The Cabrach
Full Speyside food & drink guide — distilleries, restaurants, where to stay, when to go.
A community-owned distillery at Inverharroch Farm on the rugged edge of Speyside, reviving whisky-making in a glen that held three legal distilleries and a great deal of illicit ones before falling silent for over 170 years. A Community Interest Company set up by The Cabrach Trust, with all future profits going back into the area.
The most interesting new distillery on Speyside, and the reason is not marketing. The Cabrach is a Community Interest Company established by The Cabrach Trust, with 100% of future profits going into the regeneration of a glen that emptied out after its distilling stopped. The process is genuinely unusual: week-long 168-hour fermentations in six Douglas fir washbacks built in Dufftown, distillation at roughly two litres a minute through worm tubs, and a 1250-litre direct-fired "Buck Still" reconstructed from archaeological research into Blackmiddens, which ran here from 1825 to 1833. Half the spirit goes into first-fill American oak; a significant share goes into French red wine barriques, a nod to the casks Cabrach smugglers used to move whisky to Aberdeen.
Visiting The Cabrach
Contact distillery
Inverharroch Farm, Cabrach
AB54 4EU
- Shop
- Café/Restaurant
- Parking
- Booking lead time
- All visits must be prebooked. Online bookings close 48 hours ahead and carry a 48-hour cancellation policy; for a visit today or tomorrow the distillery asks you to contact it directly.
- Age restriction
- 18 and over only
How it’s made
- Stills
- 3
Spring barley from historic Banffshire plus a small home crop grown at Inverharroch Farm, all very lightly peated, milled on site to a flour-heavy grist (20% husk, 67% grits, 13% flour). Five-hour mash, 500kg grist to 2700 litres of wort, with a viewing window into the raised mash tun. Six Douglas fir washbacks built in Dufftown, pitched by hand with two dried yeasts for a 168-hour fermentation to an 8% wash. Distillation runs at about two litres a minute — the distillery claims the slowest in Scotch — through worm tub condensers, from a 2500-litre wash still and an 1800-litre spirit still, cut at 65-75%. A third still, the 1250-litre direct-fired "Buck Still", is a reconstruction based on research into Blackmiddens distillery (1825-1833). Maturation: 50% first-fill American oak from Heaven Hill, with a significant proportion in French red wine barriques.
Where to stay near The Cabrach
Hotels, B&Bs, and self-catering within easy reach of The Cabrach.
Booking links are affiliate links — we earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Location
Inverharroch Farm, Cabrach, AB54 4EU
View on map →Frequently asked questions
+Can you visit The Cabrach distillery?
Yes, but every visit must be prebooked. The distillery runs tours through the year on Tuesday at 2pm, Wednesday at 11am and 3pm, Thursday at 10am and Friday at 11am and 3pm; weekends are available on request subject to availability, as production runs Monday to Friday. Online booking closes 48 hours in advance.
+Is there a Cabrach single malt?
Not yet. The distillery opened in 2024 and is waiting on the inaugural release of The Cabrach Single Malt. In the meantime it sells The Feering, a three-part limited Speyside blended malt series curated by Alan Winchester from casks hand-selected at other local distilleries.
+Who owns The Cabrach distillery?
It is a Community Interest Company established by The Cabrach Trust (Scottish charity SC043771). The distillery says 100% of future profits go towards regenerating The Cabrach community and landscape.
+Is The Cabrach distillery wheelchair accessible?
Partly. The distillery says its production and warehouse areas are fully accessible on tours and there are two accessible parking spaces, but there are no wheelchair-accessible toilets on site until the Heritage Centre is finished. Contact the distillery to check access before booking.
+Where is The Cabrach distillery?
At Inverharroch Farm in The Cabrach, AB54 4EU, on the southern edge of Speyside between Dufftown and Rhynie. The distillery warns that mapping apps may route you to its farmhouse instead — the distillery car park is through the gated access road, the next left after the farmhouse track if you are coming from Dufftown.
Other Speyside distilleries
Glenfiddich
The world’s best-selling single malt, Glenfiddich is where most people’s Scotch journey begins. Founded by William Grant and still family-owned, it remains one of the few distilleries to bottle its own spirit on-site.
The Macallan
The most valuable single malt brand in the world. Famous for sherry-cask maturation and, increasingly, for price inflation. The architecturally-stunning visitor centre is worth a visit on its own merits.
The Glenlivet
The first legal distillery in the parish under the 1823 Excise Act, and one of the largest single malt brands in the world. Glenlivet sits at the centre of Speyside both geographically and historically.
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