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Ballindalloch
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The Glenlivet Distillery
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The Glenlivet Distillery

See all things to do
See all things to do
The Glenlivet Distillery
4.5
839 reviews
#3 of 11 things to do in Ballindalloch
Distilleries
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9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
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About
As always, the health of our employees, along with our customers and our communities is our top priority. We are therefore temporarily closing The Glenlivet Brand Home to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 effective from 14/03/2020. If you have a booking with us over the coming weeks, we would like to offer you the opportunity to re-book or receive a full refund. Simply email us as below. Email: theglenlivet.admin@pernod-ricard.com We would like to wish all of our staff and customers well and look forward to reopening our doors when it is appropriate to do so. We will continue to issue updates via our website and on our social media channels. Best wishes, The Glenlivet Brand Home Team
Suggested duration
1-2 hours
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Top ways to experience The Glenlivet Distillery and nearby attractions

Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
839 reviews
Excellent
578
Very good
194
Average
41
Poor
17
Terrible
9
Nathan M
1 contribution
Best Distillery Tour
Sep 2022 • Couples
This was by far the best distillery tour we’ve ever been on! They have built the complex with tours in mind, having designated and very well-designed rooms to talk about the different stages of the whisky making process. They also have a beautiful tasting room where we received 3 generous drams to enjoy. Andrew was a fantastic tour guide, providing loads of information but doing so in a way that was easy to understand. If you’re only going to do one distillery tour in Scotland, we highly recommend this one!
Written October 4, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Stuart S
London, UK183 contributions
Stunning New Distillery Visitor Centre, Truly Amazing Experience
Aug 2021
Glenlivet has spent a lot of money to completely renew their flagship distillery visitor centre, and it certainly shows. It is both opulent, impressive, and yet welcoming and warm, with a great deal of effort put into keeping it linked with the distillery's storied history of over two centuries. There will almost certainly be distillery tours again when the pandemic is contained, and that will make the whole experience unforgettable.

We did a private tasting of 4-5 cask strength single cask older expressions, both bourbon and sherry cask finished, with a very knowledgable guide in charge. Afterward, we perused all the tempting bottles in the shop but couldn't resist a hand-filled 12yo bourbon cask distillery exclusive for an incredibly reasonable 50 pounds.

You will not be disappointed if you make the trip here, and surrounding countryside is also stunning.
Written September 5, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Theoldhoneymooners
Northumberland7 contributions
A wonderful experience from start to finish
May 2022
A wonderful experience from start to finish. A beautiful new visitor centre that has the ambience of an upmarket (but understated) hotel. The staff were so welcoming and were able to provide us with a much needed cup of earl grey as sadly we weren't drinking. Good value for money, timed tours bookable direct through their website. I wouldn't bother buying an expensive day experience from an independent tour company who charge £125 each just for transport. Book a private taxi and DIY.
As previous comments have mentioned be aware that there is no full on cafe/restaurant serving food, but the tea was delightful.
Written May 19, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Steven R
2 contributions
Not much to do if you don’t want a tour and just want a tasting and a coffee…
Sep 2022 • Couples
Hi,

I recently visited the Glenlivet distillery on a short break to Aviemore. It has been a number of years since I last visited the distillery and being a keen drinker of Glenlivet I couldn’t wait to return.

I am so disappointed to say it is not what I remember. As I wasn’t driving it had fully expected to arrive and sample some whisky’s (had planned to purchase a stave of 4 or 5) as well as have a coffee and perhaps a snack in the visitor centre.

I was disappointed that there is no cafe area and there was no opportunity to sample some whisky to assist with the purchasing decision.

Whilst the visitor centre is very popular I just felt the whole thing was a bit clinical and wasn’t really designed to cater for what I was looking for.

The lady is the shop was lovely and did ask if we needed any assistance. I had fully expected to purchase 2 or 3 bottles but left empty handed as I just didn’t feel the experience merited me buying the marked up bottles.

For me whisky is all about like minded people sharing the stories of the drams and having the opportunity to sample and discuss what makes Glenlivet unique.

On the way back to Aviemore we stopped in at Caorunn gin distillery. We had hardly got on the door and had a couple of samples in hand with the lady excitedly telling us all about the gin. We ended up leaving there with 3 bottles and had a lovely time.
Written September 3, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Filmcraft
Augusta, GA165 contributions
Rude, arrogant staff. Stingy and out of the way.
Nov 2022
1. Spent a lot of time and money to visit the middle of nowhere and visit a former favorite Single Malt Scotch of ours.
2. It was our second distillery tour of the day. I was driving and my wife was sampling in moderation.
3. The tour guide was a young rude, arrogant fellow, who was not a good communicator and would go off script in the most immature ways. He said he would kill us if we smoked on the tour. He said that they used they same tanks to transport the yeast as diesel fuel. He said a bunch of dumb stuff. Most of the tour was just watching TV screens of video, but it was better than listening to our guide.
4. At the tasting I asked for another driver's kit (tiny, little bottles to put the samples in if you weren't planning to taste onsite, probably costs about 3 cents apiece). My wife had had enough from earlier in the day and I was driving. He stated, No I couldn't, there was a glass shortage in Scotland and we could only have one. OK, well we bought 2 tickets for tours and tasting and I had been a loyal customer for 40 years and flew over from the States and planned to buy whatever exclusive bottle I could find in the Gift Shop, but "Hey, I don't want to bankrupt your multi-million dollar operation here for aggravating the global glass shortage." I didn't buy that bottle, and never will!... Lost a customer for life.
5. Went to Glenfiddich earlier in the day (read my review) it was wonderful.
6. Goodbye Glenlivet.
Written November 10, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Maya
7 contributions
Incredible tour with a brilliant guide!
Nov 2022 • Couples
What an incredible tour! Glenlivet distillery is a MUST if you’re visiting Scotland. Our guide, Andrew, was amazing; welcoming, engaging, knowledgeable, clearly very passionate about whisky and above all, fun! He made a novice whisky drinker like me much more interested in the process, the differences between each bottle and the history behind it all.
The buildings themselves are impressive, the decor of the entrance is beautiful and you immediately feel at home in the cosy lounge by the fire.
Thank you to all the staff at Glenlivet, esepcially to Andrew, for a wonderful day out.
Maya
Written November 21, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
FamilyRun
La Grange, IL88 contributions
Yes - Add this to your schedule
Jan 2022
We visited as part of a small private tour (Still Tours Scotland), and loved it.

I appreciate the history presented, but also what they do and why (local, sustainability, etc.) I like brands that know and support their rooted history.

We did the the Original Tour and tasting: 12, 15 and 18 year

Michele (Our Guide) was fantastic! Patient, answered all questions (as if they had neve been asked before), and the answers were more than just a standard reply - she took the time to really answer it.

The Gift Shop you look forward to....

Michele was great here also. She was very helpful in the flavor profiles, history of a particular expression, and didn't mind offering you another taste. She wanted to make sure the purchase I was going to make; I was not settling.

Thank you to her for putting up with my indecision.

It's a beautiful drive to Speyside, so do it....and make sure The Glenlivet is on your list.
Written January 23, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
JAF_Wales
Cardiff, UK943 contributions
Great tour and tasting
Jul 2021 • Family
We really enjoyed our tour in the new visitor centre which we had pre-booked a month or so in advance. Our guide (Andrew) was enthusiastic and informative and the audio visual displays also helped bring everything to life. The basic tasting tour includes the cask storage warehouse but not the distillery room itself. The tasting room is like the tardis with its central console of whisky bottles and it was good to be able to compare some of the different vintages. Highly recommended tour - note children must be 18 to do the tasting!
Written July 28, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
ABZReviewer
Aberdeen, UK269 contributions
Good Whisky - poor tour
Aug 2022 • Couples
Lovely setting but everything is so staged and our guide was awful, young, inexperienced and said on more than one occasion I’ve only ever drank the whiskies that you are trying.

Didn’t get to see much as it’s all done in videos and via staged awkward videos.

The warehouse area seemed very staged and you got to see a tiny part of the distillery.

It’s a shame as the whisky itself is amazing!
Written August 26, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Dave P
7 contributions
Glenlivet poor experience
Jul 2021 • Friends
This was the final tour of a two day whisky experience we thought we had saved the best to last as the refurbishment of the VisitorCentre has been recommended. Ha gad
Sadly this experience did not come up to our expectations.
1 Our tour guide although clearly experienced in the whisky industry was a very poor communicator and one of our party had to leave the tour .
2 The technical issues during the presentation were disruptive and distracting.
3 Very disappointed that we were not given any access to any part of the whisky production process and that the mash tun experience was artificial and patronising.
4. At the end of the experience we were asked if we enjoyed the tour to which we gave an open and frank response.
We hope Glenlivet will take time to rethink their approach and style of presentation of this tour.

From our experience we would recommend the Glenfarclas experience that is informative and free if you make a contribution to their local charity which is the local foodbank.
Written July 28, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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The Glenlivet Distillery (Ballindalloch) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go

Frequently Asked Questions about The Glenlivet Distillery
The Glenlivet Distillery is open:
  • Sun - Mon 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
  • Tue - Sat 9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Buy tickets in advance on Tripadvisor. If you book with Tripadvisor, you can cancel at least 24 hours before the start date of your tour for a full refund.
We recommend booking The Glenlivet Distillery tours ahead of time to secure your spot. If you book with Tripadvisor, you can cancel up to 24 hours before your tour starts for a full refund. See all 7 The Glenlivet Distillery tours on Tripadvisor
Restaurants near The Glenlivet Distillery: View all restaurants near The Glenlivet Distillery on Tripadvisor