How long is the Rye Experience?

The tour is 150 minutes (about two and a half hours); please arrive ten minutes early.

No, food is not included in the experience—plan meals before or after your visit in Montrose.

Can I access the restricted warehouses?

Yes; the experience includes guided access to restricted warehouses and curated casks under supervision.

Is the experience suitable for beginners?

Yes—guides present techniques and tasting notes in an approachable way for newcomers and collectors alike.

Are gratuities included?

Tips for guides are not included; gratuities are appreciated but optional.

Inside Arbikie’s Rye Experience: Highland Rye Tour at Drumbertnot Farm

Q: What is the cancellation policy?

Customers can cancel and get a refund up until 48 hours before midnight on the date of the tour.

Rye Experience at Arbikie takes place at Drumbertnot Farm, Lunan, Montrose, Angus (DD10 9TR), United Kingdom, where coastal winds and agricultural fields meet the copper and oak work of whisky production. Over 150 minutes, this guided tour moves from a Stirling-suite cocktail to restricted warehouses, rare casks, and a concluding tasting in the distillery’s flagship room. Begin inside the Stirling suite with a Rye cocktail that primes your palate and introduces Arbikie’s approach to Highland Rye Whisky. From there the guide leads small groups through the process: grain selection and mashing, fermentation vats, and the stillhouse that shapes the spirit’s character. What sets this experience apart is access—guests step behind barriers into restricted warehouses and handle or inspect casks that are normally off-limits, a rare peek at the aging anatomy of whisky where oak, time, and climate intersect. The setting matters. Montrose sits on the North Sea coast, and the distillery’s location on Drumbertnot Farm puts barley fields, salt air, and Angus farmland in close orbit of production. Visitors often notice the contrast between pale sand and scrub of nearby Lunan Bay and the dark, resinous hull of oak casks—natural elements that subtly inform the whisky’s flavor profile. The tour avoids technical overload in favor of sensory learning: nose, sight, and taste are the classroom. Highlights include hands-on look at curated casks, anecdotes about ingredient sourcing, and an exclusive tasting in the distillery’s premier room where rarities are poured. Guides share production choices that differentiate Highland Rye from other styles—grain composition, maturation decisions, and the microclimate in which the casks rest. Practical details are straightforward: arrive ten minutes early, the visit lasts roughly two and a half hours, and food is not included. This experience is a good fit for spirits enthusiasts, food-and-drink travelers, and anyone curious about how place influences product. It also makes a thoughtful gift or celebration activity given its intimate scale and restricted access. Arbikie’s Rye Experience transforms a distillery visit into a focused, tactile education on whisky craft, anchored by the land and maritime climate of Angus. Whether you come for the cocktail, the cask stories, or the final tasting, you leave with a clearer sense of how Highland Rye is made and why a farm-based distillery like this is an essential stop for visitors to Montrose and the Scottish east coast. Guides contextualize pours with regional history and production choices, explaining how east-coast weather and farm-to-still proximity shape maturation and flavor. The tour suits newcomers and collectors alike, with tasting notes and time for questions about bottling, finishing, and cask stewardship. Booking online is recommended; customers can cancel and get a refund up until 48 hours before midnight on date of the tour safely.

About Arbikie Highland Estate Distillery

Arbikie Highland Estate Distillery is a family-owned distillery located near Montrose, Scotland, on the shores of Lunan Bay. The distillery operates on a farm-to-bottle model, growing potatoes, wheat and peas on its estate to produce whisky, gin and vodka. Arbikie offers a range of on-site experiences that showcase production and tasting: the Whisky Tour, Arbikie Whisky and Glamis Castle Joint Tour, Rye Experience, Gin and Vodka Experience, Cocktail Experience, and Cocktail and Nibbles. Each experience combines expert-guided tours of stills and warehouses with guided tastings in dedicated tasting rooms, including the Stirling suite for Rye tastings.

Visitors can explore the craft of distillation, learn about rare casks and warehouse storage, and watch award-winning distillers at work. Gin and vodka production is demonstrated from crop to spirit, highlighting the estate’s use of potatoes, wheat and peas. The Arbikie Whisky and Glamis Castle Joint Tour pairs a behind-the-scenes distillery visit with a historical visit to nearby Glamis Castle. Cocktail-focused experiences let guests craft signature drinks using farm-fresh spirits and enjoy views over Lunan Bay, often accompanied by a shared charcuterie platter.

Information about production methods, tastings, and estate provenance is presented by trained guides who lead the tours. The distillery’s combination of on-farm ingredient sourcing, visible production areas, curated tastings and coastal setting provides transparent, verifiable reasons for visitors to trust the quality and authenticity of Arbikie Highland Estate Distillery experiences. Some experiences include exclusive tastings in the distillery’s top tasting room and visits to hidden warehouses and rare casks and tours.