The Coffee Bothy at Deanston
WHAT
Café
WHERE
A9, Junction A820; 6 minutes
WHEN
Mon-Sun 10am-4.30pm
Disabled access
Free WiFi for visitors
Vegetarian or vegan options
Gluten-free options
Parking available onsite
Set on the banks of the River Teith, the Deanston Distillery occupies an imposing former cotton mill whose cool, humid weaving shed also proved perfect for ageing organic malt whiskey. The waters that once drove the mill’s wheel still power the building today thanks to upstream turbines. It’s worth lingering for a tour of the traditional whiskey making methods (it’s the national drink after all), especially the chocolate pairing.
Whiskey drinker or not, you should stop in at the Coffee Bothy. Sturdy wooden furniture and green bistro lighting create a warm atmosphere, the food is reliably tasty (try the lentil and haggis soup) and the coffee is great. It’s an outpost of the excellent Blairmains Farm Shop down the road and a popular haunt for locals as much as distillery visitors. Old photographs lining the wooden shelves on the wall show the history of the mill. There’s plenty of free parking in the distillery car park, and you can buy a bottle of whiskey in the shop for when your journey’s over.