The Oldest Whisky Distillery In Scotland | Glenturret

The Famous Grouse Experience- Scotland's Favourite Whisky

A Visit To The Famous Grouse Experience At The Glenturret Distillery, Crieff, Perthshire

One of the must-do things on any visit to Scotland is to visit a Whisky Distillery and there are so many to choose from.

Whisky Distilleries in Scotland fall into a number of regional categories. Glenturret falls into the Highland Whisky classification although your may have seen the other types as Lowland, Islay and Speyside on the shelves.

The Glenturret Distillery holds claims to being the Oldest Whisky Distillery in Scotland and sells itself on the knowledge however there are also claims to the such by other distilleries throughout the land.

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The Famous Grouse Experience At Glenturret Distillery

A Brief History Of The Famous Grouse

The Famous Grouse brand takes it's name from the Red Grouse (Latin name Lagopus lagopus scoticus) which is an iconic Scottish game bird.

The brand dates back to 1986 and wine merchants Matthew Gloag and Son who first created their blended Grouse Whisky. Due to it's resultant popularity Matthew Gloag and Sons added the name 'famous' in front. The brand is currently Scotland's most drunk whisky with a reputation the world over.

In 1970 William Gloag & Son's Was sold to Highland Distillers who were acquired in 1990 by the Edrington Group.

The Famous Grouse is a blended whisky featuring a selection of malts which have been vatted together to create the unique taste. These blending whiskies come from as far away as Highland Park Distillery in the Orkney Islands, The Macallan Distillery on Speyside and The North English Distillery near Edinburgh.

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Directions- How To Find The Glenturret Distillery

How do you find the Famous Grouse Experience for Scotland's Favourite Whisky at Glenturret Distillery?

The Glenturret Distillery is signposted along the Perthsihire Tourist Trail and from the A9, A85 and A822 roads.

Finding The Famous Grouse Experience At The Glenturret Distillery

Glenturret Visitor Centre

Glenturret Distillery Visitor Centre Opening Hours

Opening Hours for The Famous Grouse Experience Tour and Glenturret Distillery Visitor Centre.

January

Monday to Friday 11:30 - 16:00 hrs (Last tour at 14:30 hrs)

February

Monday to Saturday 11:30 - 16:00 hrs (Last tour at 14:30 hrs)
Sunday 12:00 - 16:00 hrs (Last tour at 14:30 hrs)

March to December

Monday to Saturday 09:30 - 18:00 hrs (Last tour at 16:30 hrs)
Sunday 12:00 - 18:00 hrs (Last tour at 16:30 hrs)

The Start Of The Distillery Tour At Glenturret

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Rating for the BAFTA Award Winning Experience Tour

Glenturret Distillery Tour Options

When you visit a Whisky distillery you're treated to a plethora of options when it comes to the tours they offer. Tours at the Famous Grouse Experience feature a BAFTA award winning presentation to satisfy the needs of the most attention deficit amongst us.

I chose the Experience Tour as was personally on a flitting visit to Glenturret after a morning Skiing at the Glenshee Ski Centre and planned my trip to to break up the drive home.

NB# Please note that I am a responsible driver and only had a very small taste of the whisky of offer which was a frustration but a small taste is all it takes for me know know if I like the palate of a whisky.

Tour Options Include (Prices Adult/ Concession)

1. THE EXPERIENCE TOUR (£8.95/ £7.50) features a tour of the Glenturret Distillery. It showcases the whisky making process from the grain through all the stages of production. The tour provides a unique insight into the Famous Grouse group of blended whiskies with an amazing BAFTA winning interactive video tour and an opportunity to sample from the range and a sampling of the Glenturret Single Malt at the end of the tour.
2. THE CELEBRATION TOUR (£13.95/ £12.95) helps to celebrate 30 years as Scotland's favourite whisky for the Famous Grouse and includes a total of 5 tastings.
3. The STILLMAN'S CHOICE TOUR (£20/ £18.50) is a real choice of the whisky connoisseur and features the traditional experience tour as well as a further 5 tastings of the malt distillers' favourites and a celebration glass.
4. If you want to go one better than that. Why not sample The Famous Grouse malt range within a special sampling room inside Bonded Warehouse Number 9 on the WAREHOUSE No. 9 TOUR (£40 / no concessions).
   

The Whisky Tasting Bar At Glenturret

The World's Largest Bottle Of Whisky

Home Of The World's Largest Bottle Of Whisky

Glenturret Distillery is the home of the world's largest bottle of Whisky. Filled with Famous Grouse Whisky it totals 228 litres and is 5ft 5 inches tall and took over three hours to fill up.

The bottle was filled to commemorate the brand's 107th birthday.

Congratulations to The Famous Grouse on being a Guinness World Record Holder

The World's Biggest Whisky Bottle

Tasting The Famous Grouse Whisky Range

No visit to The Famous Grouse Experience would be complete without the opportunity to sample some of their world famous whisky.

During the tour there is a separate Famous Grouse tasting bar with the opportunity to taste the latest product range. There's an option for all drinkers no matter your palate.

Going Through The Famous Grouse Whisky Line-Up

The Snow Grouse

The Snow Grouse is primarily a grain whisky and grain whiskies can be quite harsh on the palate. The Famous Grouse have found a unique way of controlling this level of harshness and adding a unique drinking experience- serve your Snow Grouse from the freezer.

“The unique and extra Smoothchill™ Filtration process that the spirit goes through, produces a remarkably light Scotch whisky that retains all of its sweet, smooth flavours and results in a completely new taste sensation, a sweet gloopy mouth-feel and a cool taste explosion when served ‘seriously chilled.’”

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CyclingFitness (after a day on the ski slopes) Behind The Famous Grouse Tasting Bar

The Naked Grouse

The newest addition to the Famous Grouse family is a serious Scotch Whisky aimed at the connoisseur looking for a quality whisky. Simplicity is shown in the bottle and expect to pay a price around £30.

I sampled a little taste of the Naked Grouse on my trip to Glenturret and at first taste it is a smooth, moderately light whisky with a sweet wine like edge from it's maturation in sherry casks.

The Black Grouse

The Black Grouse builds upon the smoothness of the Famous Grouse and adds smoky elements with peaty and more earthy elements to it's palate. It adds additional complexity to make it a great whisky to drink neat, on the rocks or in a cocktail.

Thanks For Visiting Scotland's Oldest Distillery

I had an excellent experience at The Famous Grouse Experience and Glenturret Distillery- Scotalnd's Oldest Distillery and definitely recommend it as a great tourist attraction to visit in Scotland.

Thanks For Reading

Liam Hallam (CyclingFitness On Hubpages)