The Scotch Whisky Experience in Edinburgh * Happily Misplaced

If you ever heard anything about Scotland, I’m sure you’ve heard it’s home to the scotch whisky. Not to confuse with Irish whiskey or American whiskey or bourbon. When in Scotland, you must not confuse the two as it may earn you some serious trouble with the Scots. Okay, I’m not saying you will get beaten up, but a lecture on the differences in aromas and drinking it with or without ice, water or coke may occur and it will be long.

I have been living in Scotland for a while now and I have to sadly admit I am not a huge fan of whisky. I love the smell and being able to tell the difference between the subtle notes of smoke or flowers, but I do not enjoy drinking it. But the whisky drinking culture in Scotland is, of course, huge and it is one of the biggest cultural assets of the country. Therefore, during my last visit to the beautiful capital of the bonnie Scotland, I decided to give whisky one final chance to convince me. And it actually did!

Okay, I will still only drink it mixed with a lot of coke, what can I say.

Together with my best friend we decided to visit The Scotch Whisky Experience. It would not be enough to call this place a whisky museum as it truly is an experience and an extraordinary one. Even if you travel to Edinburgh on a budget, I highly recommend setting aside the money to visit The Scotch Whisky Experience. The tour is incredibly well-crafted and the guides are knowledgeable and truly passionate about their job.

The Scotch Whisky Experience is easy to find as it is just next to the entrance to the Edinburgh Castle. The shortest visit takes around half an hour, but there are bigger, package visits you can book which include a longer tasting sessions or a dinner in the restaurant.

The tour begins with a ride in a whisky barrel. Yeah, you heard that right. So we hopped inside a whisky barrel and it took us through the process of making the whisky, from the crops to the final product. I don’t want to spoil the fun, but you’re also accompanied by a ghost on the whole tour!

The tour is available in over 20 languages and the staff takes great effort to accommodate to everybody’s needs, so you can enjoy the tour as much as possible.

After the ride the guide took us to a small cinema where we explored the five different regions of Scotland where single malt whisky is made. You can enjoy the panorama of Scottish landscapes and learn about how each particular region produces a different aroma to their whisky. It’s a spectacle of smells and landscapes of Scotland, absolutely amazing.

Then on to the tasting. We learned about the difference between a single malt and blended whisky and were treated to another amazing spectacle of lights and smells. The name speaks for itself and the tour is really nothing short of an experience.

The tasting takes place in a room with the biggest collection of unopened whisky bottles in the world. Our guide, Tam, described some of the most interesting bottles in the room in great detail and was open to any questions from the group. Some of the bottles there are really exceptional and the room looks spectacular.

You are given a choice of single malt and blended whiskies and a short explanation about each of the whiskies offered.

The Scotch Whisky Experience is the number one attraction of Edinburgh and rightfully so. I only regret not going there sooner and being able to recommend it to everyone. I have enjoyed the tour thoroughly and even though I will still not become a passionate whisky drinker, learning about it was absolutely fascinating.

And you get a gift at the end of the tour!

Any whisky drinkers out there? If you are ever in Scotland, you cannot miss this place.

This post was not sponsored by The Scotch Whisky Experience and all the opinions are my own.

Originally published at http://happilymisplaced.com on March 19, 2018.