Are you fond of whisky? Interested in knowing more about the liquor manufacturing process and watching the ‘scenes behind the action’? There are a number of distilleries around the world which offers amazing tours to worldwide visitors. Just choose from the following ones and plan your next vacation accordingly.
The Glenfiddich, Dufftown
As we are talking about the most interesting distilleries offering tours across the globe, the Glenfiddich should top the chart. Founded in the year 1969 in the burgh Dufftown in Scotland, this still is considered as one of the most famous names in the industry of liquor manufacturing. It offers tours throughout the year and visitors get to see each and everything – from the dirty warehouses to the bottling process. Though the filthy bases, stone hedges and low ceilings of the stockrooms are not that impressive, you will certainly get amazed by the elaborate stages of the whisky production. There are 3 distinct tours named ‘Classic’, ‘Explorers’ and ‘Pioneers’, which include a tutored testing of aged whiskies, a warehouse visit along with a tasting and a whisky master class respectively.
George Washington Distillery
What about rediscovering the historical past while visiting one of the best distilleries in the world? The George Washington Distillery in Virginia can offer you exactly what I’ve said now. The still was renovated at Mount Vernon in Alexandria just before a few years and you can get a taste of the olden times here. It is also known as the opening of the American Whiskey Trail – a promotional initiative taken by the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States. When you opt for this tour, you are guided through the entire procedure of whisky manufacturing by more than a few costumed guides. There is a gristmill powered by water and the production is carried out right beside it. During this tour, you will also get a chance to visit the famous Mount Vernon Estate, which is around 3 miles away from the distillery.
Heaven Hill Bourbon Distillery
After the George Washington Distillery, here comes another similar opportunity for you. The tour to the Heaven Hill Bourbon Distillery in the city of Bardstown in Kentucky is known to be one of the most wonderful distillery trips in the world. When you come to this heritage center, you fall upon the glorious history of the Kentucky whisky industry and get to taste a wide variety of whiskies. The best thing about this distillery is that it offers a range of tours (half-an hour to 3-hour long) and you are free to choose from those. There are a total of 49 barrel warehouses, also called ‘rickhouses’, in the Heaven Hill Bourbon Distillery. Each tour offers a visit to one of these warehouses as well as a tasting of a couple of bourbons.
Jameson Irish Whiskey
Among those few distilleries around the world which offer captivating tours, the Jameson Irish Whiskey is a celebrated one. Located in the city of Midleton in Ireland, this still can truly give you a superb experience for the lifetime. Jameson is the biggest whiskey brand of Ireland and the actual distillery of John Jameson is found in Dublin. But if you want to explore the contemporary distillery manufacturing a great variety of whiskies of different popular brands, you have to come to this Midleton one. Apart from Jameson, it also produces liquor of brands like Redbreast and Powers. The trip to this unique still is around 1 hour long and you can enjoy watching the complete technique of whisky manufacturing followed by a signature Jameson drink.
Jim Beam American Stillhouse
The Jim Beam American Stillhouse is comparatively newer addition to this list of distilleries offering outstanding tours to worldwide visitors. It is situated at Clermont in Kentucky and has already earned a lot of fame for its wonderful offerings. There are around 27 warehouses where more than 600,000 bourbon barrels are kept for displaying. The nine-story storehouse is loaded with a variety of old whisky barrels. You will also like the original warehouse of Jim Beam, which is considered as one of the most excellent vantage points. Some other major attractions of this distillery tour are the model tobacco store atop the Beam Hill equipped with various bourbon-geared wares and a large tasting room, plenty of old images and documents highlighting the legacy of the place, and so forth.
The Macallan Distillery
The Macallan Distillery in Scotland should also be included in this list of best stills offering tours for interested people. Built on the 370-acre estate at Craigellachie, this distillery has earned much fame for its special sort of barley called ‘Minstrel’. You have two options to select from – the full tour of 1 hour 20 minutes and an extended tour of 2 hours 15 minutes. You can check out the whole distillation method, have a look at the oak casks used by the distillery, go for salmon fishing and finally taste 4 different types of single malts produced by the Macallan during your trip.