4-Day Islay & Whisky Tour Including Admissions from Edinburgh
Overview
Available languages
96 hours
Mobile ticket
*Tour cost includes Tours & Tasting at 4 Whisky Distilleries (other attractions not included in the price).
Visit the Isle of Islay in the Scottish Hebrides on a 4-day tour from Edinburgh, and discover its famously friendly people, stunning landscapes, and most importantly – its whisky!
Having produced Scotland's finest smoky malt whiskies for more than 200 years, Islay provides the perfect base for whisky lovers and novices alike.
Enjoy three nights of accommodation in the 4-star Bowmore Distillery Cottages and discover up to six different distilleries, including big-name sites like Laphroaig and Ardbeg, with a guide.
Numbers are limited to 16 on this small-group tour, ensuring you’ll see the best of Islay with personalised attention with your guide.
Additional Info
Public transportation options are available nearby
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Unfortunately we don't carry anyone under 18 years old on this tour
On this tour you will spend 3 nights in the beautiful Bowmore Distillery Cottages .The cottages have between three and six twin bedrooms, each with private bathrooms. Due to the shared nature of the accommodation, individual bedrooms don't have lockable doors. The kitchen and lounge facilities are shared with other passengers, and basic self-service breakfast ingredients are provided. Full Scottish breakfasts are available at the nearby hotels if you prefer, payable locally. *From 16th March 2026 , cooked breakfast options will be available at the Harbour Inn instead of the previous 'self-service breakfast' option.
Booking three or more people? We can accommodate up to 8 guests in a group, please add each required room to your basket separately
When booking three or more people, efforts will be made to book a combination of suitable rooms (double/twin/family). Preferences should be noted upon booking in the Special Requirements section
Passengers are restricted to 20kg of luggage (44lbs); one medium sized suitcase/bag similar to airline standard carry-on luggage (approximately 55cm x 45cm x 25cm / 22in x 17in x 10in) plus a small bag for onboard personal items.
Monday departures offer the chance to see more whisky production as all the distilleries are in operation on weekdays.
Itinerary and distillery visits are subject to change.
*Laphroaig (Monday Departures): Replaced with Lagavulin; museum/shop/bar still accessible.
*Ardbeg is unavailable on Sundays in October 2025 – 05 & 12 Oct: replaced by Lagavulin tour – 19 & 26 Oct: replaced by Caol Ila tour with Premium Tasting
Cancellation Policy
All sales are final. No refund is available for cancellations.
What‘s Included
Ferry crossings
3 nights en-suite accommodation
Driver Guide
Entrance Fee: Price includes Tour & Tasting at Ardbeg, Kilchoman , Bowmore & Laphroaig Distilleries
Transport by top of the range Mercedes mini-coach
Hotel pickup and drop off
Gratuities
Food and drinks, unless specified
Entrance fees: unless specified
What To Expect
Edinburgh - Oban - Kilmartin Glen - Islay
Accommodations
Overnight at Bowmore Cottages
Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park
Here, you can admire Scotland’s scenic beauty and enjoy some local delicacies.
Oban
The port town of Oban was once the strategic heartland of powerful, feuding clans. Today, however, it's celebrated as the “Gateway to the Isles” and is renowned for its fresh seafood straight off the boats. For an authentic taste of local flavor, visit the Oban Seafood Hut, located right by the ferry terminal. This local favorite offers affordable seafood platters featuring scallops, langoustines, crab, and lobster, all fresh from the sea.
Kilmartin Glen
You then venture through the Kilmartin Glen where you see standing stones and strongholds that are over 1,500 years old.
At Kennacraig, you catch the evening ferry to Islay. The sail is around two hours; and if you peek out to the ocean, you may see the Paps of Jura.
Sample Scotland’s peatiest whiskies
Accommodations
Overnight at Bowmore Cottages
Bowmore Distillery
Tour and tasting at Bowmore Distillery included in the tour price. After you’ve had an ample amount of breakfast, you enjoy a tour of Bowmore, the oldest licenced distillery on the island.
Kilchoman Distillery
Next, your driver-guide takes you to Kilchoman Distillery for a tour and a lunch of local treats. Kilchoman is known as Islay's only Single Farm Single Match Scotch Whisky, reviving traditional farm distilling of barley to bottle, making their whisky 100% Islay.
Bunnahabhain Distillery
Following lunch, we'll travel through Islay's scenic countryside to your third distillery of the day, Bunnahabhain, where you can experience the unpeated, salty notes of whisky in Islay's most remote distillery.
Today you explore the southern side of the island, home to the smokiest of all whiskies: Laphroaig, Lagavulin & Ardbeg.
Accommodations
Overnight at Bowmore Cottages
Ardbeg Distillery
Exclusive tour and tasting included in the tour price (lunch not included). Please note that your lunch will either be at an outdoor food truck at Ardbeg (weather dependent) or in Port Ellen.
Laphroaig Distillery
Exclusive tour and tasting (inc. 2 drams of Whisky) at Laphroaig Distillery included in the tour price. You then visit Laphroaig, and if there’s time you can take a stop for a tasting at Lagavulin. On an island known locally as ‘The Queen of the Hebrides’, there is a regal quality to the distinctly peaty style of its single malt whiskies.
Kildalton Cross
On most tours it’s also possible to visit to the ruins of Kildalton church and see its famous 8th Century Celtic cross.
Get a sense of the old history of Inveraray
Inveraray Castle & Gardens
Traveling along the coast, we'll reach the picturesque village of Inveraray. With its historic buildings, old boats, and a great whisky shop, this is your lunch stop. You can sample local specialties, explore the town, visit the 18th-century Inveraray Castle (open April–October), or tour the Old Jail
Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park
Enjoy the dramatic splendour of one of Scotland’s most famous lochs and the beautiful national park that surrounds it.
Options
B&B Double Occupancy Room
Double en-suite room with breakfast in a B&B (1 large bed).
B&B Twin Room
Stay in twin room (2 x single beds) accommodation. If you require multiple rooms, please add these to the basket separately.
B&B Single Occupancy Room
Stay in single room (1 x single bed) en-suite accommodation.
Reviews
81 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Islay & Billy
katherinel623,
Oct 25, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We just returned from Scotland and took the Rabbie's Islay and the Whiskey 4 day tour with the marvelous Billy! Wow! A dram to start and end the tour and two full days on Islay visiting or tasting 9 distilleries! What is not to like?!?!?!? Billy absolutely made the trip for us, his love and knowledge of whisky was amazing and provided us with lots of laughs and splashes!
Gold Plated Islay
WayandBev,
Sep 22, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00What an amazing trip to visit and understand key distilleries on Islay by the end of the trip you will have a great er appreciation of Islay whiskies as well as the entire process to making g Scotch whiskey. Fabulous accommodation at Bowmore cottages. Andy was our driver and was fantastic. Yes it expensive but the trip is worth it on the 1st night you need to eat on the ferry as your arrival is late.
Highlight of my 3 month backpacking trip!
Thor E,
Sep 20, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Simply incredible experience. I did this with Rabbies Tours (booked through trip advisor) and Adam was an excellent driver, story teller, tour guide and was very insightful for all things whiskey and Scotland (he knows his stuff). The days were packed with great tours and whiskey, the accommodation was just perfect and I really have nothing to complain about I highly recommend this to anyone!
An unmissable trip to whisky distilleries
Miguel V,
Aug 11, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Fantastic tour, a must do for whisky lovers, Al was our driver and guide, excelent person, he knows each secret of Islay and each stop we made on the route he talked about the history of each Don’t miss this tour!!!
Lots of pics,and fun, on 4 day Outlander tour,with Lizzy! Can't wait to go again! Waydee Harris
waydeeh,
Jun 25, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00The tour and Lizzy were amazing! All the Outlander locations,and history was presented in an informative,friendly style!
Islay whisky, love it!
Sunshine10738419711,
Oct 20, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Wow, what a great trip. Our guide/driver was William D. Great guy, very informative and fun. A few wee stories thrown in for good measure. He knew the Island well and was well versed in Islay whisky and the distilleries. Thoroughly recommended Well done Rabbies
Fantastic guide, fantastic experience - thanks Andy!
kirksA5064VP,
Oct 12, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00My girlfriend and I were really looking forward to this trip, and I am pleased to say it did not disappoint! Our guide Andy Unsworth was fantastic, he was very knowledgeable, made sure we were well taken care of, and made sure we got to see everything we wanted to. Andy took the time to share plenty of stories and information with us, and tolerated our many, many questions too - he really knew his stuff. On top of all that, he somehow guaranteed two full days of sunshine on Islay, the most impressive feat of all! As for a quick note on the whisky, some of the distilleries were in silent season but still offered us great tours / tastings - in particular Bowmore (Lynn), Kilchoman (Alex), Ardbeg (Ron), and Laphroaig (Michaela) offered us great tours. Lastly, we were fortunate enough to make some good friends along the way, which always adds to the experience - shout out to Michael & Kai from Hamburg, Paul from Essex, and Cameron & Madelyn from Baltimore! I couldn't recommend this tour (especially with Andy) enough - definitely go if you get the chance!
Memory for life.
Christina E,
Oct 8, 2024
- Review from Viator
5.00Lagavoulin tasting direct from the casks and Adam's good stories as we went trough the highlands. A memory for life.
Best tour ever
Scott S,
Sep 20, 2024
- Review from Viator
5.00This was one of the best rours we have ever taken. From stops in places like Oban to the fantastic distilleries of Islay. Adam was a truly amazing tour guide from history,storiy telling, whisky knowledge, music and more. The group we travelled with was also fantastic. Could not recommend this tour mre highly.
“Masterclass”
David H,
Sep 19, 2024
- Review from Viator
5.00Our tour guide Adam was “Masterclass, full stop”,…… and of course, the scotch tasting at the distilleries was outstanding. Adam’s knowledge, story telling, organizational skills and engaging personality was terrific! This is the best tour we have ever taken!
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