A special whisky tour for our Russian guest

Timofei

13 June     Arrival into Glasgow airport, from here a connecting flight to Islay. We will have Lamont to meet you at the airport on Islay and transfer you to your accommodation. Lamont will be your driver guide on Islay.  He is a local islander and knows all there is to know about Islay and its whisky, so please feel free to ask him anything you wish. You stay overnight at Port Ellen.

Islay distilleries; ARDBEG, BOWMORE, BRUICHLADDICH, BUNNAHABHAIN, CAOL ILA, KILCHOMAN, LAGAVULIN, LAPHROAIG

14 June Lamont to meet you after breakfast at a mutually agreed time for your Islay day trip. Distilleries are one thing aye, but there is more to the island than whisky as Lamont will show you, Finlaggan and Celtic crosses, standing stones and much clan history. It is believed that the Irish monks first introduced the art of distillation to Islay, during the early 14 century. On Islay they found an island eminently suited for

the production of Uisge Beathe, (water of life) with unlimited supplies of peat, lochs and rivers filled with pure soft water. The local crofters grew the fore-runner of the modern barley, called bere used for their subsistence, and the surplus distilled.

15 June Lamont to meet you after breakfast and transfer you to the ferry for Kennacraig. Here you will be met by Paul and he will be your guide for the remainder of the trip. From the ferry we travel north into history; Kilmartin Glen, home to many hundreds of monuments, standing stones, burial cairns, castles, Knights Templar graves. We will also have tome to visit Oban distillery. Paul is originally from Oban so any stories, places to eat/drink etc, he knows them! From Oban another castle at Dunstaffnage is only 2 miles away, before another visit, this time a kirk; St Conan’s Kirk, amazing!  From here through Rannoch Moor to Glencoe, to Fort William staying here tonight.

16 June  A good start to the day; along the road to the isles, as we discover where Bonnie Prince Charlie landed on the Scottish mainland

back in 1745. Time here for a good visit, before tackling a castle; Inverlochy, with a rich & bloody history, most notably when in the mid 1600’s clans Maclean and MacDonald fought alongside the Graham, a battle that saw upwards of 1500 Campbell’s killed, for a loss of 50 to the clans. From here to the Ben Nevis distillery! Set between east and west, this is a distillery producing some decent malt whisky! If a wee bit peckish, we can stop at Spean Bridge woollen mill for lunch, more whisky available here along with good shopping! We continue east along the Great Glen, stopping as and when you wish, eventually reaching Loch Ness and Urquhart Castle, depending on our time we can visit here. You stay in Inverness tonight overlooking the River Ness. A superb wee bar here for starters, before heading to the Castle Tavern, who have many real ales and grand whiskies!  Owned by McLean’s.

17 June  If we did not have chance yesterday, today we will visit another ancient site Clava Cairns. An early start today giving us more whisky time; today we can select from your choices; Balvenie & Glenfiddich, Benromach, Glenfarclas, Strathisla, Royal Lochnagar, Dallas Dhu.  In addition we can visit the Cooperage. Staying overnight in Speyside, Dufftown. With friends of ours, great whisky selection!

18 June  An early start today giving us more whisky time; today we can select from your choices; Balvenie & Glenfiddich, Benromach, Glenfarclas, Strathisla, Royal Lochnagar, Dallas Dhu.  Another day of roaming the distilleries of your choice, overnight Dufftown.

19 June We make our way south into Highland Perthshire, where we can also visit Dalwhinnie in Badenoch and Edradour distillery in Pitlochry. The day ends in Perth, home of MCLEANSCOTLAND we are happy to guide you to our favourite pub whilst here in town. In fact, we will take YOU to dinner! A good Scottish Bothy!

20 June two more distilleries today; Glenturret and Dewar’s World of Whisky. First stop Famous Grouse (Glenturret) A tour and as many extra drams as you need! Followed by a scenic drive to Killin, where we can stop for lunch if needed. To Aberfdeldy and Dewar’s, who make some stunning single malts, a good tour is available here with our friends. Our day ends as we return to Perth once more. Your final night in Scotland.

So once again, a local pub is in order! We will transfer you to the airport tomorrow to meet your flight.

"Paul, I think it was really the best vacation of mine - ever.  This was a VERY impressive tour - lots of great sightseeing places of Scotland, beautiful castles and the most important - wonderful 36 whisky distilleries (with 21 full-scale distillery tours - I have counted them all ! )!  Lots of fun, tasty meals (especially legendary haggis), magnificent drams of true scotch and a very lovely and friendly atmosphere.  The tour was truly fabulous - perfectly planned, greatly executed, every little detail was considered.  Oh, aye, I really enjoyed your birthday - slighly crazy restaurant party, but very nice!   Of cause, I liked very much Islay trip with Lamont, he was a very funny and very knowledgeable man who knew everything and everyone in Islay, and the tour around Scotland with you, Paul, was TRULY SUPERB - I think it was fantastic what I have seen and tried during those 6 days! This was a whisky tour of my dream - a trully marvelous experience for a true whisky lover like me (remember the Dufftown distillery visit?!!)   And I very much apperciate your highly professional approach, your vast historical and folklore knowledge, your lovely sence of humour.  I would have no hesitations in recommending mcleanscotland as the best Scotland tour operator (esp. whisky tour!), with you and Liz !  I look forward to visiting Scotland with my wife next year again - and only on YOUR tour!  Slainte mhath. Timofei Prokopov. CFO, Vice President, Finance & Investments, OAO "Protek" Russia