Toulvaddie
Full Highlands food & drink guide — distilleries, restaurants, where to stay, when to go.
A micro-distillery in Easter Ross founded by former Glenmorangie distiller Heather Nelson — one of very few female distillery founders in Scotland. Toulvaddie produces small-batch single malt using floor-malted barley from local farms and direct-fired copper pot stills, a traditional heating method that most modern distilleries have abandoned. The first whisky won't reach full maturity for several years, but the approach — artisanal, local, deliberately small-scale — represents a counter-movement to the industry's consolidation trend.
Toulvaddie is a small Easter Ross distillery at Fearn, near Tain — one of Scotland's newest craft operations, founded 2017 by Heather Nelson. The farm-scale operation focuses on local barley and hands-on production. The first releases have shown a fresh, clean Highland character that rewards the patience required by small-batch craft production.
Visiting Toulvaddie
Contact distillery
Fearn, Aerodrome IV20 1XW, UK
IV20 1XW
Core range
Not yet released
Various (planned)
East Sutherland micro-distillery — production from 2020+, no whisky release yet.
Food pairings
| Whisky | Food | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Toulvaddie Highland | Local Easter Ross lamb | The clean, fresh Highland spirit suits the gentle flavour of Easter Ross lamb. |
Getting there
Car. Fearn, near Tain, Easter Ross; about 50 minutes north of Inverness.
Where to eat nearby
- Tain town centreArea
Cafés and pubs in the nearest town.
Where to stay near Toulvaddie
Toulvaddie is a small craft distillery at Fearn, near Tain in Easter Ross. Tain has hotels and B&Bs; Inverness, about 50 minutes south, is the practical base for a wider choice.
Full range in Inverness, 20 min south.
The map is centred on Toulvaddie — set your dates on it, or go straight to hotels, B&Bs and self-catering through the providers underneath.
Booking links are affiliate links — we earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Location
Fearn, Aerodrome IV20 1XW, UK, IV20 1XW
View on map →Near Toulvaddie
Things to do nearby, from our sister site TripSCOT, which covers the day-out side. Distances are in a straight line from Toulvaddie, not by road.
- TainTown9 km
- Dornoch BeachBeach14 km
- DornochTown14 km
- Embo BeachBeach19 km
- Loch FleetLoch19 km
- Fairy Glen Falls, RosemarkieWaterfall22 km
Nearest station: Fearn (4 km)
Frequently asked questions
+Is Toulvaddie open to visits?
Yes — small group tours by appointment. Email ahead to book; this is a personal operation not a large visitor centre.
+Where is Toulvaddie distillery?
Toulvaddie is in the Highlands.
+When was Toulvaddie distillery founded?
Toulvaddie was founded in 2020, making it roughly 6 years old.
Compare with similar distilleries
Similar tiny-batch craft scale to Dornoch. Easter Ross context shared with Glenmorangie and Teaninich.
Glenmorangie
Home to the tallest stills in Scotland — nearly five metres — which produces a notably light, fragrant spirit. Glenmorangie is one of the best-selling single malts in Scotland full stop.
Teaninich
A large, production-focused Diageo distillery on the Cromarty Firth that almost exclusively feeds Johnnie Walker and other blends. Teaninich single malt bottlings are rare — the most accessible is the Flora & Fauna 10 Year Old — which makes it a collectors' target rather than a high-street buy.
Dornoch
A tiny distillery built into a converted fire station next to Dornoch Castle Hotel by brothers Phil and Simon Thompson, known for heritage barley varieties, floor maltings, and direct-fired stills — a near-total throwback to pre-industrial whisky making. Output is miniscule; releases sell out on announcement.
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