Scotch Tour Edinburgh with a Local Expert: Private & 100% Personalized

Recommended by 90% of travelers

Badge of Excellence

Edinburgh, Scotland

High interest

Booked 2 times today.

3 hours (approx.)
Group discounts
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

Why travelers loved this

4.8

· Keith_B ·

Oct 2025

We did a private whisky tour with Brian and we had a great tour of Ediburgh. Went to a distillery, a few pubs and sampled various whiskies. Would highly recommend Brian for any tour he has.

· Yuto_U ·

Aug 2025

You can enjoy rich history of Scotland by walking through interesting places hidden in the city of Edinburgh. Our friend Jamie is an amazing guide for this tour, who shared with me his deep knowledge and appreciation of this town. His enthusiasm ushered me into unforgettable exploration of the culture and, of course, whiskey!

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Overview

Follow a local whisky enthusiast to the best watering holes in Edinburgh. Taste several single malt whiskies from different whisky-making regions across Scotland and learn how they are made. Stops are based on your interests and may include a traditional whisky cellar and a historic pub. At each place you visit you'll get a feel for Edinburgh’s drinking culture.

Comprehensive private whisky tour of Edinburgh
Follow a local guide to their favorite Edinburgh bars and pubs
Taste a variety of Scotch whiskies and learn about the distillation process
Get personalized advice for where to eat and drink from your guide

What's Included

Private and personalised experience
3 hours with a host
Walking experience
4 whisky tastings per person
Hotel meet-up (available on request for central location)

Food and drinks in addition to those included above
Tickets to any attractions
Transportation costs
Gratuities (optional)

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Harvey Nichols Edinburgh
30-34 St Andrew Sq, Edinburgh EH2 2LL, UK
Upon booking your meeting point can be arranged (e.g. your hotel/accommodation), however this MUST be confirmed and agreed by the experience planners in advance.

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Itinerary

City Art Centre (Pass By)

Glenkinchie Distillery (Pass By)

Edinburgh Old Town (Pass By)

Sheep Heid Inn Edinburgh (Pass By)

Thomas Chalmers Statue (Pass By)

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Wheelchair accessible
We’ll be in touch within 24 hours after booking to find out more about your personality and interests so we can assign a like-minded Local Host who can create a bespoke experience for you.
Your Local Host will communicate with you directly to suggest an itinerary and agree a meeting time and place. Your itinerary is flexible, so during the experience you can always change your mind about what you want to do.
Stroller accessible
Service animals allowed

Your Local host may also suggest adjustments or new routes if they feel that there is something just around the corner that you may enjoy, or perhaps if the weather affects your itinerary.
Although you will see well known pubs, markets and stores, your Local Host will also help you to discover the places, things and stories that you won’t find in a guidebook and that make the city unique.
Near public transportation
Most travelers can participate
This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate

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Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Reviews

4.8

based on 21 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Jill was very nice but we...

Olivia_E, Mar 2026

Our guide was very nice but we didn’t get as much knowledge about actual scotches. When we booked this, we were under the impression that we would learn a lot about various brands and the process of making scotches, rather than just figuring out what to drink. She was great in telling us about the city and whatnot but it was not what we expected. We were booked originally with someone else and that fell through close to our excursion date. Maybe the company couldn’t find the right replacement and had more of a city guide take his place. All in all, we learned more about scotches in a liquor store.

Response from Host, Mar 2026

Hello Olivia, Thank you for sharing your feedback. We’re pleased to hear you enjoyed your host and appreciated the insights she shared about the city. However, we’re sorry the experience didn’t fully meet your expectations regarding learning about scotches. Due to unforeseen circumstances, your original host was unavailable at the last minute, which may affect the focus of the experience. We truly appreciate your feedback and will use it to help improve future experiences. Thank you again for your thoughts, and we hope to have the opportunity to provide a more tailored experience for you in the future. Warm regards, Sheenah and the City Unscripted team

We did a private whisky...

Keith_B, Oct 2025

We did a private whisky tour with Brian and we had a great tour of Ediburgh. Went to a distillery, a few pubs and sampled various whiskies. Would highly recommend Brian for any tour he has.

Response from Host, Oct 2025

It sounds like a perfect day, distillery visits, pub stops, and plenty of whisky tasting! Thank you so much for your kind review! We hope to welcome you back for another adventure soon!

This was such a fun time!...

Steve_T, Sep 2025

This was such a fun time! Of course, whisky makes things fun, but Doug was personable, engaging, and knowledgeable

Response from Host, Sep 2025

So glad to hear you had such a fun whisky experience with Doug! It’s wonderful that his engaging and knowledgeable approach made the time even more enjoyable. Thanks for sharing your kind words!

James is the man!

Cecille_T, Sep 2025

James became an instant friend. He adjusted the tour to our taste and even got us to try haggis! Very knowledgeable about Edinburgh history as well. Highly recommend!

Response from Host, Sep 2025

It’s wonderful to hear James made your Edinburgh tour so memorable — his flexibility, warmth, and deep knowledge clearly created an experience that felt both personal and fun. Thanks for the glowing recommendation!

You can enjoy rich...

Yuto_U, Aug 2025

Response from Host, Aug 2025

We’re so glad to hear that Jamie’s passion for Edinburgh’s history, culture, and of course, whisky made your experience unforgettable. He’ll be delighted to know that his knowledge and enthusiasm brought the city to life for you. We truly appreciate your kind words and hope to welcome you on another City Unscripted adventure soon!

Great "off the beaten track"

Jill_A, Jun 2025

I wanted to go to places "off the beaten track" That is EXACTLY what Jill did. We went to some local pubs and got to talk with the locals. I thoroughly enjoyed my afternoon

Response from Host, Jun 2025

That sounds like a perfect way to experience the heart of a city! We're thrilled Jill delivered exactly what you were hoping for and that you got to connect with local life. Thanks so much for the lovely review!

Amazing Tour & Tasting!

Elizabeth_W, Jan 2025

Tanja was amazing, would HIGHLY recommend this experience. Passionate and knowledgable tour around the city of Edinburgh while tasting whiskey! My husband and I loved the experience.

Response from Host, Jan 2025

Hello Elizabeth! Thank you for your fantastic review! We’re thrilled to hear that Tanja’s passion and knowledge made your Edinburgh tour such a memorable experience. Whiskey tasting while exploring the city sounds like the perfect combination, and we’re so glad you and your husband loved it. We’d love to host you again in the future!

The Jolly Judge

tricia_v, Nov 2024

I loved seeing the pubs that local people go to. I am not a whisky drinker however I wanted to experience Scottish whisky and I am so glad I did. I enjoyed all of the samples and every single pub that we stopped at. My guide, Joe, was very knowledgeable and lots of fun. He even gave me a great dinner recommendation.

Response from Host, Nov 2024

We're so happy you stepped out of your comfort zone and enjoyed the Scottish whisky journey. Thank you for sharing your experience!

Outstanding whiskey experience

Judith_H, Nov 2024

G was amazing! He gave us the tour we had hoped for! History. Stories. And a really good education in Scotch whiskey. The pace was perfect and the different pubs he took us to were nice little gems. I highly recommend him as a guide! It was definitely customized to our interests.

Response from Host, Nov 2024

It sounds like G created an exceptional experience with just the right pace and some hidden gem pubs along the way. We truly appreciate your recommendation and are so glad G could make it a memorable, personalized tour for you!

Lovely tour for history and a little whiskey

Margaret_R, Apr 2024

We had a lovely time. We learned so much about Edinburgh history, enjoyed a walk through the Royal Mile and a few sips of whiskey along the way. Lovely afternoon.

Response from Host, Apr 2024

Delighted to hear you had a wonderful time exploring Edinburgh's history and enjoying some whiskey along the Royal Mile! Cheers to memorable afternoons!

Gray way to keep warm on a cold day

John_M, Nov 2023

Doug’s knowledge and the atmosphere at each pub. Great whiskey and hospitality. We shared a lot of stories and experiences. We even visited a graveyard monument dedicated to Scottish soldiers who served in the American Civil War.

Response from Host, Nov 2023

Hi John, we appreciate your thoughtful review! Doug's expertise and the warm hospitality truly made your experience special. Hope to see you on another adventure soon!

A great tour of local pubs

Bob_R, Jul 2022

Doug was a great host. He took me to four local pubs, two in New Town and two in Old Town, and we tasted four whiskeys from Scotland’s primary whiskey regions, Lowlands, Highlands, Speyside, and Islay. The pubs were small and not the type of places i probably would have gone in by myself. Doug was knowledgeable, but not intimidating, and we had easy conversation. He would work for whiskey novices and those with more experience.

Excellent whisky tour in Edinburgh

Preben_L, Sep 2021

We got a really good guide and he took us some interesting places. Our guide was knowledgeable and we spend a couple of hours in good company with him and some good whisky. I can highly recommend this tour

Response from Host, Sep 2021

Hi Preben_L Thank you for the nice review, I am glad to hear you not only got to have some good Whisky, but that the local host was able to share their knowledge with you. Hopefully we can host you in Edinburgh again, or perhaps in any of our other 60 cities around the world soon. Kindest Liezel

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