As the summer arrives, so the thoughts of the whisky drinker turn to visiting his (or her) favourite distillery. There’s a lot to see. The great-grand-daddy of them all is William Grants’ Glenfiddich distillery at Dufftown, producer of the eponymous single malt that outsells all others. Grants were famously the first to open their doors to the visitor, in a formal sense at least, and their visitor centre continues to prosper. A basic tour of the distillery is still free (many of their competitors have started to charge) but increasing numbers of visitors take the Connoisseurs’ Tour (£20). For that relatively modest fee you are accompanied by a senior guide (it must be confessed that across Scotland’s distilleries not all the seasonal staff taking tours are quite as expert as some of their visitors) and shown production areas closed to the standard tour. But the highlight is the tutored tasting and the opportunity to taste a wide range of aged vintage malts and discuss them with a really knowledgeable guide.

Little wonder that visitors’ next stop is generally the well-stocked Glenfiddich shop!

Balvenie distillery

So it’s no surprise that Grants have adopted this approach exclusively for their neighbouring Balvenie distillery. It’s smaller and the tour is designed more for the real enthusiast. The chance to see the Balvenie floor maltings makes it worth the £25 admission charge alone and there is an in-depth nosing and tasting session that would be hard to replicate for the price. Advance booking is essential.

Let’s hope that Grants soon decide to open up their mysterious Kininvie distillery, also on the Dufftown complex, or perhaps their new Ailsa Bay operation at Girvan. Enthusiasts would soon flock to these tours. Where Grants concentrate solely on promoting their single malt whiskies, Dewar’s World of Whisky at the Aberfeldy distillery has a completely different aim: here you can learn the art of blending. Blended whisky still accounts for more than 90% of global sales and so the art and science of the blender is a skill essential to our balance of payments. Dewar’s White Label is still the best-selling blended whisky in the USA, even if little seen in its homeland. Well-informed critics have described Dewar’s World of Whisky as ‘the ultimate Scotch whisky visitor centre’ and it is certainly lavishly equipped and full of the latest interactive displays.

But the company’s distinguished heritage isn’t forgotten and you can see one of the best selections of historical artefacts and objects at this attractive Perthshire distillery. The main focus is on John and Tommy Dewar, the entrepreneurial brothers who built the family dynasty at the end of the Victorian era and into the early 20th century. Just as at Glenfiddich there is the option of a higher-priced VIP tour and, once again, it’s worth every penny.

Higher prices seem to be the norm as increasingly well-informed visitors demand more and more from their distillery experience. Up on Orkney, Kirkwall’s Highland Park distillery will this year offer a range of tours at prices up to £75. Mind you, for that price, their mini-bus will come and collect you and your party and later return you to your holiday accommodation (on Orkney at least!). Just as well because the highest priced tour includes a generous tasting some of this prize-winning distillery’s most valuable single malt bottlings. May is, of course, time for the Speyside Whisky Festival, which this Homecoming year has been specially extended and will now run from May 1st to 10th.

It’s an opportunity to see behind some normally closed doors, with tours available at Tamdhu, Linkwood, Mannochmore and other usually secretive distilleries. In addition, old favourites such as The Macallan, Glenfarclas and Glen Moray are offering a range of special visits and, for its 10th anniversary the Speyside Festival has even permitted recently re-opened Highland single malt Glenglassaugh at Portsoy to offer a ‘Privilege Tour’ that promises ‘Access All Areas’ and a tasting of rare 21 and 30 year old malts for £25.

Meanwhile, closer to Scotland’s major centres of population, Glengoyne near Glasgow goes from strength to strength under recently changed ownership. There you can spend half a day – and up to £100 – learning the secrets of blending and even making up your own blend, with a wee sample to take home.

And then there’s Auchentoshan, recently remodelled and, on Islay, every distillery opens its doors from giant Caol Ila to tiny Kilchoman. Ardbeg’s Old Kiln Cafe is worth the ferry trip alone for delicious home cooking. Islay, of course, has its own festival, the Feis Isle, which runs from 23rd to 31st May.

Changed days then from 1969 when Glenfiddich first opened but, like a grand old 40 year old cask, whisky tourism just keeps getting better and better!

field facts

Dewar’s World of Whisky, Aberfeldy Distillery, Aberfeldy, Perthshire PH15 2EB Tel: 01887 822 010 www. dewarswow.com