20 May 2023

The Great Whisky Distillery Challenge Review

Sixty distilleries, hundreds of miles, one day – and a whole hoard of whisky.

“And they called us mad,” said Willie Wallace, pulling in to the Aberfeldy distillery. Even Willie, who has been running whisky tours in Scotland for 20 years, is letting on a sense of relief, knowing that things might not have worked out as well as they did. We’d been on the road for 17 hours, and in that time we’d visited 59 distilleries. Aberfeldy is the sixtieth and final.

Charting several hundred miles of Scotland’s Highlands and Speyside from sunrise over the Moray Firth to sundown in rural Perthshire, The Great Whisky Distillery Challenge Team set a new record for the most distilleries visited in one day.

And that’s not all: en route we amassed a unique (and frankly massive) collection of 55 bottles of whisky, which was raffled in aid of international water development Just a Drop (see below for the full bottle list). As whisky enthusiasts we know the importance of water to ‘the water of life’, but to many people around the world water really does mean life – and so we knew that this was a charity deserving of our full support.

Almost £11,000 was raised – enough to support an entire community in Zambia with access to clean, safe water and sanitation. Thanks to all who followed on social media on the day, and to all involved in supporting the event! And congratulations, of course, to Mike Jackson, the lucky winner of The Collection!

Keep an eye out on the new competition section on our website for more whisky to be won over the coming months.

The Great Whisky Distillery Challenge Collection

Balblair 2005

Glenmorangie Bacalta Private Edition

Whyte & Mackay Triple Matured

Dalmore 18 Year Old

Teaninich 10 Year Old

The Singleton of Glen Ord 15 Year Old

Royal Brackla 16 Year Old

Benromach 10 Year Old

Ballantine’s Finest

Triumph

Glen Moray 15 Year Old

Miltonduff Cask Strength 16 Year Old

Mannochmore 12 Year Old

Glenlossie 10 Year Old

Glen Elgin 12 Year Old

Longmorn 16 Year Old

The BenRiach Heart of Speyside

Inchgower 14 Year Old

Aultmore 12 Year Old

Strathisla 12 Year Old

Glen Keith Cask Strength 17 Year Old

Strathmill 12 Year Old

Ballantine’s 17 Year Old

Auchroisk 10 Year Old

Speyburn 10 Year Old

Glen Grant 10 Year Old

The Glenrothes Vintage Reserve

Glen Spey 12 Year Old

Craigellachie 17 Year Old

Balvennie Doublewood 12 Year Old

Glenfiddich 12 Year Old

Mortlach Rare Old

The Singleton of Dufftown 12 Year Old

100 Pipers

Tamnavulin Double Cask

Clan Campbell

Tomintoul Speyside Glenlivet 16 Year Old

The Glenlivet Founder’s Reserve

Chivas Regal 12 Year Old

Tamdhu 10 Year Old

Knockando 12 Year Old

Cardhu 12 Year Old

The Macallan Amber

Aberlour 10 Year Old

Glenallachie Cask Strength 14 Year Old

Benrinnes 15 Year Old

Glenfarclas Heritage

Cragganmore 12 Year Old

Tormore 16 Year Old

Tomatin 12 Year Old

Spey Tenné

Dalwhinnie 15 Year Old

Blair Athol 12 Year Old

Edradour Distillery Edition 10 Year Old

Aberfeldy Single Cask (hand filled by Blair Bowman)

Close up of a person holding a dram of whisky in a Glencairn glass

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