The Edradour distillery

Since 2005, when the Kilchoman micro-distillery opened on the isle of Islay, Edradour has no longer officially been the smallest distillery in Scotland. Until then, this cosy image, for which it was well known, was taken advantage of by its former owners.

Tucked away in the depths of a small valley, among the hills overlooking the town of Pitlochry, this distillery, somewhat reminiscent of the seven dwarves’ residence, has plenty of charm with its red shutters, landscaped garden and beautiful little stream. Purchased in 2002 by Andrew Symington, the founder of Signatory Vintage, Edradour has since become more than just a tourist attraction.

The distillery is best known for the individual style of its single malt, which is exported throughout the world. Andrew Symington has also begun working on special finishes, each one more original and daring than the next. And at the end of 2002, under the guidance of Iain Henderson, the former director of Laphroaig, Edradour began producing a second, very peaty single malt, named Ballechin after a former distillery in the region.

This new dynamic has led the visitor centre to receive record numbers of visits (more than 100,000 in 2005). So although this pocket-sized distillery only needs one person to run it, it now needs a huge team of guides to welcome the hundreds of visitors arriving every day.

And Andrew Symington, who can no longer bear to be away from his distillery, recently built a house nearby. This means that when he gets the chance, in between bottlings, he gives a special owner’s guided tour.