We stood outside Arbikie Highland Distillery with a glass of single malt, looking out over Lunan Bay, and genuinely struggled to think of a better place to spend a Saturday. That’s the short version. The longer one: Dram Good Whisky Festival was everything a whisky event should be and almost nothing it shouldn’t.
Two sessions, 150 tickets each, ten distilleries, and a working farm on the Angus coast as the venue. The format is tight by design, and it shows. No endless queuing, no anonymous convention-hall carpet, no pour-and-move-on energy. Just people who care about whisky, in a place that makes it.
The distilleries who was there and what to expect
This is the lineup that will make Dram Good worth the journey. Here’s what you need to know about each one.
Arbikie Highland Distillery
Region: Highland | Home: Lunan, Montrose, Angus
The host distillery, and one of the most distinctive producers in Scotland. Arbikie is a fully integrated farm distillery the family has been farming the land at Arbikie since the 1920s, and today they grow their own barley, wheat and rye on the same estate where they distil. That farm-to-bottle approach is rare in Scotch whisky and it gives their single malt a traceability you simply don’t find elsewhere. Add serious sustainability credentials — biogas, closed-loop production — and you’ve got a distillery that’s doing things differently for the right reasons. On home turf, they were pouring their single malt with all the confidence of people who know exactly what’s in their glass.
Fettercairn Distillery
Region: Highland | Home: Fettercairn, Aberdeenshire
One of Scotland’s oldest distilleries, established in 1824, and one of the most quietly impressive. Fettercairn spent years in the shadow of more famous neighbours, but the whiskies they’re releasing now are turning heads. The distillery uses a unique circular cooling ring on the stills a design feature that contributes to the distinctively smooth, tropical-leaning character of their spirit. If you haven’t paid attention to Fettercairn lately, now is the time.
Glencadam Distillery
Region: Highland | Home: Brechin, Angus
Another Highland distillery operating below the radar and deserving far more attention. Glencadam has been producing since 1825 and makes a lighter, elegant style of Highland whisky floral, fruity, with a creamy texture that works beautifully at both younger and older age statements. They’re also practically neighbours with Arbikie, which made their presence at this particular festival feel especially right.
Kingsbarns Distillery
Region: Lowland | Home: Kingsbarns, Fife
Kingsbarns opened in 2014 after a successful crowdfunding campaign it’s now one of the most talked-about young distilleries in Scotland. Their Dream to Dram range brings accessible, light and elegant Lowland-style whisky to a new generation of drinkers. Fruity, approachable, and consistently well-made. A good entry point for anyone newer to Scotch, and genuinely interesting for seasoned drinkers too.
NcNean Distillery
Region: Highland | Home: Drimnin, Morvern
Scotland’s most sustainably minded distillery NcNean runs entirely on renewable energy and uses 100% organic Scottish barley. But they’re not just a good story: the whisky is genuinely excellent. Founder Annabel Thomas has built something that sits at the intersection of environmental ambition and real distilling craft. Expect bold, spicy, creative expressions. They tend to sell out fast for good reason.
Inchdairnie Distillery
Region: Lowland | Home: Glenrothes, Fife
The most experimental distillery in the room by some distance. Inchdairnie uses a rare Lomond still and works with unusual grains including rye producing whisky that doesn’t sit comfortably in any traditional category, and is better for it. They’re a distiller’s distillery: the kind of producer that whisky nerds obsess over while the general public is only just starting to notice. Worth your full attention at the tasting table.
GlenAllachie Distillery
Region: Speyside | Home: Aberlour, Banffshire
Since master distiller Billy Walker took over in 2017, GlenAllachie has become one of the most exciting names in Speyside. The focus is on exceptional wood management an extraordinary range of cask types, patiently applied and the results speak for themselves. Rich, complex, often sherried, always worth trying. If there’s a queue at their stand, join it.
Glenturret Distillery
Region: Highland | Home: Crieff, Perthshire
Scotland’s oldest working distillery, established around 1763, and home to The Lalique restaurant one of only a handful of distilleries in the world with a Michelin-starred kitchen on site. Under the creative direction of Bob Dalgarno, the whisky has been transformed into something genuinely special: rich, layered and made with a level of attention to detail that reflects the distillery’s unique position. Ancient provenance, modern ambition.
Bivrost Whisky
Region: Norway (Nordic Single Malt) | Home: Mo i Rana, Norway
The outlier in the lineup and a welcome one. Bivrost is a Norwegian single malt distillery producing whisky inside the Arctic Circle, using local barley and Arctic water. The cold climate affects maturation in ways that are still being understood, and the results are genuinely different: clean, mineral, with a purity that’s hard to find elsewhere. One of the most interesting pours of the day.
Blind Summit Whisky
Region: Highland | Home: Black Isle, Ross-shire
An independent bottler and small producer focused on bringing under-the-radar Scotch to people who want to go beyond the obvious. The name reflects a philosophy: you don’t always know what’s coming, and that’s part of the point. Expect the unexpected at their table that’s entirely the idea.
Arbikie Highland Distillery the venue
It’s worth saying something more about the setting, because it genuinely adds to the experience.
Arbikie Farm sits on the Angus coast with views across Lunan Bay on a clear June day, it’s difficult to overstate how good this looks. The distillery buildings are clean and purposeful, surrounded by the fields that supply the grain. It feels like whisky actually comes from somewhere here, which is not something you can say about every distillery visit.
The family behind Arbikie the Stirlings have been farming this land for over a century. The decision to add distilling to the farm’s operation came in 2014, and the logic is sound: if you control the raw ingredient, you control the entire story of your whisky. That’s the proposition, and it holds up.
The practical details
Date: Saturday 6 June 2026
Sessions: 11:00–15:00 and 16:00–20:00
Venue: Arbikie Highland Distillery, Lunan, Montrose, DD10 9TR
Tickets: £40 per person | only 150 per session
Book: dramgoodwhiskyfestival.com | @dramgoodfestival Transport: Shuttle bus from Montrose train station imited seats, book online
Our verdict
Dram Good gets the fundamentals right: a genuinely interesting lineup, a venue with real character, a format that gives you time to actually talk to the people behind the whisky. We left with a clearer sense of where Scottish whisky is heading and with at least one bottle we hadn’t planned to buy.
If you’re thinking about 2027, put it in the diary now.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Dram Good Whisky Festival? Dram Good Whisky Festival is a curated whisky event held at Arbikie Highland Distillery near Montrose in Angus, Scotland. Building on the success of the 2025 festival, the 2026 edition brings together ten distilleries across two sessions of 150 tickets each. Tickets are £40 and cover tastings from all exhibitors.
Where is Arbikie Highland Distillery? Arbikie Highland Distillery is located on Arbikie Farm in Lunan, near Montrose in Angus, Scotland (DD10 9TR). The distillery sits on the Angus coast with views over Lunan Bay one of the most scenic settings of any working distillery in Scotland.
Which distilleries attend Dram Good Whisky Festival 2026? The 2026 festival features Arbikie Highland Distillery, Fettercairn Distillery, Glencadam Distillery, Kingsbarns Distillery, NcNean Distillery, Inchdairnie Distillery, GlenAllachie Distillery, Glenturret Distillery, Bivrost Whisky and Blind Summit Whisky.
How do I get to Dram Good Whisky Festival? The festival runs a shuttle bus from Montrose train station to the distillery, with limited seats available. Book your shuttle online alongside your festival ticket at dramgoodwhiskyfestival.com. Arbikie Highland Distillery is at Lunan, Montrose, DD10 9TR.
Is Arbikie a farm distillery? Yes. Arbikie is one of Scotland’s few fully integrated farm distilleries. The Stirling family grows their own barley, wheat and rye on the estate and distils on the same site giving the whisky a genuine farm-to-bottle provenance that’s rare in Scotch whisky.
Leave a Reply