Are you planning a trip to Scotland and wonder if you should rent a car for a road trip, despite driving on the left-hand side of the road?
Yes, you absolutely should.
Driving in Scotland was one of the easier places we’ve visited, and we were pleasantly surprised with how easy it was to get around with a rental car. But, as with all things, there are some important details you may want to think about before visiting, and we wanted to share those thoughts in this one!
TimeSpirit at The Macallan Estate in Aberlour, Scotland, is a unique dining experience in the heart of the Speyside whisky region. A partnership with the Roca brothers from El Celler de Can Roca in Girona, Spain, TimeSpirit is a feast for both the eyes and the stomach. With a stunning dining room with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the countryside, and a ten-course tasting menu with whisky or wine pairing options, there’s a lot to love here.
When planning Speyside whisky tastings before our trip to Scotland, we had initially tried to get in for a tour or tasting at Macallan, but everything was booked up well in advance. That’s when we noticed the estate’s relatively new restaurant, TimeSpirit, had openings. We booked a dinner reservation on a whim, not sure what to expect, but it turned out to be a very enjoyable and delicious evening full of delightful food, whisky, and wine.
If you’re visiting Scotland, odds are good you’ll want to try their famous spirit- whisky.
But for those exploring the country on a road trip, you may be surprised to find out that Scotland has incredibly strict drinking and driving laws- so much so that practically one drink could put most visitors over the limit.
Thankfully, Scottish bars and distilleries have created a takeaway concept known as a Driver’s Dram that helps you still enjoy their whisky at a later time.
At first, I was reluctant to take these as I wasn’t sure how it’d all work relative to a conventional tasting. But after seeing it first hand, it became my go-to at every stop.
When we booked our trip to Scotland, we knew we wanted to take a number of distillery tours to learn about Scotch whisky production and find our tastes.
But after we arrived and started talking all of the tours we booked, we realized that the tour element was, in many cases, not entirely necessary. We could’ve got by just fine, if not better, simply tasting at many distillery’s on-site bars.
There are many reasons for this, but perhaps the two biggest are that tours are generally all the same, and we personally enjoy products that are not in tasting flights on entry-level tours.
So, in this one, we thought we’d talk more about why we regret taking so many distillery tours, and dive into why we preferred tasting at the bars instead!