The Aberfeldy Distillery (main image), hidden deep in the Highlands on the southern banks of the River Tay, is the spiritual home of Dewar’s whiskies. In 1787, the bard Robert Burns wrote of wanting to “spend the lightsome days” in Aberfeldy with a particular “bonie lassie.” It has been said that Aberfeldy’s Pitilie Burn—the water source for the distillery—is laced with gold, and Burns wrote of how “the crystal streamlet plays.” The Aberfeldy single malt is called the “Golden Dram” because of its tantalizing, honeyed color.
Aberfeldy was the only distillery built by the Dewar family, in 1898; today, visitors can take in the Pitilie Burn, the distilling process, an interactive heritage exhibition, and a bar and shop stocked with every single bottle in Dewar’s range. For those so inclined, there is also the opportunity to don a lab coat and create a signature blend in a beautifully antiquated blending room.
The finest accommodation in Aberfeldy awaits at the five-star, nine-bedroom Dun Aluinn, which takes group reservations and sits on five acres of land overlooking the town and the river. Golfers will enjoy Blairgowrie Golf Club, one of the finest inland golf venues in Scotland, where the famed Rosemount Course was designed by Alister MacKenzie.
On the island of Islay, there’s no shortage of distillery experiences to be had. Ten single malt producers are scattered around 130 miles of shoreline, and the majority specialize in peated whisky, a style that has become synonymous with the 239-square-mile island. You can’t go wrong at any of them—so long as you’re a fan of that smoky, maritime flavor—but if you have an appreciation for the history of Scotch whisky and are intrigued by the restoration of a long-shuttered brand, head to Port Ellen Distillery. There, a tour offers visitors a glimpse behind the scenes and could include tastes from a 1979 vintage cask and other exclusive sips.
Conversely, golfers visiting the island won’t be met with much choice. Islay’s only golf course, the Machrie, dates back to the late Victorian era. Recently redesigned by David J. Russell, the classic links features all the architectural details that you would expect—quick-rolling runoff areas, boldly contoured greens, and the occasional blind shot.
In terms of Scottish whisky regions, the Kingdom of Fife makes up the northernmost part of the Scottish Lowlands. The area is associated with grain whiskies made from wheat—like a high-strength bourbon—but the Lowlands region also distills an array of excellent whiskies made with malted barley.
Lindores Abbey in Newburgh, Fife, produces both a single-malt whisky and bourbon. The Lindores Abbey Distillery was established in 2017, and whisky sales began in 2021, but the abbey ruins date back to the late 12th century. The abbey was the site of the first recorded Scotch distillation, in 1494, when King James IV commissioned the monks to produce a supply of “aqua vitae.” In addition to producing whisky, the distillery has reinstated orchards and gardens first introduced by the founding Tironensian monks more than 1,000 years ago. The region’s historical monuments extend to golf: Newburgh rests upon the southern banks of the River Tay, with St Andrews just 20 miles away.
Located far south on Scotland’s Kintyre Peninsula, Campbeltown is three indisputable things: charming, peaceful, and difficult to get to. Those who choose to make the trek (about a three-hour drive from Glasgow) will be rewarded with nuanced whisky and alluring, old-school golf.
Once considered the whisky capital of the world—back when the town was home to almost three dozen distilleries—Campbeltown today features only three production facilities. At Springbank, every step of the whisky-making process is done on-site, including malting the barley, which most other distilleries now outsource. In addition to Springbank, the distillery also produces Hazelburn and Longrow, offering a whisky to suit all tastes.
Options also exist for those who come to Campbeltown chasing par. Machrihanish Golf Club, home to an Old Tom Morris–designed championship layout almost 6,500 yards long, sits along the coast about a 10-minute drive west of town. Spilling over dramatically rumpled terrain, the course stands as one of the purest examples of Scottish links and features an introductory par 4 that Jack Nicklaus once declared the world’s “best opening hole” for its tee shot, which forces players to hit over Machrihanish Bay Beach. Just to the north, Machrihanish Dunes stands as a more modern links design that benefits from the same topography. The handiwork of David McLay Kidd, the 7,000 yards of golf were routed around the land’s natural features with the intent of building a modern course with vintage appeal. “No longer is it a gentle walk in a garden,” McLay Kidd said when the course opened. “It will be a full-fledged mountaineering expedition at this course.”
The most hidden of our recommended distillery visits, Royal Lochnagar sits in idyllic isolation in the Scottish Highlands—just south of the River Dee and a mile from Balmoral Castle, the royal family’s Scottish retreat to which Queen Elizabeth II was particularly devoted.
The Royal Lochnagar Distillery was established in 1845 and received royal approval from Queen Victoria in 1848, after she and Prince Albert enjoyed a visit of their own. It was Victoria and Albert who brought the Balmoral estate into royal ownership in 1852, and they built Balmoral Castle.
A visit to this small haven of Highlands whisky tradition is the perfect complement to a stay at the exquisite Fife Arms Hotel in the nearby village of Braemar. The Fife Arms once welcomed Queen Victoria, and today it combines its Highlands heritage with 21st-century hospitality. The Fife Arms can arrange golf for hotel guests on the beautifully basic nine-hole course at the Balmoral Estate. Originally reserved for the royal family and household, the course recently started offering limited tee times to the public.
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