Golf and whisky go hand in hand and the relaxed yet refined atmosphere of the Dundonald Links whisky room is the perfect place to unwind after a round. Providing a unique and traditional Scottish whisky tasting experience, our whisky tasting room is open to golfers and non-golfers, guests staying in our accommodation and those joining us for the day.
Our whisky tasting room has been artfully decorated to reflect the heritage of the drink and the heritage of golf and comfortably seats sixteen, making it ideal for intimate parties and corporate whisky tasting events. Situated on the first floor of the Dundonald Links Clubhouse in our Canny Crow restaurant, the whisky room has the feel of a private members club with sumptuous furniture and discreet lighting.
Our Whiskies
We worked with whisky consultant Blair Bowman to curate the whiskies for the whisky room. As part the brief, Blair wanted to include a variety of well-known whisky that guests would recognise, but also plenty of ‘hidden gems’ distilleries or bottlings that might be less familiar. For those guests visiting from overseas, he wanted to give them an opportunity to try whiskies they may never have tasted before. We also wanted a range whiskies to suit all budgets and occasions.
With core releases going through to more limited and older whiskies, as well as plenty of top-tier drams to toast a celebration or a hole-in-one, such as Macallan M Decanter, Glenfarclas 30yo and Highland Park 40yo. We also wanted to use this opportunity to showcase some of the incredible new distilleries in Scotland, such as Nc’Nean, Lindores Abbey and Kingsbarns.
For serious whisky aficionados, we’ve also included a few local independent bottlers, like North Star Spirits as well as some exciting new blended malts from Old Perth and MacNair’s and some niche bottlings, like the discontinued Mortlach 16yo.
We have over well over a 100 whiskies to sample, so is sure to be something to suit every taste and budget.
We worked with whisky consultant Blair Bowman to curate the whiskies for the whisky room. As part the brief, Blair wanted to include a variety of well-known whisky that guests would recognise, but also plenty of ‘hidden gems’ distilleries or bottlings that might be less familiar. For those guests visiting from overseas, he wanted to give them an opportunity to try whiskies they may never have tasted before. We also wanted a range whiskies to suit all budgets and occasions.
With core releases going through to more limited and older whiskies, as well as plenty of top-tier drams to toast a celebration or a hole-in-one, such as Macallan M Decanter, Glenfarclas 30yo and Highland Park 40yo. We also wanted to use this opportunity to showcase some of the incredible new distilleries in Scotland, such as Nc’Nean, Lindores Abbey and Kingsbarns.
For serious whisky aficionados, we’ve also included a few local independent bottlers, like North Star Spirits as well as some exciting new blended malts from Old Perth and MacNair’s and some niche bottlings, like the discontinued Mortlach 16yo.
We have over well over a 100 whiskies to sample, so is sure to be something to suit every taste and budget.
Our Canasta Cask
Throughout the whisky tasting you’ll be guided by our in-house expert as you sample our hand-picked diverse selection of whiskies. You can even tantalise your tastebuds with a dram of our very own Dundonald Links 1980 Bunnahabhain Canasta whisky straight from the cask.
We worked with master distiller Brendan McCarron to bring this cask into the room, to be filled with the last of the wonderful Bunnahabhain 1980 Vintage Canasta whisky.
The 1980 Vintage Canasta Cask Finish breathed the briny coastal air for over 14,000 days – first in casks that held Oloroso sherry, then in perfectly sweet Canasta sherry oak. A rich oakiness balanced with sweet dried fruit, treacle toffee, black coffee and cocoa, and roasted nuts, with a hint of coastal brininess, a must taste for the whisky connoisseur.
Guests are offered a very special experience, taking a dram directly from this cask.
Throughout the whisky tasting you’ll be guided by our in-house expert as you sample our hand-picked diverse selection of whiskies. You can even tantalise your tastebuds with a dram of our very own Dundonald Links 1980 Bunnahabhain Canasta whisky straight from the cask.
We worked with master distiller Brendan McCarron to bring this cask into the room, to be filled with the last of the wonderful Bunnahabhain 1980 Vintage Canasta whisky.
The 1980 Vintage Canasta Cask Finish breathed the briny coastal air for over 14,000 days – first in casks that held Oloroso sherry, then in perfectly sweet Canasta sherry oak. A rich oakiness balanced with sweet dried fruit, treacle toffee, black coffee and cocoa, and roasted nuts, with a hint of coastal brininess, a must taste for the whisky connoisseur.
Guests are offered a very special experience, taking a dram directly from this cask.
History of whisky
Whisky is as synonymous with Scotland as tartan and golf, and a club as prestigious as Dundonald Links deserves a whisky tasting room to match.
Created by distilling fermented grains, the Scottish have been distilling whisky since the 12th century and this rich liquor soon became a firm favourite amongst royalty. In the 18th century a tax was imposed on alcohol production in Scotland, leading to many distilleries looking for creative ways to avoid detection. This led to much of the production taking place at night and led to the term ‘moonshine.’
It was during the 18th and 19th century when Scottish and Irish immigrants made the journey west to the United States and took their beloved drink with them. The Prohibition era in the States and a 150-year-long Scottish ban on alcohol ensured that whisky distilleries and drinking was driven underground until the mid-20th century.
Whisky continued to grow in popularity in the UK and the US and post-war the Japanese whisky market quickly grew. Today whisky is a drink enjoyed by a plethora of people from around the world, but you can’t beat a dram in a traditional Scottish setting – especially one as luxurious as our whisky room.
Whisky is as synonymous with Scotland as tartan and golf, and a club as prestigious as Dundonald Links deserves a whisky tasting room to match.
Created by distilling fermented grains, the Scottish have been distilling whisky since the 12th century and this rich liquor soon became a firm favourite amongst royalty. In the 18th century a tax was imposed on alcohol production in Scotland, leading to many distilleries looking for creative ways to avoid detection. This led to much of the production taking place at night and led to the term ‘moonshine.’
It was during the 18th and 19th century when Scottish and Irish immigrants made the journey west to the United States and took their beloved drink with them. The Prohibition era in the States and a 150-year-long Scottish ban on alcohol ensured that whisky distilleries and drinking was driven underground until the mid-20th century.
Whisky continued to grow in popularity in the UK and the US and post-war the Japanese whisky market quickly grew. Today whisky is a drink enjoyed by a plethora of people from around the world, but you can’t beat a dram in a traditional Scottish setting – especially one as luxurious as our whisky room.
Types of whisky
When you take part in a traditional Scottish whisky tasting experience with us, you’ll sample some of the finest whiskies from around the globe.
Scotch whisky
Scotch whiskies are made from malted barley and are aged for no less than three years. To be a true Scotch malt, they must be distilled in Scotland, like our very own Dundonald Links whisky.
Each region that produces a whisky has its own distinct taste, with the Lowlands producing the lightest and most mild scotch and the Highland distilleries producing fruitier and spicier flavours.
Irish whisky
Irish whiskies tend to have a less peaty taste compared with scotch whiskies, and have that same light, fruity taste. Traditionally, Irish whisky is distilled in a copper pot, whereas in Scotland a double distillation process takes place.
In Ireland, there are distinct classifications of whisky and they include, single malt, grain, single grain, blended and single pot still.
American whisky
Whilst American whisky was brought over by the Irish and Scots, it has its own distinct flavour. Aged in charred oak barrels and containing under 80% alcohol, they have a much sweeter, smoother taste compared with their traditional forebears.
American whisky can be described as a bourbon, Tennessee, rye, wheat and American single malt.
Japanese whisky
Post-war the Japanese whisky market exploded and is continuing to grow in popularity and demand. Japanese whiskies have a similar profile to Scottish Lowland and Speyside styles and are mild and delicate, and often perfumed with honey for a sweeter taste.
When you take part in a traditional Scottish whisky tasting experience with us, you’ll sample some of the finest whiskies from around the globe.
Scotch whisky
Scotch whiskies are made from malted barley and are aged for no less than three years. To be a true Scotch malt, they must be distilled in Scotland, like our very own Dundonald Links whisky.
Each region that produces a whisky has its own distinct taste, with the Lowlands producing the lightest and most mild scotch and the Highland distilleries producing fruitier and spicier flavours.
Irish whisky
Irish whiskies tend to have a less peaty taste compared with scotch whiskies, and have that same light, fruity taste. Traditionally, Irish whisky is distilled in a copper pot, whereas in Scotland a double distillation process takes place.
In Ireland, there are distinct classifications of whisky and they include, single malt, grain, single grain, blended and single pot still.
American whisky
Whilst American whisky was brought over by the Irish and Scots, it has its own distinct flavour. Aged in charred oak barrels and containing under 80% alcohol, they have a much sweeter, smoother taste compared with their traditional forebears.
American whisky can be described as a bourbon, Tennessee, rye, wheat and American single malt.
Japanese whisky
Post-war the Japanese whisky market exploded and is continuing to grow in popularity and demand. Japanese whiskies have a similar profile to Scottish Lowland and Speyside styles and are mild and delicate, and often perfumed with honey for a sweeter taste.
Whisky drinking etiquette
Whisky is to be savoured and the surroundings are just as important as the flavour, but of course so too is the drinking etiquette. As whisky tasting experts, we serve our whisky at room temperature to ensure full bouquet.
We recommend taking your first sip neat to really savour the whisky sample. For whiskies that are more potent and have a higher alcohol content, we suggest gently adding water to dilute the alcohol volume without disrupting the flavour too much.
Reserve your whisky tasting
Whether you’re wishing to book a corporate whisky tasting event or host an intimate gathering, enjoy a whisky sampling experience as part of your golf package or simply sample a nightcap following dinner at the Canny Crow, you can contact our reservations team to reserve your Scottish whisky tasting experience.
Whisky is to be savoured and the surroundings are just as important as the flavour, but of course so too is the drinking etiquette. As whisky tasting experts, we serve our whisky at room temperature to ensure full bouquet.
We recommend taking your first sip neat to really savour the whisky sample. For whiskies that are more potent and have a higher alcohol content, we suggest gently adding water to dilute the alcohol volume without disrupting the flavour too much.
Reserve your whisky tasting
Whether you’re wishing to book a corporate whisky tasting event or host an intimate gathering, enjoy a whisky sampling experience as part of your golf package or simply sample a nightcap following dinner at the Canny Crow, you can contact our reservations team to reserve your Scottish whisky tasting experience.
