  • Strathisla Distillery — 1786, the oldest in the Highlands
  • The Glenlivet — the distillery that legalised Highland whisky
  • Speyside Cooperage — the only working cooperage open to visitors
  • Livet valley landscape — the cradle of Scottish whisky
Meals: Breakfast 4★ hotel, Speyside or Cairngorms
Day 5 — The Cairngorms and Aberdeenshire
Day 5
5

Day 5

The Cairngorms and Aberdeenshire

Britain's largest national park and the royal estate at Balmoral.

The Cairngorms National Park covers 4,528 square kilometres of sub-Arctic plateau, ancient Caledonian pine forest, and the five highest mountains in Britain. The plateau above 1,000 metres supports Arctic-alpine plant communities unique in the British Isles; the ancient pinewoods of Rothiemurchus and Mar Lodge are the largest remnant of the original Caledonian Forest. The Cairngorm Mountain funicular railway rises to 1,086 metres on the plateau — the highest railway in the British Isles. Balmoral Castle in Deeside: the Royal Family's Scottish estate, acquired by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in 1852, whose grounds are open to the public from April to July when the family is not in residence. The ballroom houses an exhibition on the estate's history. The estate covers 20,000 hectares of Deeside hill, grouse moor, and the Lochnagar mountain that Prince Charles made the subject of a children's story in 1980.

  • Cairngorms plateau — sub-Arctic landscape, Britain's five highest peaks
  • Cairngorm Mountain Railway — the highest railway in Britain
  • Balmoral Castle — the Royal Family's Scottish estate since 1852
  • Lochnagar and the Deeside valley
Meals: Breakfast 4–5★ hotel, Deeside or Inverness
Day 6 — The Aberdeenshire Castle Trail
Day 6
6

Day 6

The Aberdeenshire Castle Trail

Craigievar, Crathes, and Dunnottar on the cliff above the sea.

Aberdeenshire has more castles per square mile than any other county in Scotland — and the Castle Trail links the finest. Craigievar Castle: the seven-storey pink tower house completed in 1626 that is the purest expression of the Scottish Baronial style — turrets, corbelled walkways, and the stepped gables that influenced the silhouette of the Walt Disney castle. Still owned by the National Trust for Scotland and preserved exactly as it was in 1626. Crathes Castle: the 16th-century tower house with the finest painted ceilings in Scotland — the Room of the Nine Nobles, the Room of the Muses, the Green Lady's Room — and gardens laid out in 1702 with yew hedges 300 years old. Dunnottar Castle: the clifftop fortress above the North Sea where the Scottish Crown Jewels were hidden from Cromwell's forces in 1651 — lowered from the castle walls in a basket to a woman gathering seaweed on the beach below and smuggled out to Kinneff Kirk, where they were buried under the church floor for eight years.

  • Craigievar Castle — the 1626 pink tower house that inspired Disney
  • Crathes Castle — 16th-century painted ceilings from 1602
  • Dunnottar Castle — the clifftop fortress and the hidden Crown Jewels
  • Aberdeenshire countryside — the landscape of the Castle Trail
Meals: Breakfast 4–5★ hotel, Inverness
Day 7 — Eilean Donan and the Road to Skye
Day 7
7

Day 7

Eilean Donan and the Road to Skye

Three sea lochs and the bridge to the island.

The drive west from Inverness follows the Great Glen south and then turns along the Kyle of Lochalsh — the narrow strait between the mainland and Skye, crossed by the bridge since 1995 (before which a ferry was the only connection). Eilean Donan Castle at the meeting of Loch Duich, Loch Long, and Loch Alsh is the most photographed building in Scotland: the Mackenzie clan fortress rebuilt between 1911 and 1932 in a form that has become the archetypal image of the Scottish castle. The Five Sisters of Kintail rise above the castle to the east — five peaks above 900 metres in a line that is one of the most celebrated ridge walks in Scotland. Skye across the bridge: Portree, the island's main town, by evening.

  • Great Glen drive from Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh
  • Eilean Donan Castle — three sea lochs, the Five Sisters above
  • Skye Bridge crossing
  • Portree harbour — the coloured houses and the island capital
Meals: Breakfast 4–5★ hotel, Portree, Isle of Skye
Day 8 — Isle of Skye
Day 8
8

Day 8

Isle of Skye

The Quiraing, the Old Man of Storr, and the Fairy Pools.

A full day on Skye, choosing between the north and south of the island or dividing the day between them. The Trotternish Ridge in the north — the Old Man of Storr, the Quiraing landslip landscape, and Kilt Rock — represents the most dramatic geology in the British Isles outside Iceland. The Fairy Pools in Glen Brittle in the south: the series of clear blue mountain pools below the Black Cuillin Ridge, reached by a 5-kilometre walk across open moorland. Talisker Distillery on the western shore: the only distillery on Skye, whose peaty, coastal single malt has been produced since 1830. Your guide adapts the day to the weather and the time available — the light on Skye changes every twenty minutes and the landscape that appears in one condition is entirely different in another.

  • Old Man of Storr — 50-metre basalt pinnacle above the Sound of Raasay
  • The Quiraing — the landslip landscape of northern Skye
  • Fairy Pools — mountain pools below the Black Cuillin
  • Talisker Distillery — Skye's only single malt
Meals: Breakfast 4–5★ hotel, Portree, Isle of Skye
Day 9 — Departure from Inverness
Day 9
9

Day 9

Departure from Inverness

Nine days in the country that produces the world's whisky.

The drive from Skye back to Inverness takes three hours on the Great Glen road — past Loch Ness, with the option of a brief stop at Urquhart Castle or the Loch Ness Centre if time allows before the flight. Inverness Airport is Scotland's Highland gateway; Edinburgh Airport is the alternative for guests with onward connections south. Your private driver transfers you at the agreed time. Nine days covering Edinburgh, St Andrews, the Speyside whisky trail, the Cairngorms, the Aberdeenshire castle circuit, and Skye — the cultural and landscape depth of Scotland in a single private journey.

  • Great Glen return drive — Loch Ness on the final morning
  • Optional: Urquhart Castle stop
  • Private transfer to Inverness or Edinburgh Airport
Meals: Breakfast

Where You'll Stay

Hand-picked hotels, every night.

We choose properties for character, location, and the kind of service that makes you feel looked after — not just checked in. Every hotel can be swapped for an alternative if you prefer.

4–5★ hotel, Edinburgh

Edinburgh

1 night

4–5★ hotel

Old Town

Old Town location for Royal Mile access and the evening welcome dinner

4–5★ hotel, St Andrews

St Andrews

1 night

4–5★ hotel

Town centre

The Old Course Hotel overlooks the 18th hole — the finest golf hotel in Scotland

4★ hotel or distillery estate, Speyside

Speyside

2 nights

4★ hotel or distillery estate

Dufftown or Aberlour

Two nights allows both distillery days without rushing; some distillery estates offer guest accommodation

4–5★ hotel, Deeside / Inverness

Deeside / Inverness

1 night

4–5★ hotel

Deeside valley or Inverness

Deeside accommodation puts you within 20 minutes of Balmoral and the Castle Trail

4–5★ hotel, Inverness

Inverness

1 night

4–5★ hotel

City centre

Base for the Aberdeenshire Castle Trail and departure for Eilean Donan

4–5★ hotel, Isle of Skye (Portree)

Isle of Skye (Portree)

2 nights

4–5★ hotel

Portree

Two nights allows the full Skye day and a morning in Portree harbour

Hotels shown are indicative of the standard we book. Upon request, we will provide a detailed itinerary with specific hotel options tailored to your preferences and budget.

What's in the Price

Included

  • 8 nights in 4–5★ hotels and Highland properties
  • Daily breakfast at each property
  • Welcome dinner in Edinburgh
  • Private airport transfer at Edinburgh
  • Private vehicle and driver throughout
  • Edinburgh guided visit
  • St Andrews guided visit — Old Course and Cathedral
  • Glenfiddich Distillery private tour and tasting
  • The Macallan Distillery private tour and tasting
  • Strathisla Distillery guided visit
  • The Glenlivet guided visit
  • Speyside Cooperage visit
  • Cairngorm Mountain Railway
  • Balmoral Castle grounds visit
  • Craigievar, Crathes, and Dunnottar Castle guided visits
  • Eilean Donan Castle guided visit
  • Isle of Skye full-day guided circuit
  • All entrance fees for guided visits
  • 24/7 travel specialist support
  • Hamilton & Chase digital travel booklet

Not Included

  • International flights to Edinburgh / from Inverness
  • Travel insurance (required — we can arrange on request)
  • Meals not listed
  • Personal expenses
  • Gratuities for guides and drivers
  • Whisky purchases
  • City tax (collected by hotels)

Good to Know

  • Balmoral Castle grounds are open to the public from April to July only, when the Royal Family is not in residence. If visiting outside these months, the grounds are closed and the castle exterior is viewable from the road only.
  • The Old Course at St Andrews is one of the busiest golf courses in the world — ballot applications must be submitted well in advance and success is not guaranteed.
  • The Speyside distilleries require pre-booking for private tours — Hamilton & Chase arranges this. Walk-in access to some distilleries is possible but the private experience is significantly better.
  • Skye accommodation books up rapidly for July and August — we recommend booking this tour at least four months in advance for summer dates.

Make It Yours

Optional add-ons & upgrades.

Every trip is different. These extras can be woven into your itinerary — just let your travel specialist know what catches your eye.

Distillery blending masterclass

A private blending session at one of the Speyside distilleries — the guest blends their own 20cl bottle of whisky from component casks, guided by the distillery's master blender. Available at Glenfiddich and selected Speyside houses.

From €145 pp

St Andrews golf round

A round on the Old Course at St Andrews, arranged with the St Andrews Links Trust ballot process — Hamilton & Chase manages the application, though ballot success cannot be guaranteed. The New Course is an excellent alternative.

From €350 pp

Glencoe and Ben Nevis extension

A day's detour through Glencoe and to the foot of Ben Nevis — can be inserted between the Cairngorms and the Aberdeenshire trail as an alternative routing. Adds one night in Fort William.

From €145 pp

Harris Tweed and Outer Hebrides

A two-day extension from Skye to the Isle of Harris — the white-sand beaches of Luskentyre, the Harris Tweed weavers, and the standing stones at Callanish on Lewis. Requires two additional nights and ferry booking.

From €245 pp

"The Speyside day was what we came for — and it was everything. Glenfiddich in the morning, The Macallan in the afternoon, and the knowledge that there are forty more distilleries in the same valley. But the surprise was Dunnottar Castle: the story of the Crown Jewels hidden in a seaweed basket is the kind of history that does not appear in the brochures. Hamilton & Chase knew exactly where to take us."

William & Dorothy H.

San Francisco, USA · Whisky and Castles, May 2025

Common Questions

Questions about this trip.

Do I need to be a whisky drinker to enjoy this tour?

No — the distillery visits are as much about architecture, history, and process as they are about tasting. The Macallan's Foster + Partners building is one of the finest contemporary structures in Scotland. The story of how the Glenlivet survived Cromwell's prohibition and Victorian temperance movements is compelling history. Non-drinkers can take the tours and decline the tastings without missing the point.

Are the Speyside distilleries busy with tourists?

The major distilleries (Glenfiddich, The Macallan, Glenlivet) have significant visitor facilities. Hamilton & Chase arranges private tours outside standard public visiting hours where possible, which gives access to areas not available on the public tour. The smaller distilleries on the trail see far fewer visitors.

Private Package Journey

Whisky and Castles

9 days / 8 nights

From €3,390

per person

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