Published on Sep, 2024

I first contacted Euan sometime in January of 2024 for a Scotch experience to be held in September with some of my closest friends. I found Whiskey Wheels during in a search and TripAdvisor but I chose to contact Euan directly. While the trip was not crystallized until later in April, Euan was very helpful in providing his suggestions and options for our tour. The challenge was accommodating the needs of 10 people in a span of 4-5 days as well as ensuring that we can cover distilleries and other sights. Euan was instrumental in providing regions to go to during our trip taking into consideration the length of time and number of people. Euan and I would exchange emails but also discussed matters over the phone. Once we settled on the locations that we were going to visit, Euan was to arrange all of the accommodations and travels between destinations. During the time of the initial booking and actual travel dates, there were some changes to the number of people and Euan was able to help. Euan also arranged for food locations. Many of the locations he chose for food were good, with the exception of 2, and we let Euan know after the trip. Obviously he won't have known the service offered unless he receives our feedback and services can vary. Our trip was customized and not a set trip, so Euan had to find places in each location. While we would have loved to visit each distillery and do a tour, I am glad that Euan suggested not to do so as it would have been too much. Euan arranged for a mix of tours that included a tasting and history, and other visits were just visiting where we chose to drink. Many of the places were to also capture the beauty of Scotland. His insights were helpful in the planning. There was one hiccup at one of the locations for accommodation, but Euan was able to resolve it in less than an hour. The rest of the trip was smooth. The drivers that he arranged were good and if you have a choice, ask for Collin to be a driver wherever he is able to. I do note that some people have complained that Euan does not get back. While it may appear that Euan does not get back, he does. He would sometimes get back late but he does correspond and follows through. My only issue was that we wanted the itinerary early on so we can also see what other things we can do on our trip (eg golf, restaurants) etc and where we were staying. I would book another trip with Euan if I were to go back to Scotland (probably in another few years) to visit the other distilleries. He definitely has an extensive knowledge of the distilleries and if you are looking for a customized tour and not a "out of the box", talk to Euan. Euan - thanks for the good memories. Looking forward to another trip one day in the future.

Published on Sep, 2024

I first contacted Euan sometime in January of 2024 for a Scotch experience to be held in September with some of my closest friends. I found Whiskey Wheels during in a search and TripAdvisor but I chose to contact Euan directly. While the trip was not crystallized until later in April, Euan was very helpful in providing his suggestions and options for our tour. The challenge was accommodating the needs of 10 people in a span of 4-5 days as well as ensuring that we can cover distilleries and other sights. Euan was instrumental in providing regions to go to during our trip taking into consideration the length of time and number of people. Euan and I would exchange emails but also discussed matters over the phone. Once we settled on the locations that we were going to visit, Euan was to arrange all of the accommodations and travels between destinations. During the time of the initial booking and actual travel dates, there were some changes to the number of people and Euan was able to help. Euan also arranged for food locations. Many of the locations he chose for food were good, with the exception of 2, and we let Euan know after the trip. Obviously he won't have known the service offered unless he receives our feedback and services can vary. Our trip was customized and not a set trip, so Euan had to find places in each location. While we would have loved to visit each distillery and do a tour, I am glad that Euan suggested not to do so as it would have been too much. Euan arranged for a mix of tours that included a tasting and history, and other visits were just visiting where we chose to drink. Many of the places were to also capture the beauty of Scotland. His insights were helpful in the planning. There was one hiccup at one of the locations for accommodation, but Euan was able to resolve it in less than an hour. The rest of the trip was smooth. The drivers that he arranged were good and if you have a choice, ask for Collin to be a driver wherever he is able to. I do note that some people have complained that Euan does not get back. While it may appear that Euan does not get back, he does. He would sometimes get back late but he does correspond and follows through. My only issue was that we wanted the itinerary early on so we can also see what other things we can do on our trip (eg golf, restaurants) etc and where we were staying. I would book another trip with Euan if I were to go back to Scotland (probably in another few years) to visit the other distilleries. He definitely has an extensive knowledge of the distilleries and if you are looking for a customized tour and not a "out of the box", talk to Euan. Euan - thanks for the good memories. Looking forward to another trip one day in the future.

Published on Sep, 2022

Where do I start? Euan is a superb organizer and communicator. Every guide and driver we had was courteous and full of interesting nuggets of information about the locales and the products at Oban, Campbelltown and of course Islay. The coolest surprise was a trip to Campbelltown not originally on our Islay-focused itinerary. I was reunited with my former favorite Springbank that I had given up on because it's almost impossible to buy it without insane markups in California where I live. Glen Goyne was a nice touch as well, and a perfect start to our whisky marathon. The last time I had GG was in 2013 in Phuket, Thailand. Another happy reunion! What is most amazing is Euan took any hint of stress out of the planning, everything from communication to drivers to hotels was seamless. The roads on Islay are challenging to say the least, and our driver and guide Carole there was amazing. We visited the entire island, and went to Kilchoman, Caol Ila, Bunnahabain, Lagavulin, Bruichladdich, Ardbeg and Laphroaig. So amazing to see where these products we enjoy so much come from. An exhilarating feeling really. In Campbelltown, we stayed at the Craigard House hotel, steeped in history and the food there was absolutely Michelin caliber. There was a bizarre moment where we didn't receive flatware for about 10 minutes and the tables were not clean before we were seated. In Islay, we stayed at the Islay House hotel which was a manor akin to Downton Abbey. No food, but Euan was kind enough to provide early warning for us to book dinners well in advance. We had a rather interesting experience at the Bridgend hotel, where we waited 90 minutes for a table, and we were not alone with the wait time issue. However, the food once again was spectacular. The only minor nit I will pick is that the accommodation in Oban was clean, but the hotel Muthu Best Western was functional but way way below what I would ever classify as Platinum. There were many other hotels on the Esplanade we could have had for only a few pounds more, but we didn't do that. All in all, I highly recommend this tour for anyone who is passionate about whisky and does not want or need to plan and organize things themselves. Euan and Carole are stars in my book!

Published on Sep, 2022

Where do I start? Euan is a superb organizer and communicator. Every guide and driver we had was courteous and full of interesting nuggets of information about the locales and the products at Oban, Campbelltown and of course Islay. The coolest surprise was a trip to Campbelltown not originally on our Islay-focused itinerary. I was reunited with my former favorite Springbank that I had given up on because it's almost impossible to buy it without insane markups in California where I live. Glen Goyne was a nice touch as well, and a perfect start to our whisky marathon. The last time I had GG was in 2013 in Phuket, Thailand. Another happy reunion! What is most amazing is Euan took any hint of stress out of the planning, everything from communication to drivers to hotels was seamless. The roads on Islay are challenging to say the least, and our driver and guide Carole there was amazing. We visited the entire island, and went to Kilchoman, Caol Ila, Bunnahabain, Lagavulin, Bruichladdich, Ardbeg and Laphroaig. So amazing to see where these products we enjoy so much come from. An exhilarating feeling really. In Campbelltown, we stayed at the Craigard House hotel, steeped in history and the food there was absolutely Michelin caliber. There was a bizarre moment where we didn't receive flatware for about 10 minutes and the tables were not clean before we were seated. In Islay, we stayed at the Islay House hotel which was a manor akin to Downton Abbey. No food, but Euan was kind enough to provide early warning for us to book dinners well in advance. We had a rather interesting experience at the Bridgend hotel, where we waited 90 minutes for a table, and we were not alone with the wait time issue. However, the food once again was spectacular. The only minor nit I will pick is that the accommodation in Oban was clean, but the hotel Muthu Best Western was functional but way way below what I would ever classify as Platinum. There were many other hotels on the Esplanade we could have had for only a few pounds more, but we didn't do that. All in all, I highly recommend this tour for anyone who is passionate about whisky and does not want or need to plan and organize things themselves. Euan and Carole are stars in my book!

Published on Jul, 2022

This was a fantastic, one of a kind tour of several amazing distilleries. I would recommend to anyone who loves whiskey and/or is looking to try something a little different. Staff could not have been more helpful. Drivers were prompt, attentive and gave inside scoop you can not get anywhere else. Also, everything was pretty much taken of care of for you. No need to drive anywhere, book any tours, schedule anything. Would 100% recommend and hope to be back to Scotland again to do some of the other tours Whiskywheels has to offer.