Scottish Distilleries

Visiting one of the nearby Scottish distilleries is a must do activity when visiting Dornoch. Part of our Highland identity, whisky and gin distilling has been passed down through generations because with a dram of whisky or gin in our hands, we’re happy, of course. 

Scottish Distillery Tours

Take a tour of our nearby Scottish distilleries to learn about a mix of traditional and innovative distilling practices and sample each distillery’s unique taste of the Highlands. 

Glenmorangie Distillery 

Just 10 miles south of Dornoch on the outskirts of Tain, Glenmorangie is one of our closest distilleries. With the tallest copper stills in Scotland, Glenmorangie uses only the finest oak caskets to produce their unique wood finish malts. 

Dornoch Distillery Company

Our very closest distillery, the Dornoch Distillery Company, sits right around the corner from us in Dornoch town centre. Opened by local brothers, Simon and Philip Thomson, they distill their own whisky and award-winning gin. 

Unfortunately, no distillery tours are available yet but we hope that our guests will be able to visit one day soon. 

Balblair Distillery

Humbly positioned against the commanding backdrop of Dornoch Firth, Balblair has been distilling single malt Scottish whisky since 1790 and continues to sell their authentic vintage blends. 

Personal tours of the distillery are available where you can also journey through time in Balblair’s Time Capsule room. 

Dalmore Distillery

Travel south to Alness on the banks of the Cromarty Firth overlooking the Black Isle, or the “big meadowland”, from which it takes its name. As an award-winning distillery, Dalmore creates a number of different whiskies that are produced in a combination of stills, in various sizes which gives the whisky a more complex character. 

Clynelish Distillery

Clynelish is known as one of the most northerly distilleries in Scotland, but the journey is worth it for their surprisingly fruity, yet slightly smoky, single malt Scotch whisky. 

First opened in 1819, the distillery still uses the original distilling method today, taking spring water from the Clynemilton Burn and running it over seams of gold embedded in the rocks of the nearby hills. 

Old Pulteney Distillery

Travel north along the rugged coastline towards Wick to reach the Old Pulteney Whisky Distillery. The distillery is still connected to its cultural routes and their 12 year-old single malt whisky is influenced by the local seafaring heritage. 

Their whisky is affectionately named as The Maritime Malt in an ode to their village that was once known as the herring capital of Europe.

Don’t worry if you don’t have time to visit every distillery on this trip, a selection of whiskys from all the Scottish distilleries mentioned are stocked in our hotel bar for you to enjoy after your round of golf, or as a nighttime cap in the evening after a day of Highland adventures. Peruse the whisky wall in our bar to select the dram of your choice.