Edradour and I. The two of us have a love-hate relationship. Or I should say that I have a love-hate relationship with Edradour, since I don’t believe anyone in Pitlochry knows of my existence. Anyway, there was a point in time when it was only love. I vividly remember buying the Edradour 10yo. At that time it was one of the first bottles I ever bought that was a little bit of the beaten path. The smallest distillery in Scotland. Wow! It was still the early phase of my whisky adventure, so that label impressed me. And the whisky itself was good, so ever since that first buy, this distillery has held a special place in my whisky-heart. It remained that way for years, until I actually visited the distillery.
Before you continue reading my story, let me explain the thinking behind this blog post. In order for me to really enjoy a whisky, a positive association helps a lot. For example: I’ve recently had a great experience visiting Benromach, so when I now drink one of their whiskies, it takes me back to that wonderful day. But when I now drink Edradrour, it takes me back to a disappointing day. It’s just the way my mind works. Let’s continue…
Glenfiddich-esque
I visited Edradour in 2013 during my first trip to Scotland. When planning the trip, I actually went out of my way to make sure we could also visit this Pitlochry-based distillery. I really looked forward to visiting this small gem of the Scottish Highlands. A distillery that was acquired by Andrew Symington (of Signatory Vintage) in 2003, fulfilling his lifelong dream of owning his own distillery. There must be a lot of love in that place.
Quickly after I arrived I found out that the ‘Smallest distillery in Scotland’-title is open to interpretation. If you don’t take small craft distilleries into account, their production is the lowest in Scotland. But their tourist operation rivals the biggest distilleries in Scotland. Approximately a 100.000 people visit Edradour every year. When I visited, there were literally busloads of tourists negating all the charm of visiting a small distillery. It was Glenfiddich-esque.
The tour started in reverse order. I’m used to doing a tasting afterwards, but our rather large group of about 30 people was immediately steered into the old malt barn for a tasting. Dare to be different, I guess. We were offered one dram of Edradour 10yo and one dram of the Edradour Cream Liqueur. I wasn’t really into it.
Credit where credit’s due
After the tasting we went on to the warehouses. On our way we passed something called the Caledonian Hall. It’s a room that accommodates up to 120 people and is actually used for corporate events. Does that sound like the smallest distillery in Scotland to you? Not the quaint atmosphere I was hoping to find. Visiting the warehouses was actually pretty cool. You were permitted to walk around freely and taking pictures was also allowed. And since the warehouses hold the stock for Signatory Vintage as well, there was plenty to see. Credit where credit’s due.
The entire production process takes place in one room and the vintage equipment is nice to see, especially the Morton’s refrigerator which is used to cool the wort. Because of the large group it wasn’t a relaxed experience though, which was a shame. The last stop of the tour was the shop. All the tour guides had to give visitors a tour of the shop as well. Our guide actually sent some other potential customers away that were not in our group, so that she could show us what we should buy.
Cattle and cash cows
So instead of Edradour looking like a place with great love for whisky, it looked like a commercial factory treating their visitors like cattle and cash cows. It might be an okay attraction for tourists who have a passing interest in whisky. But for someone with a genuine interest in whisky it’s a disappointment. Personally I wished I hadn’t visited Edradour on that busy day. Hopefully, one day, I have the opportunity to revise my opinion.
Oh dear, I’m going to visit them in May on my first tour to Scotland. Let’s hope it’s a bit more quiet when I go there. In any case Im not a big fan of the Edradours I’ve tasted so far (10 , 12 Caledonia) . I get visions of cooked vegetables. Anyway I will be visiting lots of distilleries so I’m sure it will be great fun!
Chers
Jan
If you search TripAdvisor, apparantly lots of people seem to enjoy visiting Edradour. I hope you have a great experience, Jan. If not at Edradour, then I’m sure you will somewhere else! 🙂
Totally agree with you. I was also there in 2013 (september) and was also surprised by the fact that the tasting took place before the tour, and absolutely baffled by the cream liqueur… Our group was also around 30 people in size, making the distillery part completely unorganized and unenjoyable. Same as you, Andrew Symington was standing outside the shop (were we on the same group??), making no effort to acknowledge the interested people but making sure the staff was doing their job properly. Tripadvisor gives great reviews of this, but I think that has a lot to do with non-whisky enthusiast, just people who dropped by. It would probably be the same for me if I visited a winery or something… I will definitely not be returning here!
Sounds like we were on the same group (except I was there in August). But still good to see someone had the same experience I did, it confirms I’m not completely crazy 😉
We visited on a slow day I guess. Loved it. Had a great guide and not a lot of people. Highly recommend the visit. Love The Scotch. Cheers
We visited the shop on our way up the A9 last year as I wanted to buy some of their delicious Ballechin. Daughter decided the call of nature was upon her at which point the shop charged us £2 to use the toilet (bearing in mind I spent £50+ in the shop!).
Not exactly a great customer experience, but I presume it goes to charity. On the plus side the staff were friendly and the lady that pointed wife & daughter to the loos also gave them a quick tour as she felt so bad that they were made to charge!
But, they produce great whiskies and have an amazing history (the Edradour book is a great read). Never met Andrew but I do have respect for the standards he is setting.
I just had the opposite experience. My wife and I arrived in Pitlochry yesterday and did the walk up to Edradour today. Great visit. It was not crowded. Our tour had maybe 10 people in it. Yes, we did start with the tasting Edradour and their peated Ballechin. The tour was great and our tour guide was informative and funny. They made every one feel relaxed and did clearly communicate the buisness of Whisky making. We also did met Andrew Symington who was in the Whisky shop talking to customers. He was very gracious and spent time with us talking about Whisky. This meeting just topped off a great visit. Love the Whisky and what they are trying to do with the brand. Also love all the Signatory independent bottlings that were available at the store and bought a Mortlach from their cask strength collection. Well worth the time today and a great visit. Thanks to everyone at Edradour!