Holyrood Distillery, Edinburgh: Malt Whisky Back in the Capital

Holyrood Distillery, Edinburgh: Malt Whisky Back in the Capital

✅Open to visitors — this distillery has a visitor centre and/or tours (some by appointment; book ahead — see the box below).

Holyrood at a glance

RegionLowland (Edinburgh)
Founded2019
OwnerHolyrood Distillery Ltd
Visitor centreYes — Brand Home in a former railway goods shed
ToursDaily whisky & gin tours & experiences
OpeningOpen daily, ~10/11am–6pm — check the website
Websiteholyrooddistillery.co.uk

Overview

Holyrood was the first single-malt distillery in central Edinburgh for almost a century — opened in 2019 in a beautifully-restored Victorian railway goods shed near Holyrood Park. It is an experimental, flavour-focused distillery that plays with different yeasts, malts and grains, and a lively city-centre visit.

The history

Holyrood opened in 2019, bringing malt distilling back to a city that had been a great brewing and distilling centre in the 19th century before the industry drifted away. Its first whisky was released in 2023, and it has built a reputation for adventurous, small-batch experimentation.

The water & the land

Holyrood uses Edinburgh’s municipal water.

Holyrood has no clan link — it is an urban distillery in the heart of the capital, close to the old “charmed circle” of springs that once made Edinburgh a brewing city, beneath Arthur’s Seat and Holyrood Park.

Visiting

Holyrood runs daily whisky and gin tours and tasting experiences from its Brand Home — open most days from around 10–11am to 6pm; check the website. It’s an easy walk from the Royal Mile.

Nearby & more whisky

Sources