Discover the best whisky shops, distilleries & whisky attractions in Edinburgh.
All about whisky in Edinburgh
The worlds largest Scotch whisky collection
The Scotch Whisky Experience
| Whisky shops in Edinburgh | Scotch Whisky Experience |
| Johnnie Walker Edinburgh | Whisky distilleries in Edinburgh |
Scotch Whisky regions
The Scotch Whisky Association (SWA), the industry’s governing body, says that “Scotland is home to over 130 malt and grain distilleries, making it the greatest concentration of whisky production in the world.”
The Scotch Whisky regions recognised by SWA are:
- Campbeltown,
- Highland,
- Islay,
- Lowland
- Speyside.
Edinburgh sits within the Lowland Scotch Whisky Region
The Lowlands cover a great swathe of southern Scotland from Greenock on the Firth of Clyde in the west to the southern shores of the Firth of Tay in the east.
Some ‘key facts’ about Scotch whisky
- Scotch Whisky – must be made in Scotland and matured in oak casks (many are ex-bourbon casks from the United States) for a minimum of three years.
- Age Statement – If the bottle shows an age statement, for example, a Laphroaig 10 Year Old, it must be the youngest whisky in the mix.
- Single Malt Scotch whisky – is the product of a single distillery but will usually contain a combination of malts from the same distillery.
- Blended Malt Scotch Whisky – a combination of malt whiskies from more than one distillery.
- Blended Scotch Whisky – regulations stipulate that blended Scotch Whisky must contain a combination of one or more malt Scotch whiskies and one or more grain Scotch whiskies.
- Bottling – all bottling of Scotch Whisky must be done in Scotland by the distillery or an independent bottler.
- Cask strength – whisky bottled directly from the cask without dilution.
- Angel’s share – the amount of content evaporation that happens during maturation.
For gin lovers, see the gin distilleries in Edinburgh page.