Keith is only 12 miles from Aberlour where I was staying until yesterday. In the morning, I drove over to Keith to visit the Home of Chivas Regal, the Strathisla distillery. On the way there, I took a look of both Glen Keith and Strathmill, the other two working distilleries in Keith.

Strathisla is, well cute, we can say. The claim that they are the oldest legally working whisky distillery in Scotland. They got their license well before anyone else, in 1785. This might be true, although the copy of the license was not put on the wall anywhere. The distillery was silent, they repair the stillhouse and the stills, paint the mashroom and do the usual summer maintainance. I like the atmosphere of the distillery with the little Isla running next to it. The tourguide was however really pesky. Talked a lot, but slowly. Sometimes he repeated himself, and tried to make jokes and be funny, although he is not the type of guy.

The Glenlivet distillery is ruling the wide and sunny valley where it is built. I’m sure the tour is much nicer when the distillery is working and not under construction. They are building a new stillhouse for 8 new potstills. We started with walking up to the Josie’s Well (water source), then back to the mashhouse, see the washbacks, the old stillhouse, then visited one of their racked warehouse on-site. The highlight was however the tasting of 6 of their beautiful malt whiskies: 12 yo, 15 yo, 16 yo Nádurra, 18 yo, 21 yo and the XXV. Thanks for Alex for the great tour and professional tasting, as well as for the opportunity to taste the 37 yo specialty.

There are other two distilleris on the valley of the Livet. Tamnavulin (owned currently by Whyte&Mackay) and Braeval. The first looks a wee bit like a factory. No pagoda chimneys as it was built in the times when there was no own-maltings common anymore. Braeval is one of the nicest distillery building I have ever seen. It is deep inside the Speyside, far away from any main roads. The scenery is amazingly wonderful. The real Highlands. The distillery is newly built, nice white buildings in the middle of the summer-green valley surrounded by the Highland mounts and covered by the blue summer-sky. It was silent, but will be up and running again soon.

I sad farewell to Speyside by visiting Tomintoul-Glenlivet. Another relatively new distillery without any kilnhouse, no pagodas whatsoever. They do some experiments with peaty Speyside whiskies, like the ‘Peaty Tang’ in their range.

In the evening, I visited The Vault. The Scotch Malt Whisky Society’s heart and centre. Only for members, but after showing my membership card I was kindly let in, shown around. There are two Function Rooms for tasting, special events and a huge Membership Room where you can drink an of their cask strength whiskies, while having dinner or just laying around.