Translated by Bethszabee Garner

While the country is welcoming for tourists, with its marvelous landscapes and exceptional castles, a visit to its famous distilleries is another historical and educational experience. There are more than 90 in operation, in the Spey valley (Speyside), in the Highlands to the north, the Lowlands to the south, and also in the islands of Islay or the Orkneys.

Single Malt Ultra-Premiul by Scapa

On the main island of the Orkney archipelago, the Scapa distillery, ‘boat’ in Norse dialect, has positioned itself with a premium range consisting of three single malts: Scapa 10 years (€60), 16 years (€120) and 21 years (€300).

Fettercairn and Monbleu

At the foot of the Cairngorms mountains, the picturesque village of Fettercairn is home to the distillery founded in 1824 by Sir Alexander Ramsay. To celebrate its 200th anniversary, the brand has joined forces with the three Parisian Monbleu restaurants for a double tasting (until 5 January): ‘creamy cheese (pâte de brillat double crème made with cow's milk) paired with 12-year-old Fettercairn whisky’. They can be enjoyed separately, but together they are harmonious. The bottle alone costs €59.

Glendronach 12 years old

Its founder, James Allardice, presented his very first whisky in 1826 in the ‘valley of the mulberry trees’ from which the distillery takes its name. Although the artistic direction has evolved, the core of its permanent collection remains the same: its 12, 15 and 18 year old single malts continue to age in rare Pedro Ximénez and Oloroso casks selected in Andalusia. €79.90

‘A tale of ice cream’ by Glenmorangie

The brainchild of Dr Bill, this single malt is representative of the talent of the house's master distiller, who has endeavored to bring out all the creaminess of his single malt, inspired by ice cream and its flavors: notes of peach melba and vanilla, a touch of lemon sorbet, coconut topping and caramel sauce. €85

Benriach, exclusive limited edition

For the end of the year, the distillery is presenting a limited edition of the 16-year-old Benriach, in collaboration with the visual artist Arnaud Liard. Only 50 copies: each case is a unique handmade work of art, highlighting the meeting of the art of distillation and contemporary art. €103

Deacon Scotland

The Deacon, Pernod Ricard's ‘accessible peat’, is a blended Scotch whisky distilled in a copper still, symbolizing the harmony between the single malts of the island of Islay and those of Speyside, complemented by grain whiskies. €39.90

Aberlour small batch 17 years old

Still in Orkney, master distiller Graeme Cruikshank unveils this limited edition single malt that pays tribute to the house's signature double maturation in sherry and bourbon casks. Only 432 numbered bottles. €225

Johnnie Walker Blue Label

To create her blends, Emma Walker has the largest collection of whiskies in the world. More than 11 million casks from the 29 most famous distilleries in Scotland. An iconic reference, this Blue Label is made from the oldest reserves, with only one cask out of every 10,000 selected for the final blend. A bottle in historic blue-green glass, numbered. 210 €

Two new single cask the Balvenie

The Balvenie pays tribute to its craftsmen with two new single casks that join its Stories collection: A Collection of Curious Casks composed of two new expressions: 14 years Bourbon Barrel (€119) and 18 years French Pineau. (€360)

The Glen Grant 25 years old

This exceptionally aged single malt joins the collection of rare whiskies from the famous distillery that has been based in Speyside for over 180 years. Made from Scottish barley and pure water drawn from the Back Burn spring, it is distilled in copper stills. The bottle has a purple and gold label, as does its box. €850

Glendfiddich Grand Château 31 years old

With an artistic collaboration by French artist André Saraiva, this 30-year-old whisky from the Speyside valley, where the River Fiddich flows, is first aged in American oak barrels for 22 years, then refined for 9 years in Bordeaux red wine barrels. Limited edition. €1,850

Bruichladdich goes fourth

The company creates, distils, ages and bottles its single malts on the island of Islay, buffeted by the waves and winds of the Atlantic. It is the first in Europe to have obtained B Corp certification, attesting to its high level of social and environmental performance. It offers four products: Bruichladdich 18 Year Old, matured for nine months in ex-bourbon casks and a small number of sauternes and port casks (€189), Bruichladdich 30 Year Old, a single malt matured in rare bourbon casks (€1,789); Port Charlotte, a peated single cask made from barley from seven local farms on the island (€119.90), and finally Octomore 15.1, a peated single malt aged in a combination of first-fill ex-bourbon casks and re-toasted ex-bourbon casks (€289).

The Macallan and its ‘Time: Space’ collection

To mark the distillery's 200th anniversary, it is unveiling two new products in custom-made bottles: Space Mastery (€1,270), a unique single malt dedicated to the whisky makers of the past, thanks to a selection of exceptional oak casks; and Time: Space, a double-compartment bottle containing a 1940 vintage and a single malt from the first production of the new distillery in 2018 (only 200 bottles at an undisclosed, and certainly very high, price).

Highland park vintage 1990

In October 2021, of the 34 first-fill European and American oak hogsheads that had been waiting patiently since 1990, Gordon Motion, the master blender, selected five for this exceptional Vintage: three European oak ex-sherry, one ex-bourbon and one second-fill. In August 2023, he will blend them. Only 1,221 bottles, hand-numbered. €3,250

Two rare vintages for the Glenlivet

The distillery is also celebrating its 200th anniversary and, to mark the occasion, is unveiling two new rare vintages: The Glenlivet Single Cask 24 Years Old and The Glenlivet 55 Years Old, two ultra-limited edition single malts. There will only be 150 bottles of the former (€650) and just one of the latter, priced at ‘€50,000’!