Savour the distilled essence of Scotland’s fine landscapes and exquisite whisky on this delectable tour.
Bruichladdich Distillery - This rebellious distillery reopened in 2001 and set out to challenge industry norms while making great whisky.
Bowmore Distillery - Journey to the home of Islay’s oldest distillery, this charming place lies on the shores of the picturesque Loch Indaal.
Ardbeg Distillery* - “As close to perfection as makes no difference" sums up the reputation of this respected distillery.
Laphroaig Distillery* - 200 year old whisky distiller is a favourite with the British royal family and bears the seal of the Prince of Wales to prove it.
Kilchoman Distillery - From barley to bottle, this is the only farm distillery on Islay bringing a revival to traditional farm distilling techniques.
Lagavulin Distillery - Enjoy a stop at Lagavulin Distillery where you can pick up some of their rich and smoky whisky.
Inveraray - Explore the fabulous home town of the Duke of Argyll's ancestral castle.
Oban - This Victorian harbour town offers excellent seafood.
You may know a thing or two about whisky.
Like how taxes forced distillers to produce whisky at night, or how the Scots once called it the ‘water of life’.
But even if you’re knowledgeable about whisky, you’re going to learn a lot more on this four day whisky tour.
You discover the smoky flavours of Islay’s single malt whiskies, explore the historic sights of Islay, and spend your time trading notes with fellow whisky lovers.
So join this tour, explore distilleries without having to drive, and enhance your knowledge of whisky, Scotland, and Islay, ‘Queen of the Hebrides’.
Students, and seniors over 60
You escape the city of Edinburgh and head straight for the Highlands. Your first stop of the day is in the Trossachs National Park. Here, you can admire Scotland’s scenic beauty and enjoy some local delicacies.
Your driver-guide may regale you with tales from Scottish folklore as you travel through the mountainous landscapes of the Western Highlands to Oban.
This port town was once the strategic heartland of great feuding clans. But today, Oban is famous for seafood sourced fresh off the boats. It also boasts its own distillery where you can sample whisky that’s been perfected for 200 years. Here, you will have time to enjoy a dram and indulge in delicious local seafood for lunch.
You then venture through the Kilmartin Glen where you see standing stones and strongholds that are over 1,500 years old.
At Kennacraig, you catch the evening ferry to Islay. The sail is around two hours; and if you peek out to the ocean, you may see the Paps of Jura. These mountains mark the way to Islay, Queen of the Hebrides.
Once you’ve arrived on the island, you settle into your accommodation in Bowmore.
We know whisky tasting can be hard work, so you begin the day with a little sleep in.
After you’ve had an ample amount of breakfast, you enjoy a tour of Bowmore Distillery*, one of the oldest distilleries in Scotland. You have time for a tour and a whisky tasting here before you continue exploring the island.
Next, your driver-guide takes you to Kilchoman Distillery** for a tour and a lunch of local treats. Kilchoman is known as Islay's only Single Farm Single Match Scotch Whisky, reviving traditional farm distilling of barley to bottle, making their whisky 100% Islay.
After trying local larder, you travel through the beautiful countryside to the third distillery of the day. On Thursday and Saturday, you visit Bruichladdich, the progressive distillery specialising in unpeated whisky. On Tuesday, you taste the unpeated and salty notes of Bunnahabhain in the most remote distillery on Islay.
You head back to Bowmore where you can either stumble back to your room for the night or relax and explore the village.
Today you explore the southern side of the island, home to a few of the most famous whiskies in all of Scotland: Laphroaig**, Lagavulin, and Ardbeg*.
After you’ve made it out of bed and eaten your breakfast, you visit Ardbeg*. You stay here for a tour, tasting, and lunch*. The restaurant here is a beautiful place to relax and enjoy fine Scottish produce as you sip upon delightful drams.
You then visit Laphroaig**. This 200-year-old whisky distiller is a favourite with the British royal family and bears the seal of the Prince of Wales to prove it.
Throughout the day, your driver-guide takes you to historical spots such as the ruins of Kildalton church and Dunyvaig Castle. And you can also stop at Lagavulin for some intensively flavoured, rich and smoky whisky.
You return to Bowmore for your last evening of the trip.
*Please note that if your tour departs before 1st May, your lunch today will be at Ardbeg Distillery. However, if your tour departs after 1st May 2024, lunch will be either at an outdoor food truck at Ardbeg (weather dependent) or in Port Ellen.
**Please note that if your tour departs on 7th, 9th, 11th or 21st October 2024, Laphroaig Distillery will be conducting maintenance works which will unfortunately impact your tour. Visitors will be unable to tour the facility but will be able to visit the Laphroaig Museum with a Sensory Tasting including drams at the bar. We apologise for the inconvenience.
This morning, you take the ferry back to the mainland and replace the intoxicating fumes of whisky with the replenishing fresh air of Scotland’s West Highlands.
You travel through coastal scenery to the beautiful village of Inveraray on the banks of Loch Fyne. The town is adorned with historic buildings, old boats, and a great whisky shop.
Your trip continues to Loch Lomond where you have a chance to admire Great Britain’s largest body of water by surface area.
You arrive in Edinburgh in the early evening.
*Itinerary and distillery visits are subject to change.
Tour Attractions
You are able to pre-purchase entrance tickets to the following attractions at the time of booking:
Other attractions may be booked and paid locally during the tour.
Where does this tour stay overnight?
On the tour departing on Monday and Friday, we reserve rooms in the beautiful Bowmore Distillery Cottages.
The cottages have between three and six twin bedrooms. Due to the shared nature of the accommodation, individual bedrooms don't have lockable doors.
The kitchen and lounge facilities are shared with other passengers, and basic self-service breakfast ingredients are provided. Full Scottish breakfasts are available at the nearby hotels if you prefer, payable locally.
Prices are as follows:
Family Rooms are limited at Bowmore Cottages. Groups of 3 or more may need to stay in 2 or more rooms. Please budget accordingly. For this option, please select 'B&B en-suite' as your first choice when booking the tour online. When these rooms are full, we book you into a nearby B&B. Rooms at the cottages are limited and are reserved on a first come first served basis. Local B&B charges are £40 - 60 per person per night based on shared accommodation for a standard room (shared bathroom).
On the tours departing on Wednesdays, we reserve rooms in the 3* Lochside Hotel. Prices are between £90.00 - £120.00 per person per night for Double or Twin Occupancy and between £160.00 - £240.00 per night for single occupancy. For this option, please select three star hotel as your first choice when booking.
We contact you afterwards to arrange payment for the accommodation.
If you would prefer to book your own accommodation, please see information on how to do this under the ‘Accommodation’ tab on FAQ page HERE.
Alternatively, please email us your questions at tours@rabbies.com or call us on +44(0)131 226 3133.
The UK and Ireland's historic city centres are full of narrow streets and winding roads. So, to speed up your departure, we only pick up from our central meeting points. What's more is leaving the city using the most direct route also reduces the carbon footprint of our tours.
We don't recommend bringing your car into the centre of our departure cities. It can be hard to find parking, and there are excellent public transportation services.
Arrive 15 minutes before your departure time. Due to waiting restrictions, we can't wait for you if you're late.
If you're late for your tour, our cancellation policy applies. 100% charges are applicable, and you will not be entitled to a refund or alternative.
Your cancellation terms depend on which tour you've booked.
For one-day tours: You'll receive a full refund if you cancel 24 hours or more before the tour departure
For tours of between two and nine days: You'll receive a 90% refund if you cancel 15 or more days before the tour departure
For tours of 10 or more days: You'll receive a 90% refund if you cancel 21 or more days before the tour departure
For all European packaged tours: You'll receive a 90% refund if you cancel 42 days before the tour departure.
If you cancel inside these notice periods, full charges will apply and no refunds will be issued.
To cancel your booking, email tours@rabbies.com as soon as possible. The effective date of cancellation will be the date we receive written confirmation from you.
Click here to view terms and conditions
Your tour will always follow the itinerary as closely as possible. Your driver-guide will keep you up to date on the road, and we'll try to get in touch about any large changes prior to your departure.
Due to logistical reasons, we're unable to let you pre-book a seat on the bus. But our comfortable 16-seat mini-coaches have huge windows. So, you'll always get a good view.
Unfortunately, we have no on-board toilet facilities, but you'll have regular comfort breaks.
We aim to accommodate everyone. To read more information on how we do this, click here to go to our accessibility guide.
We regret we don't carry children under the age of five on our scheduled tours.
You can ask us about the tours we recommend for younger children. And if your child is less than 1.35m tall, you should let us know, so we can provide them with a suitable booster seat.
We want you to enjoy Britain and Ireland. And we believe the best way to do this is to get you off the mini-coach and out exploring. So, we give you plenty of time to take photos, go walking, and explore ancient ruins.
We exclude visitor attractions in your tour price because it lets you travel your way. It means you can pamper yourself with a luxury lunch or skip an attraction whenever you feel like it.
You don't need to. We stop in small towns, villages, and rural eateries where you can choose whatever meal pleases both your taste buds and your budget.
Let's be honest, our driver-guides would never refuse a cheeky bonus. But it's up to you, and the amount is entirely at your discretion.
We advise you take out travel insurance.
You're protected by ABTOT when you chose to let us reserve your accommodation on a multi-day tour. This means you can claim back anything you've paid us if we become bankrupt. Read our terms and conditions for more information.
If you have any more questions, call us on +44(0)131 226 3133, email tours@rabbies.com , or check out our full FAQs .