Tour whisky distilleries in Scotland, India and Japan this holiday season Premium

From Japan to India, there are several distilleries where you can savour whisky, while experiencing how its made

Earlier, Indians travelled abroad and bought back alcohol from duty free shops at the airport. Now, they are travelling to discover the legend of malts across Scottish glens and Japanese Alps, and how they are made.

According to SkyScanner Travel Trends 2024, nearly 63% of respondents out of 1,000 budgeted more on travel in 2024 compared to 2023, and for the first time in history, Indian single malt sales exceeded Scotch (53%) in 2024, according to the Confederation of Indian Alcoholic Beverage Companies (CIABC) — a sign that Indians take their malts seriously.

Encouraged by statistics such as this and a growing interest, whisky appreciation clubs across the country are now ideating and curating itineraries, all for the love of a good dram. 

The Single Malt Amateur Club (SMAC) in Bengaluru, founded in 2011 with over 4,500 members, ran a members-only trip, Whisky Horoheki (₹3.3 - ₹3.7 lakh per person, exclusive of airfare) to Japan in February. With many Japanese distilleries closed to individual visitors, the club managed to pull off an enviable itinerary. Yamazaki Distillery (established in 1923, Japan’s first malt whisky distillery) — strategically located between Osaka and Kyoto, at the confluence of the Katsura, Uji, and Kizu rivers — set the scene for a private Suntory-guided tour, with an exclusive tasting session that included the Yamazaki 25-Year-Old.

This was followed by a visit to the Chichibu Distillery at the foothills of Chichibu-Tama-Kai National Park in Saitama. This distillery is inaccessible to the general public, and its doors were opened thanks to the network of whisky connoisseurs known to SMAC.

Accompanying seven participants from Hyderabad, Pune, Bengaluru and Mumbai, co-founder Hemanth Rao elaborates, “Visiting established distilleries requires extensive advance planning, whereas newer distilleries offer whisky enthusiasts an in-depth exploration of the production processes. Food pairing, especially malt whisky with sushi, significantly enhanced our experience.” 

The final distillery experience at Nikka Yoichi in Hokkaido was distinctive for its continued use of direct coal-fired pot stills — a rare method in whisky-making that contributes to a heavy, oily, and complex spirit, reminiscent of traditional Scottish drams. These clubs also introduce enthusiasts to countries that they normally would not associate with whisky. Singapore Sling II, organised by SMAC last year, took 11 members to the island country, to experience the most exciting whisky bars and savour Singapore’s Scotch and bar culture (₹1,49,000 excluding airfare). The group tried over 10 ultra-rare whiskies with varying age statements of over five decades, across bars dotting the busy skyline.