10/03/2025
A short 3 minutes drive from The Highland Lodges will put you at , Grantown-on-Spey.
Our recent visit was due to be a short drop in, but we could not pass up the opportunity of a personal tour around this incredible new development that overlooks the equally spectacular River Spey.
With The Hollies Retreats properties (Muckrach Country House and the Highland Lodges) just down the road, we’ve been privileged to see the Cairn being built from the foundations up. The word ‘cairn’ means a ‘stack of stones being raised for a purpose’, and that is a very apt description of this ultra modern and state-of-the-art distillery.
We were struck, as we always are, by the beauty of the area, with the backdrop of the crisp snow-covered Cairngorm mountains and the cold River Spey running past. The Cairn is truly in-keeping with the area and has been designed and build with great sympathy for the natural environment.
On the door, we were met by a member of staff who arranged a short tour for us, taking in both the tasting room and the ‘still’ room. Full sized windows in the tasting room gave us an amazing view allowing us to be fully immersed in the Highlands scenery at the same time as being captivated by the aroma and taste of Cairn’s Highland malt whisky. We also took a walk out on to the veranda to truly enjoy the outdoor space.
The coffee shop was our next stop, where lunch, lite snacks and some great tasting coffee was the order of the day, all perfectly prepared and served.
The staff were not only extremely courteous, but also very knowledgeable about the building and the area and we learnt a lot on our visit. We are keen to return soon and would definitely recommend it to Highland visitors.
The Cairn is a unique building in a unique location, and it has put Grantown-on-Spey on the whisky trail map. Some of the most famous distilleries in the world can be found in the Highlands, and we’re so pleased to see The Cairn take their place alongside them.
