Benromach Distillery

Scotland’s smallest working distillery has just three distillers handcrafting its ‘Uisghe Beatha’ (water of life), sourcing water from the Chapelton Spring in the Romach Hills near Forres and using Scottish barley in the process. Established in 1898, Benromach Distillery opened and closed several times over the last century before being revived and refitted in the 1990s by bottling company Gordon & MacPhail of Elgin. The now-redundant landmark red-brick Victorian chimney still remains and a visitor center was installed in the old barley-drying house; HRH Prince Charles officially declared the distillery open for business in 1998. Every task, from maturation in the copper stills to bunging the oak casks, is overseen or executed by hand and Benromach is once more known for creating award-winning single malts, some batches smoked with a hint of peat in the traditional Speyside manner. 
Now firmly ensconced on the Malt Whisky Trail through Speyside, Benromach Distillery is open for guided tours and tutored tastings of various drams; visitors can also bottle their own single malt to take home.

Practical Info

Invererne Road, Forres, Moray IV36 3EB. Open Jan–Apr, Oct–Dec Mon–Fri 10am–4pm; May–Sept Mon–Sat 9.30am–5pm (also Sun June–Sept). Tour prices start at £6. All but the 30-minute guided tours must be booked in advance. 45 minutes northwest of Inverness, accessed by car along the A96.