When you are first introduced to the delights of malt scotch whisky, you may well have been pointed in the direction of an Islay or a Speyside malt whisky. While many of those whiskies are unique and popular, there are many more areas in Scotland producing fine whiskies that stand up well on their own. One such area is Perthshire where there are five distilleries of note.

Glenturret is a distillery just outside Crieff. It is known as the oldest distillery in Scotland. It bills itself now as the Famous Grouse Experience because of its association as one of the main ingredients of that particular blend. Glenturret produces a 10 year old, a 14 year old and a 16 year old malt. They also have a fantastic visitor centre that is constantly updated with the latest technological advances to give visitors the best distillery experience.

Blair Athol distillery is located in the popular tourist destination of Pitlochry. It is a popular distillery sitting right on the tourist trail for many bus trips. The distillery produces only one malt for resale - a 12 year old Blair Athol. The majority of the whisky produced here is used in creation of Bells blended whisky.

Sitting above the River Tay at Aberfeldy, the Aberfeldy distillery is a gem. Marketed as Dewar's World of Whisky, Aberfeldy is another popular distillery. They produce a 12 an 18 and a 21 year old malt as well as the Dewar's whiskies. Recently a cask strength 26 year old malt has also been available through specialist retailers.

Edradour is a distillery perched on the hill behind Pitlochry. It is Scotland's smallest distillery and employs just 3 people to make the whisky. Nothing has changed in the production in 150 years. They produce just 12 casks of whisky a week. Their main product is a 10 year old single malt.

Tullibardine is an unsung distillery situated right beside the main road at Blackford. It's a relatively young distillery. In recent years a busy visitor centre has been built adjacent to the distillery with a variety of shops and restaurant options. Tullibardine is available in a number of different bottle ages stretching right back several decades.

The Perthshire distilleries may not have the named whisky trail like Speyside or produce whiskies as famous as some of the other regions but they produce some stunning, high quality malt whiskies that should be sampled and enjoyed.