Whisky Distillery Tours Near Glasgow: Clydeside, Glengoyne and Jackton Compared
4 min read
If you want one distillery visit without leaving the city, book the Clydeside Distillery tour and whisky tasting at €23.31 per person, rated 4.7/5 from 1,033 reviews. It takes 1 hour and sits on the river at Queen’s Dock. The other tours below are better if you care more about a working Highland or Lowland distillery than about convenience.
| Tour | Where | Length | Tasting | From, per person | Rating | Reviews |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clydeside Distillery Tour | Queen’s Dock, Glasgow | 1 h | 3 drams | €23.31 | 4.7/5 | 1,033 |
| Glengoyne Tour and Tasting | Dumgoyne, near Killearn | 75 min | 2 single malts | €29.88 | 4.7/5 | 29 |
| Glengoyne with Whisky and Chocolate | Dumgoyne, near Killearn | 1.5 h | 3 single malts with chocolate | €47.81 | 4.9/5 | 342 |
| Jackton Distillery Tour | Jackton, Hayhill Road | 1.5 h | 4 whiskies | €32.51 | 5.0/5 | 4 |
Clydeside: the one in the city
The distillery is in the Old Pumphouse, built in 1877, at Queen’s Dock, 100 Stobcross Road. The tour starts with a self-guided Dockside Story about the pumphouse and the Queen’s Dock area, then a guide takes you through malting, mashing, fermentation and distillation, with the still house looking down the River Clyde. It ends in the tasting room with three drams. The operator labels the tour wheelchair accessible and says children get Irn Bru instead of whisky. The hop-on hop-off bus lists the distillery as stop 18, so it combines easily with a bus day.
Glengoyne: a Highland distillery, 14 miles out
The booking page puts Glengoyne 14 miles from Glasgow and about 40 minutes away. It names the no. 10 bus from the city centre to the distillery gates, and says parking on site is free. The standard tour walks through the mash tun, washbacks and copper pot stills, then No. 1 Warehouse, and ends with a tutored tasting of the 12 and 15 year olds in Burnfoot Lodge.
The chocolate version pairs three whiskies (White Oak, 18 and 21 year old) with hand-made chocolates. It is strictly adults: under-18s are not admitted. On the standard tour, children are welcome but anyone under 18 must be supervised at all times.
Jackton: a family farm distillery
Jackton is a family-run, female-led distillery on the Kean family farm in the Lowlands, about 25 minutes from the city centre according to the page. The 60-minute tour covers the mill room, brewhouse, stillhouse, sample laboratory and Bonded Warehouse No. 1, followed by a 30-minute tasting of four RAER whiskies. The tour is not suitable for children under 12, and guests tasting alcohol must be 18 or over and may be asked for photo ID. Most of the route is step-free, with tighter turning space in parts of the sample laboratory. The page names public transport via Hairmyres station and a local bus; check current services before you travel.
Designated drivers can ask for driver drams, small takeaway samples to enjoy at home. Clydeside’s page mentions driver jars for the same purpose.
If you only want a flight
The Mharsanta whisky flight, €31.38 per person, is a self-guided tasting of three Scottish whiskies at a restaurant and bar in Merchant City. No distillery, no travel, and the page lists children under 18 as not suitable. Food bought on the day is paid at the venue.
Which one
- First whisky tour, short on time: Clydeside.
- Seeing a working distillery, with a bus ride or a car: Glengoyne.
- A pairing you will remember, adults only: Glengoyne with chocolate.
- Four whiskies on a family-run farm: Jackton.
- No travel at all: the Mharsanta flight.
More options, including bar crawls and private distillery days, are listed under whisky tours in Glasgow and food and drink tours.
