Address: Glenkinchie Distillery, Pencaitland, Tranent, East Lothian, EH34 5ET, UK 

Located just outside the village of Pencaitland, Glenkinchie is most easily accessible by car via either the A1 & A68 or the Old Dalkeith Road/A7 & A68. Driving from Edinburgh takes approximately 45 minutes and free on-site parking is available to distillery visitors (subject to availability). The A68 is a country road which is also used by farm traffic, so visitors are asked to take care and ensure they leave plenty of time if unaccustomed to narrow winding roads. For visitors without a car, a private transport company can be recommended by emailing glenkinchie@malts.com. A taxi company can also be found in the nearby town of Haddington. Bus routes also service Haddington & Pencaitland, though a taxi will be required to reach Glenkinchie if alighting in Haddington. From Pencaitland it is roughly a 30-minute walk to Glenkinchie. 

Public Transport (Monday to Saturday)

A new comfortable, economical and sustainable way to reach us is by Eve Coaches’ 123 Gifford Circle bus from the attractive market town of Haddington, from where there are buses to a range of destinations, including frequent express services to/ from Edinburgh and Dunbar.

Visitors from Edinburgh will find this especially useful. At just £8.50, a County Plus ticket allows unlimited use of Lothian Buses’ services within Edinburgh for a whole day, unlimited use of East Coast Buses’ services to, and within, East Lothian for the day plus the return journey from Haddington to Glenkinchie aboard Eve Coaches comfortable buses.

Tickets can be bought onboard any of the buses mentioned above, using contactless payment methods. They can also be bought through the Lothian Buses app which can be downloaded from lothianbuses.com or through usual app providers. The app and website have a user-friendly travel planner.

We recommend visiting Traveline Scotland to plan your route and to stay up to date on transport options. Read more at https://travelinescotland.com/   

Highland Experience Tours

Highland Experience Tours offer a 'transfer only' return bus ride to Glenkinchie at a cost of £35 per person, payable on their website. We recommend booking your chosen tour first, then follow the link to book the transport which can be found on the tour booking page. Available on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays on the following tours at the distillery:

• Flavour Journey Tour - 1pm 

• Flavour & Cask Experience - 12pm

• Warehouse Tasting 2024 - 12pm

Please note that during winter the distillery may have to close at short notice due to weather conditions. Please check our Google listing for up-to-date information before you visit us. 

October – April | Monday – Sunday | 10:00 – 17:00 

May – September | Monday – Sunday | 10:00 – 18:00 

Explore the flavours of Glenkinchie and discover your perfect serve, whether you’re a whisky dram loyalist, innovative cocktail enthusiast, or aficionado of alcohol-free quenchers. 

The bar at Glenkinchie is open at the following times during the distillery’s opening hours. 

October – March | 10:00 – 16:00 (last orders at 15:45) 

April – September | 10:00 – 18:00 (last orders at 17:45) 

Please note that all under 18s need to be accompanied by an adult.

Sustainability has always been at the heart of Glenkinchie, from the way we make our whisky to the way our visitors enjoy our experience. We’re thrilled that our efforts are being recognised by receiving our Gold Award for Green Tourism, the top certification available. 

The award recognises our green operating credentials, from zero-waste to landfill, to the sustainability of our distillation process and the high standards of water efficiency and stewardship. Here at Glenkinchie, the Lowland home of Johnnie Walker, we’ve also been working on a nature sustainability strategy to encourage pollination and protect wildlife in the local area. This includes the installation of beehives, bat houses, bug boxes, and plantings to attract, feed, and shelter insect pollinators, birds, and other native creatures. There is also a bicycle repair station on site. 

We call Glenkinchie ‘The Garden Distillery’ because we’re heavily influenced by the incredible land and greenery surrounding us. Being in the midst of East Lothian’s abundant lands, full of wildflowers and fragrant grass, has not only made us appreciative of our local environments but also passionate about preserving the natural wonders that inspire our whisky. That’s why our sustainability initiative is so important to us. 

There are many more eco-friendly and sustainable aspects to our distillery, which include: 

• Free water dispenser at the distillery and visible on the Refill app – to reduce plastic bottles 

• Cycle racks for those traveling by bike 

• Bee-friendly plants and beehives Learn more about our eco-friendly initiatives by taking a tour with us. 

We are committed to improving our environmental impact now and in the future. We can’t do this alone though, so we are asking for your support when you visit us. As part of this commitment, we have removed litter bins from the distillery, visitor centre, and surrounding area to help reduce waste at Glenkinchie Distillery and therefore we are asking you to take any litter home with you to help us with this commitment. 

We hope the initiatives we have put in place will make a real difference to our environmental impact and we look forward to improving this year on year.

We’re pleased to have consulted Euan’s Guide to ensure that we provide disabled access information upfront to give all our visitors the confidence to visit our distillery and enjoy the experience. Please do let us know if you have any specific requirements at the time of your booking and a member of staff will be in touch. 

Accessible Parking 

We have 4 disabled parking spaces which are directly in front of our main entrance, the closest space is approximately 20 metres and the furthest is 40 metres. There is a route without any steps or obstacles between these spaces and entering the building. 

Accessible Areas 

The doors in our visitor experience have been designed for wheelchair access. All floors at Glenkinchie are accessible via a lift apart from the Tun Room, which is an older part of the building where the fermentation process happens. During this part of the tour we will show any visitors who cannot access the Tun Room a video of the room and fermentation on an iPad so they do not miss anything. 

Please note that due to health and safety risk assessments, unfortunately we cannot accommodate motorised wheelchairs in certain working areas of the distillery during production Monday – Friday. For a fuller experience, we would recommend that motorised wheelchair users book for a tour on Saturday or Sunday, when production does not take place, to access more areas. Please note not all areas are accessible due to some stairs however we do have an alternative for the sections not accessible. 

All wheelchair users are welcome to join us for a tour and your guide will offer an alternative to the elements of the tour which are not accessible. 

Accessible Experiences 

Our experiences are quite engaging and immersive. Some of the experiences include theatrical lights and projection effects. This is a tour for everyone so if you have any concerns or require any other needs please get in touch or add a comment at time of booking and we will work to accommodate. 

Accessible Toilets 

Accessible toilets are available within our Visitor Centre on each floor. Our facilities include red cords and handrails. Unfortunately, we do not have accessible changing facilities.

Assistance Animals

Guide and assistance dogs are welcome at Glenkinchie, however, due to health & safety regulations animals are not permitted in the production areas of the distillery. If you are visiting us with a guide or assistance dog, we are happy to make reasonable adjustments to our tours to ensure you have an enjoyable, and above all safe, experience. Please let us know if any specific requirements at time of booking so we can endeavour to deliver a positive visitor experience. 

Dog Policy 

Well behaved dogs are welcome in our shops and bars. Please ensure your dog is under control, and closely supervised by a responsible adult at all times. 

Dogs must be kept on a short lead and must not be allowed to climb on furniture or touch the items in our shop.

Please understand that not everyone likes dogs and/or could have an allergy to your pet - please keep a respectful distance from our team and our other visitors. 

Dogs are not permitted in any back of house areas. Dogs (except assistance dogs) are not permitted in the distillery or on any tours. 

Due to the size of our bars and shops, we may need to limit the number of dogs permitted inside at any one time. 

We reserve the right to ask you to leave should we have any concerns over your dogs’ behaviour or if your dog is disrupting other guests. 

Visiting with Children 

For health and safety reasons, children under 8 years old are not permitted on tours or in the production areas of the distillery. Children under 8 are however welcome in our shop and certain exhibitions and we do have baby changing facilities. Children from 8-17 years are welcome on our tours with a valid child ticket.  

Telephone | 01875 342012 

Email | glenkinchie@malts.com