The highland of Scotland is by far the largest of the Scottish whisky regions. It essentially covers most of the Scottish mainland, with the exception of the Lowlands, and geographically includes the Speyside (though Speyside is classified as a separate whisky region simply due to the large amount of distilleries in that area), and the Islands. Because of the huge area covered, it’s rather difficult to identify some common characteristics in the whiskies, and therefore the region is commonly divided into sub regions: The Western-, Eastern -, Central (or southern) and Northern Highlands.
A protected region in its own right
Highland is the largest of Scotland’s five legally protected whisky-producing areas under the Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009, alongside Lowland, Speyside, Campbeltown and Islay. That protection means a whisky can only carry “Highland” on its label if it was actually distilled within the region’s legally defined boundary, the same rule that stops a Speyside distillery calling itself Highland even though the two regions sit side by side.
The “Islands” category that shows up throughout whisky writing and retail, covering everything from Arran to Orkney to Skye, has no such legal standing of its own. Officially, every one of those distilleries is part of Highland; “Island” is a popular, informal sub-division rather than a recognised region in its own right, the same relationship Campbeltown’s page describes for its own “Islands has no legal standing” line.
Highland’s boundary runs from just north-west of Glasgow to roughly Stirling before sweeping north and east to take in nearly the entire Scottish mainland outside the Lowlands, making it by some distance the geographically largest of the five protected regions. That scale is part of why it’s traditionally split into Northern, Western, Central and Eastern sub-regions rather than treated as a single stylistic whole the way Campbeltown or Islay can be.
Northern highlands
The largest of the sub regions, the Northern Highlands include all the mainland to the left of an imaginary line leading from Fort William to Inverness (including Inverness itself). Most of the area is a flat plateau, surrounded by the sea and ocean with the majority of the distilleries located on the Eastern coast. The whiskies tend to be full-bodied and complex, slightly dry-ish, malty, with sweeter hints of fruit, heather and spices.
The Northern Highland distilleries include:
- Balblair– From vintage-dated icon to modern age-statement range, Balblair has kept Highland tradition flowing since 1790
- Brora – Silent for 38 years and rebuilt stone by stone, this cult ‘ghost distillery’ returned to life in 2021
- Clynelish – The waxy Highland malt built next door to the newly revived Brora
- Dalmore – A royal stag on every bottle, Gonzalez Byass sherry casks in every cellar, since 1839
- Dornoch – A compact fire-station distillery in Sutherland reviving 1940s-60s whisky styles, cask by cask
- Glenmorangie – Home to stills as tall as a giraffe, Glenmorangie’s citrus-bright spirit anchors the far north of the Highland region
- GlenWyvis – Dingwall’s community-owned distillery, powered entirely by wind, hydro, solar and biomass
- Glen Ord – A Black Isle distillery that malts its own barley and much of its neighbours’ too, bottled worldwide as The Singleton
- Old Pulteney – The maritime malt of Wick, distilled on a flat-topped still built for a fishing town’s spirit since 1826.
- Royal Brackla – The first Scotch whisky ever granted a Royal Warrant, still maturing Highland spirit in sherry casks on the Cawdor Estate today
- Teaninich – Alness’s Highland workhorse swaps the traditional mash tun for a rare filter press, feeding much of Johnnie Walker’s blend
- Tomatin – A Highland distillery near Inverness under Japanese ownership since the 1980s, home to the peated Cù Bòcan range and the blended Antiquary line
- Wolfburn – Rebuilt on the ruins of an 1821 original, Wolfburn brought distilling back to Caithness after more than a century of silence
Former distilleries include:
- Glen Albyn
- Glen Mhor
- Millburn
Western Highlands
The Western Highlands area is the area directly to the right of the Northern Highlands. At the south-west lies the Atlantic ocean, and to the south, the Lowlands. It’s a rugged, mountainous area with lots of rain, where cultivating the land is hard, and the typical resources used in whisky distilling are scarce. As a result, it never was very popular for whisky making. Whiskies typically are slightly peaty with a dry and peppery finish.
There currently are only 5 active distilleries in the Western Highlands:
- Ardnamurchan – One of the most westerly distilleries on the Scottish mainland, distilling peated and unpeated single malt on its remote namesake peninsula since 2014
- Ben Nevis – Founded in 1825 at the foot of Ben Nevis, this Fort William distillery once hosted a royal visit and marked its 200th anniversary in 2025.
- Loch Lomond – Home to 11 different stills producing 11 different spirits, Loch Lomond is one of the only distilleries in Scotland making both single malt and grain whisky at the same site
- Nc’nean – The UK’s first net-zero whisky distillery, built on organic barley and radical sustainability in the wild landscape of Scotland’s Morvern peninsula
- Oban – One of Scotland’s oldest and smallest distilleries, Oban gave its name to the harbour town that grew around it
Former distilleries include:
- Glenlochy
Central Highlands
The Central (or Southern) Highlands are located in-between the Western and the Eastern Highlands, and most of it is made up by the county of Perth, though it spreads beyond the Perth borders. Central Highland whisky tends to be rather hard to classify due to the different styles used by the distilleries, but if we’d have to look for common features, it’d be that they are generally light whiskies, with hints of honey and heather, and slightly sweet.
The Central Highlands include the following distilleries:
- Aberfeldy – Aberfeldy, the Highland malt behind Dewar’s blended Scotch, drawn from a burn locals say still carries flecks of gold
- Blair Athol – The Burn of the Otter Behind Bell’s Blend
- Dalwhinnie – A Highland malt cooled the old way, through wooden worm tubs, from a distillery perched above Loch Ericht
- Deanston – A working cotton mill until 1965, Deanston now distills its unpeated Highland malt on power drawn straight from the River Teith outside its door
- Edradour – A Perthshire farm distillery producing Highland single malt and peated Ballechin whisky
- Glengoyne – An unpeated Highland malt nursed slowly through the stills, distilled right on the edge of the Highland Line
- Glenturret – A working Highland distillery on the banks of the Turret, now owned by Lalique Group and home to a Michelin starred restaurant
- Strathearn – A Perthshire farm distillery pairing Highland single malt with small-batch gin, now under Douglas Laing & Co.
- Tullibardine – A revived Perthshire distillery pairing Highland tradition with French ownership and a range of cask-finished single malts
- Ballechin
- Stronachie
Eastern Highlands
Last but not least, the Eastern Highlands span the area from the northern coast, eastwards of Speyside, down to the Firth of Tay. It includes part of Aberdeenshire, Angusshire, Kincardineshire eastern parts of Inverness-shire. Whiskies from this area are typically full-bodied, dry, earthy and fruity, and some of them might be easily confused for a Speyside whisky due to the sweetness.
The following distilleries are located in the Eastern Highlands:
- Arbikie – A single-estate Angus farm distillery, now pouring its debut single malt after growing every grain itself
- Ardmore – The peated Highland malt quietly powering Teacher’s blends since 1898
- Fettercairn
- Glencadam
- GlenDronach
- Glen Garioch
- Glenglassaugh
- Knockdhu (anCnoc)
- Royal Lochnagar
Past distilleries include:
- Glenesk
- Glenugy
- Glenury Royal
- Lochside
- North Port
Frequently Asked Questions
Highland is by far the largest of Scotland’s whisky regions. It covers most of the Scottish mainland, geographically including Speyside and the Islands, with the exception of the Lowlands. Its boundary runs from just north-west of Glasgow to roughly Stirling before sweeping north and east to take in nearly the entire mainland outside the Lowlands, making it the geographically largest of the five protected regions.
Yes. Highland is one of Scotland’s five legally protected whisky-producing areas under the Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009, alongside Lowland, Speyside, Campbeltown and Islay. That protection means a whisky can only carry “Highland” on its label if it was actually distilled within the region’s legally defined boundary, the same rule that stops a Speyside distillery calling itself Highland even though the two regions sit side by side.
No. The “Islands” category that shows up throughout whisky writing and retail, covering everything from Arran to Orkney to Skye, has no legal standing of its own. Officially, every one of those distilleries is part of Highland; “Island” is a popular, informal sub-division rather than a recognised region in its own right.
Because Highland covers such a huge area, it’s difficult to pin down common characteristics across all its whiskies, so the region is commonly divided into four sub-regions: Northern, Western, Central (or Southern), and Eastern Highlands, each with its own general style.
The Northern Highlands, the largest sub-region, cover the mainland to the west of an imaginary line running from Fort William to Inverness. Most of the area is a flat plateau ringed by sea, with most distilleries sitting on the eastern coast. Whiskies here tend to be full-bodied and complex, slightly dry, malty, with sweeter hints of fruit, heather and spice. The Northern Highland distilleries are Balblair, Brora, Clynelish, Dalmore, Dornoch, Glenmorangie, GlenWyvis, Glen Ord, Old Pulteney, Royal Brackla, Teaninich, Tomatin and Wolfburn.
The Western Highlands sit between the Northern Highlands and the Lowlands, a rugged, mountainous, rain-heavy area where the resources typically used in distilling have always been scarce, so whisky-making was never very popular here. Whiskies tend to be slightly peaty with a dry, peppery finish. Only five distilleries are currently active in this sub-region: Ardnamurchan, Ben Nevis, Loch Lomond, Nc’nean and Oban.
The Central, or Southern, Highlands sit between the Western and Eastern Highlands and are made up largely of Perthshire. The whiskies here are hard to classify due to differing house styles, but tend to be light, with hints of honey and heather, and slightly sweet. The Central Highland distilleries are Aberfeldy, Blair Athol, Dalwhinnie, Deanston, Edradour, Glengoyne, Glenturret, Strathearn and Tullibardine.
The Eastern Highlands span the area from the northern coast, east of Speyside, down to the Firth of Tay, taking in parts of Aberdeenshire, Angusshire, Kincardineshire and eastern Inverness-shire. Whiskies here are typically full-bodied, dry, earthy and fruity, and their sweetness can sometimes see them mistaken for Speyside whisky. The Eastern Highland distilleries are Arbikie, Ardmore, Fettercairn, Glencadam, Glendronach, Glen Garioch, Glenglassaugh, Knockdhu (anCnoc) and Royal Lochnagar.
Yes, each sub-region has its own history of closures. The Northern Highlands lost Glen Albyn, Glen Mhor and Millburn; the Western Highlands lost Glenlochy; the Central Highlands lost Ballechin and Stronachie; and the Eastern Highlands lost Glenesk, Glenugy, Glenury Royal, Lochside and North Port.