Whisky in Pitlochry in 2026: one distillery open, one closed

Pitlochry has two distilleries within a short walk of the main street, and for years the classic visit was to walk up through Black Spout Wood to the smaller one, take the tour, and walk back down. In 2026 that plan does not work. One distillery is open and taking bookings; the other is closed to the public until further notice. Here is the state of play, read from both distilleries' own sites on 11 October 2026.

Edradour: closed to visitors

Edradour sits east of the town and dates back to 1825 by its own account; its site describes it as the smallest traditional distillery in Scotland. It was the one people recommended. On a Rick Steves travel forum thread from 2019, one visitor wrote that if you only have time for one, choose Edradour, and another called its tour the best of the four distilleries they visited.

Today the distillery's site says it will remain closed for public until further notice, and that this includes all tours, the distillery shop and the tasting bar. The reason it gives is a shortage of staff. Google lists it as temporarily closed. You can still buy the whisky from its online shop, and the Black Spout walk still goes past the buildings, but there is no door to knock on.

If you have an old guidebook, a printed walk card or a friend's recommendation that ends at an Edradour tour, this is the update.

Blair Athol: open, booked, and on the Perth Road

Blair Athol Distillery is on the Perth Road at the south-east edge of town, close to the Atholl Palace Hotel. Its owner's visitor site, Malts, says whisky has been made there since 1798 and describes it as a working distillery.

The tours

• Signature Tour: about one hour, from £21 per person.
• Allt Dour Tour: about an hour and a half, from £65.
• Beyond the Cask: about two hours, from £110.

Groups are capped at 16 and advance booking is required. Children under eight are not permitted on tours, and under-18s must be with an adult in the bar.

Opening hours

Malts lists 10:00 to 17:00 every day from September to May and 10:00 to 19:00 from June to August, with the bar keeping shorter hours. It adds that the distillery may close at short notice in winter weather, so check on the morning if snow is forecast.

Access and dogs

The main production building is not currently wheelchair accessible, according to Malts. There are disabled spaces in the main car park nearest the entrance and a step-free ramp route to the building, with one obstruction in the courtyard caused by the flood gates. Assistance dogs can go on tours; other dogs are welcome in the shop and bar if they are on a short lead.

A whisky morning that works in 2026

1. Book the Signature Tour at Blair Athol for late morning.
2. Walk the Black Spout and Edradour loop first, from the Atholl Road car park: Walkhighlands gives it as 5 km with 145 m of climbing, 1.5 to 2 hours, on good woodland paths and minor roads. It passes Blair Athol on the way out, climbs through the wood beside the Atholl Palace's putting course to the Black Spout viewing platform, and loops round past Edradour.
3. Take the tour, then walk back along the Perth Road into town for lunch. Victoria's on Atholl Road serves lunch from noon to 17:00 and books inside tables online; from November to April the kitchen may close from 15:00 to 17:00, Monday to Thursday, so phone ahead.

Beer, too

Up the hill in Moulin, the Moulin Inn has its own brewery across the road. The hotel says the Moulin Brewery opened in time for the Glorious Twelfth of 1995 and calls it one of the first microbreweries in Scotland. Its beers include Ale of Atholl and Old Remedial, a stronger winter ale made with local honey. The hotel offers free brewery tours between 10:00 and 16:00; its brewery page says Monday to Friday and its home page says daily, so phone 01796 472196 before you walk up. Groups of more than six are asked to phone ahead, and the tastings are in the inn.

The Moulin Inn itself says it first opened its doors in 1695. It is a sensible end to a day on Ben Vrackie, whose car park is a short walk from the village.

Buying a bottle

Blair Athol has a shop and a bar on site. For Edradour, the distillery's online shop is the route while the doors are shut. The Enchanted Forest weeks bring an extra use for Blair Athol's car park: the show's accessibility bus leaves from the distillery, and it has to be booked in advance through the event.