Belmond’s Royal Scotsman to host £5,000 whisky train tour

Private distillery tours, single-cast tastings and 24-hour steward service are just some of the perks guests can expect on this palatial whisky train experience

 Journeys don’t come much more luxurious than on the Belmond Royal Scotsman. I mean, the five-star sleeper train even has its own spa carriage, for pity’s sake. As for the rest of the steam engine, think en suite cabins plumped with posh pillows, and vast picture windows to view the bucolic scenery as the train rumbles by.

Now just add whisky. The new scotch whisky tour experiences, beginning 21 July, will see guests depart from Edinburgh and take off on an adventure through the Scottish countryside, sipping single malt as they go. Calling points include private tours of the Tomatin, Macallan, and Tullibardine distilleries, where a whisky ambassador will guide visitors through a special single-cask tasting experience. Membership to the Scotch Malt Whisky Society for one year is included in the tour package, as well as a tasting at the society’s headquarters.

All meals and alcoholic drinks on board the Belmond are included, kicking off with a full Scottish breakfast every morning, meandering through to a three-course lunch, then winding down with a gourmet four-course dinner complete with cheeseboard and petit fours. And the experience, naturally, comes with 24-hour steward service and ‘traditional entertainment.

Fares start at around £5,300 for a four-night round-trip excursion departing 21 July. A second tour, departing 23 August will cost around £7,000.