There’s an old adage when it comes to travelling and being a tourist: Sometimes, the best sights and experiences are found off the beaten path. Similarly, there’s an old truth when it comes to shopping and retail: Years after the purchase, you won’t always remember how much you paid; you might not even remember what it was you bought, but you’ll remember the experience in the shop and how you were looked after by the proprietors. When it comes to The Whisky Castle at Tomintoul, both these truths quickly become evident and play out.
Each year, thousands of whisky enthusiasts from around the world flock to Scotland – almost undertaking a pilgrimage of sorts as they visit their favourite distilleries and check out the famous places. Some make the religious crossing across to Islay; many head up into the Speyside region and gravitate to the villages of Dufftown, Aberlour, Rothes, Craigellachie, and the like. This is where the big-name distilleries are, and it would be fair to say that not many folks veer too far off the A95. The village of Tomintoul – with its accompanying distillery of the same name just a 10 minute drive out of town – probably doesn’t feature too highly on most people’s itineraries, but if you’re serious about your whisky, then you need to add Tomintoul to your travel plans. And, specifically, you need to visit The Whisky Castle.
As we said at the start, sometimes the best experiences are found off the beaten track, and Tomintoul is south of where most people focus their Speyside activities. It’s a 30 minute drive from Dufftown (Glenfiddich, Balvenie, Mortlach), a 40 minute drive from Rothes (Glen Grant, Glenrothes), and it’s a 20 minute drive from the Glenlivet Distillery. In the heart of the Cairngorms National Park, it’s the highest village in Scotland and it’s a cold place to be in winter – so much so that the Tomintoul Distillery is only open for tours for the public from April through to October. But regardless of what time of year you’re in Scotland for, The Whisky Castle should still be on your to-do list.
The Whisky Castle is a retail whisky shop that was founded back in 1904. In the context of the modern industry, it rose to prominence as a destination retail outlet in the mid-2000’s under its then-owner, the charismatic Mike Drury. Indeed, Whisky & Wisdom first set foot in the store in 2008, and walked out an hour later with more than a few bottles tucked under our arms. Drury sold the store in 2014 to current owners, Scott and Samantha Ashforth, who have since taken the baton and run further with it.
So what makes The Whisky Castle a shop you should visit? There are many reasons, but we’ll condense them down to three: Firstly, the range. You don’t want to make the trek all the way to Tomintoul just to see the same, garden-variety brands and bottles you see everywhere else. Rather, in addition to plenty of labels and distilleries you won’t see too often, The Whisky Castle stocks a surprising number of independent bottlers; brands you’ll possibly not have encountered elsewhere; lots of single-cask bottlings; and an impressively large number of whiskies that the shop has bottled privately for their own label. Secondly, the rare and collectibles. There’s a large number of bottles – yes, some would classify as unicorns – that will make you salivate. Think old Port Ellens, Springbanks, Bowmores, Macallans, bottlings from the 1960’s-1980’s, and more. There’s also old memorabilia, whisky antiques (e.g. old water jugs with famous old-name blends and malts), and the like. Thirdly, it’s the people. Owners Sam and Scott are hospitable hosts who appreciate you’ve likely made a trek to the store. They’re friendly, knowledgeable, engaging, up for a chat, and they’ll help you choose something to suit your palate and your budget. It’s a far cry from the soulless retail experience commonly encountered in the whisky shops on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, or even the once-acclaimed shops in Inveraray.
As already mentioned, The Whisky Castle has bottled several casks under its own label, as well as arranging for other independent bottlers (e.g. Gordon & MacPhail, Carn Mor, Small Batch Bottlers, etc) to bottle single casks on their behalf. On the day of our most recent visit (April, 2024), Scott was generous in pouring out a few samples so we could try their own-labelled releases, and all were impressive. (Not just good. Bloody good). Fortunately, Mrs Whisky & Wisdom abstained and was available to drive back to Aberlour afterwards although, unfortunately, Mrs Whisky & Wisdom also saw how many bottles we purchased and walked out the door with. T’was an uncanny repeat of our first visit back in 2008.
The business is paired with The Highland Market and café immediately next door, and if you’re keen for a tea or coffee and a light bite, or some Scottish memorabilia/jewelery/clothing, it’s definitely worth stepping across. (The two businesses are linked internally, you don’t even have to walk outside!) Alternatively, if you’d prefer a more substantial meal, The Clockhouse Restaurant is just up the road – home to the biggest bottle of single malt whisky in the world, as well as serving up some of the best food in the region. If you can’t get to Tomintoul anytime soon, The Whisky Castle has an online store and, yes, they ship within the UK and internationally to most countries.
So if you do organise your own whisky pilgrimage to Speyside, make sure you check out all of the Glenlivet Estate. By all means, visit the excellent Glenlivet Distillery and check out the beautiful valley and surrounds. (Click on the images above to enlarge). But be sure to take the time to travel that little bit further down the road and visit The Whisky Castle at Tomintoul. And say hi to Scott and Samantha for us.
Cheers,
AD
PS…in combination with the above reading, you might also like our other related articles:
The Top Six things to do in Speyside
10 things every whisky lover should know before visiting Scotland
Visiting Scotland when your partner doesn’t like whisky
