Castles · Tour

Chocolate and Whisky Pairings on the Road to Cawdor and Tomatin

The tastings happen between the stops rather than only at the end. The driver-guide carries a private collection of single malts that changes over time, and pairs them with chocolate along the way. The guide is a Highlander by birth, and the vehicle is a comfortable one, which matters on a day that covers this much ground. Urquhart Castle stands in ruins on the shore of Loch Ness, and the loch itself is crossed with Jacobite Cruises. Culloden Battlefield has a visitor centre and a 360-degree cinema alongside the ground where the last Jacobite battle was fought. Clava Cairns brings the standing stones. Lunch is in a small Scottish tavern on the Cawdor Estate: fish and chips, seafood platters, open sandwiches, haggis fritters, and Scottish beer on tap. Cawdor Castle itself is the family home and garden of the Dowager Countess. The day finishes with a tasting at Tomatin Distillery.