Ales and Whiskies
Ales and beers are brewed across the region from Skye to the Black Isle, and there are several famous distilleries you can visit, including Pulteney, Glenmorangie and Talisker.
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Skye Brewery
The output of this purpose-built microbrewery is famed far beyond its native shores. The smooth Red Cuillin is light and pleasing; the darker, maltier Black Cuillin is the perfect counterpoint; and Hebridean Gold, unusually brewed with porridge oats, are all among the brewery’s award-winning portfolio.
Black Isle Brewery
A brewery that prides itself on the quality of its ingredients, the recently established Black Isle produces a unique range of organic ales, wheat and blonde beers and porter. The fruity, malty Organic Scotch Ale and the Organic Porter, an award-winner, are both bottle-conditioned - in effect, real ale in a bottle.
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First-class Restaurants and Pubs
From first-class restaurants and pubs to superlative whiskies and the finest of local produce, the area is a gourmet heaven. Skye boasts two of Scotland’s internationally rated hotel/ restaurants; but with famous-name restaurants and hotels of its own, the mainland can more than compare. Singling out only the famous names seems unfair when there are so many excellent small establishments across this wide area from Uig on Skye in the west, to Scrabster in Caithness at Scotland’s north-eastern tip.
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Whisky Country
The North East is Whisky Country. Here you’ll find Speyside, with more distilleries than you can count in a few square miles of countryside that’s among the most beautiful anywhere in Britain. The verdant hills and clean air provide their own input to this region’s most famous produce, and you can follow the Whisky Trail up the valley of the Spey and beyond, sampling as you go. Some of the industry’s most famous and most popular names are here, including Macallan, Cardhu, Glenfarclas and Glenfiddich. If you don't have time to visit as many as you'd like or you'd prefer something rarer, pay a visit to Gordon & MacPhail's amazing Elgin shop.
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