Glasgow: Scottish Whisky Distillery Tour

It was a very satisfying trip.

Summary: It was a very satisfying trip. Tour reservation: From what the driver(=guide) told me, five people other than me booked the same tour for the first time, but they all canceled it, so I went on a tour with the guide, only two of us all day. It was very awkward to go on a tour with a foreign driver alone in a foreign land, but I was relieved by the kind explanation and schedule explanation from the guide. About Schedule: The schedule was notified after being arbitrarily set by the host company, Serca tour, I visited a total of three locations: Glengoyne Distillery, Auchentoshan Distillery, and Clydeside Distillery. Personally, I was interested in Glengoyne Distillery and Deanston Distillery, so it was a little bit disappointed that I could not adjust the schedule. Atmosphere, Staff: It was a pleasant time because the guide explained a wide range of interesting topics, from distilleries to recommended whiskies, with professional knowledge. Of course, the distilleries were wonderful. It will be a time I will never forget. Thank you to the Serca tour for this tour. Extra cost: This tour only helps me book distilleries, and it doesn't include the cost of the distilleries tour, so some distilleries had to book online in advance, pay for it. It's kind of like a taxi tour. If it's operated this way, it would be nice if it was possible to book a more professional tour according to my taste. Best for: Basically service and guide were good, but the best was the distillery tour.

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Paid a premium for what I could have done myself

First off, I have to say that our guide, Jimmy was awesome! The following review has more to do with the logistics of our tour. As I said, Jimmy was great, and our Serca tours contact Chiara was very easy to contact and very responsive. So, I was VERY surprised that of the 3 distilleries we visited, one required that we schedule and pre-pay our tour (which is fine, I totally get it and it was not a problem), while the other two seemed to have NO RECORD AT ALL that we were coming. They were all gracious and accommodated us, but it made me wonder—WTF did I pay Serca tours $220 to do?? Serca was clear that we would have to pay for entry at each of the distilleries—I expected that. But, honestly—this isn't so much a tour as a glorified Uber. If I had to do it again, I would just book a private tour through a different operator. Since there were 4 of us, that’s almost $1000, which would have covered a private tour and we could have set our own schedule and known ahead of time where we were going and get confirmation of our bookings. I don’t mind paying a premium to have someone else handle tour planning and logistics, but in this case—beyond the van and driver—there was no “tour.” And no logistics appear to have been handled. Which is disappointing, considering what we paid.

Response from the operator: Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback, and for your kind comments about Jimmy—we’re delighted to hear that he made such a positive impression on your day. We’re very proud of our drivers, and Jimmy will be especially pleased to hear your praise. We’re also grateful for your comments regarding communication in advance of your tour. We always aim to be responsive and helpful throughout the booking process, so it’s great to know that this part of your experience met expectations. With regard to the distillery arrangements, we’re very sorry for the confusion experienced on the day. One of the distilleries had in fact been pre-booked and confirmed directly with them in advance, so it was disappointing for us as well to learn that there was no record upon your arrival. While the team there were able to accommodate you, we completely understand how this may have impacted your experience. At another stop, there appears to have been a miscommunication regarding the booking details, and we sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused. We are reviewing our internal processes to ensure this does not happen again in the future. In terms of the nature of the tour, we would like to clarify that our whisky distillery tours are designed to provide comfortable, efficient transport between carefully selected distilleries, many of which are located in rural areas that are difficult to access via public transport. Our aim is to remove the stress of planning routes, driving, and navigating between locations, allowing guests to relax and enjoy their day. Distillery tours and tastings themselves are operated independently by each distillery, which is why these are not included in the tour price and are paid directly on the day (or in advance where required). That said, we truly regret that your experience did not fully meet your expectations, particularly in terms of the planning and logistics, which we strive to manage carefully behind the scenes. Your feedback is very important to us and will help us improve going forward. Thank you again for travelling with us.

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Excellent!

I had a wonderful time. The tour company provided excellent customer service. I was the only person to book the tour and they went ahead with the booking, I had my own personal tour. They staff at all of the whiskey distilleries were great. Clydeside definitely had a very informative tour about the back history on whiskey in Scotland and I got to filled my own whiskey bottle. Glengoyne was in a beautiful location and had speciality whiskey that had been aged in Japanese oak ~ it was so smooth. If you have 6 or so hours available this tour is definitely worth the experience.

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Best Burns Supper Tour Guide Ever

Great day; wee Jimmy was a great tour guide, super informative, entertaining, and knowledgeable. If you ask nicely, you may even get some Robbie Burns poetry along the drive. Highly recommended!

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Terrible Experience – Tour Cancelled Without Notice

The tour was supposed to start at 8.30 AM, but by 8.45 there was still no sign of the guide. When we called to inquire, we were informed that the tour was cancelled! No prior notification, no courtesy message — absolutely nothing. This is completely unacceptable and unprofessional. We wasted our time and planned our day around this. Never recommending this unreliable service to anyone. Avoid this crap.

Response from the operator: We're truly sorry to hear about your recent experience with us. Your booking was cancelled through Viator, as you were the sole traveller booked on the tour and no additional participants had signed up — in line with our cancellation policy. Unfortunately, it appears there was a technical issue, and the cancellation notification may not have reached you as intended. We sincerely apologise for this oversight and for any inconvenience or disappointment it may have caused. Thank you for your understanding. Warm regards, Chiara

via Viator