Glenkinchie Distillery Whisky Tour from Edinburgh
Description
A relaxed half-day whisky trip from Edinburgh to Glenkinchie, the Lowland home of Johnnie Walker, in a small group of no more than 16 people. We drive, you taste.
Just a short drive from the city centre, Glenkinchie is one of the few working Lowland distilleries left in Scotland. You leave St Andrew Square at midday, enjoy a 90-minute distillery tour with three drams and are back in town by 5pm.
Lowland whiskies are known for a lighter, more delicate character than Highland or Islay malts, which makes Glenkinchie a perfect introduction to Scotch for newcomers and a treat for whisky lovers. It is also one of the classic Johnnie Walker component malts.
The timings leave you time to browse the distillery shop, with exclusive bottles and souvenirs, and to have lunch or an extra dram before heading back to Edinburgh.
All year at 12pm
Duration: 5 hours (back at 5pm).
Language: English
The whole tour is guided in English.
Departure: 22 St Andrew Square
Pick-up and drop-off in the New Town. Open in Google Maps.
From £35
Transfer + Flavour Journey Tour: adult (18+) £55, child (8-17) £46 · Transfer only: £35.
Detailed route
Check in at 22 St Andrew Square before 11.45 am for a 12 noon departure.
Head south-east into the rolling hills and farmland of East Lothian to Glenkinchie Distillery, where a local guide leads the 90-minute Flavour Journey tour and tasting.
After some free time at the distillery, you return to St Andrew Square at around 5 pm.
Departure from St Andrew Square (12 pm)
East Lothian
The landscape quickly changes from city to countryside as we drive into the region known as the "Garden of Scotland", whose rich farmland has grown barley for whisky for generations.
Glenkinchie Distillery
A knowledgeable distillery guide welcomes you for the Glenkinchie Flavour Journey: a 90-minute tour of the history, craft and character of this Lowland distillery, ending with a tasting of three drams.
Distillery shop and free time
Time before and after the tour to browse the shop, with exclusive bottles and souvenirs, and to enjoy lunch or a few extra drams.
Arrival in St Andrew Square (5 pm)
The order of the stops may change because of traffic, weather or opening times.
What’s included
What does the price include?
- Return transfer to Glenkinchie Distillery
- Glenkinchie Flavour Journey: 90-minute tour with a tasting of 3 drams (not in the transfer-only option)
Not included
- Food and other drinks
- Gratuities
Good to know
Free cancellation
Cancel up to 24 hours before departure for a full refund.
Check-in
Check-in closes at 11.45 am at 22 St Andrew Square.
Minimum age
Children under 8 are not permitted. Proof of age for children may be requested at check-in.
Small group
A maximum of 16 people per tour.
Comfortable shoes
Comfortable footwear is recommended for the distillery tour.
Luggage
One small or medium bag per person (maximum 15 kg) plus a small handbag or daypack.
Cash and cards
Most attractions and cafés take cards, but it is worth carrying some cash.
What our guests say
City Explorers has a 5.0 rating on Google from 27,032 reviews. Here is a selection of real reviews, updated every week. Tap any review to read it in full.
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Cobin is amazingly good with a hint of fun story teller! He made a boring history particularly very very very interesting and easy to remember! Highly and exceptionally recommended!! If you don’t, you’ll miss half the adventure of your life!!
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Cobin was a great tour guide!! Lovely humor and a lot of fun facts. Would definitely recommend to friends and family:)
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I had fun listening to the stories our guide shared. He was totally entertaining, built the atmosphere and hooked us into the experience.
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Rory was a very cool and charming tour Guide. The storys were very nice and for us from germany very good understandble. And it was nice to learn so much about the dark history of scotland and edinburgh
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Dr Rory can tell a story! I couldn't believe how quickly the tour ended. When I looked at my watch and hour and a half had passed! Get a tour, get it with Rory !
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Griem was a fantastic tour guide ! He was very helpful, showed a great amount of knowledge about the city, and I loved his sense of humour:))
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Great tour, got all the major sights and lots of history. Kenny, our guide, was very knowledgeable and eloquent he made the tour very interesting and fun at the same time.
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I highly recommend this tour! Rory’s gory stories were amazing, you can really tell he loves the job and makes the tour feel very special!
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Had a wonderful tour through Edinburgh. Cobin is a very funny guy with great knowledge about the city and entertaining storytelling
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Cobin was an awesome guide. We got a lot of interesting information on our tour. He was clever and very engaging. He paced the tour so we could all follow along and he was very careful that we were all with him and safe. Thanks Cobin for an interesting morning!
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Cobin was very entertaining and informative. The pacing and humor of the tour was well balanced and enjoyable
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Graeme was a fantastic tour guide with many interesting stories and so much knowledge. Highly recommend this tour and guide
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Our guide was Kenny. He was very knowledgeable and informative and had a really good sense of humour! Fantastic tour. Highly recommend
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Kenny was entertaining and knowledgeable. He was happy to answer all of our questions and gave us a brilliant tour
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Absolute riveting. Our tour guide Dan was a gem and a really fantastic storyteller. He has great knowledge and even had some extra facts. Highly recommend.
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We had a great experience with Cobin! He was very friendly and made the tour really enjoyable. We had a wonderful time. Highly recommend!
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Excellent tour. Cobin was a very fun and engaging guide, with some interesting anecdotes and a strong storytelling
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Fantastic tour hosted by Glen. Very impressed with the information and interaction given, it made the whole experience very interesting and pleasant! Thanks Glen!
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Great experience, Dan was really knowledgable and full of energy and showed us all the places with their stories
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Graeme's tour was FAB! We saw so much more than we expected, lots of great stories. Thanks so much!
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He’s a charming gentleman with a great sense of humor and interesting stories about the city of Edinburgh. I highly recommend! It was a very fun tour!
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Kenny did a wonderful job of blending, history, modern recommendations and gorgeous views all while not allowing any of us to get separated. Big highlight!
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We had Stuart as our tour guide, he was great! Very knowledgeable, very funny and kept us intrigued the whole time!
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Graham was an absolute delight. His tour gave us not only a great sense of Edinburgh as a city, but the history and stories that led to it being what it is now. You can tell that he loves what he does, and it was a privilege to meet Edinburgh through his eyes
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Thank you Cobin! It was really nice time roaming around the Edinburgh and you explained us very well.
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We joined the tour on the third day of our four-day visit to Edinburgh; I wish I had joined on the first day, as I would have explored the city with a better understanding. Our guide, Kenny, was very professional. I definitely recommend it.
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Kenny is a fantastic tour guide - very knowledgeable and has a great way of sharing this which is both engaging and informative
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Cobin was great! He was super funny and the history he gave was very informational! I highly recommend!!
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Gourgeous tour! Our guide was Rory: he was very clear and involves us telling some parts of Scotland history.
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My experience was very nice and fun. Rory is very good at telling the story and he’s very charismatic!!’
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Selected real reviews from Google · Updated October 2026