The Complete Guide to the Port of Leith Distillery

For decades, the image of a Scottish whisky distillery has been a low-slung, whitewashed building with a traditional pagoda roof, usually nestled in a remote Highland glen. The Port of Leith Distillery completely shatters that mold.

Rising 40 meters (nine stories) above the historic waterfront of Leith, this £12 million glass-and-steel monolith is the world’s first vertical whisky distillery. It marks a massive return to form for the neighborhood, which was historically the epicenter of Scotland’s whisky maturation and blending trade before the industry consolidated and moved away in the 20th century.

Whether you are a seasoned whisky aficionado or just someone looking for a great view and a solid drink, navigating this modern facility requires a different approach than a traditional distillery tour. Here is exactly what to expect, how to secure tickets, and how to plan your visit.

The Architectural Significance: Why Build Up?

When founders Ian Stirling and Paddy Fletcher decided to bring whisky production back to Leith, they faced a major problem: a severe lack of available land. Traditional distilleries require sprawling acreage to move liquid horizontally from mashing to fermentation to distillation.

Unable to build outward on their small waterfront plot, they built upward.

The resulting nine-story tower isn’t just a gimmick; it is a highly functional piece of industrial design. The production process is entirely gravity-fed. Grain is milled at the very top of the building. From there, gravity pulls the mash down into the stainless steel washbacks for fermentation on the middle floors, before the liquid finally drops into the copper stills on the ground floor. This vertical flow significantly reduces the need for energy-intensive industrial pumps, making the facility highly efficient.

5 Structural & Tasting Highlights

A guided tour takes you from the top of the building down to the bottom. Here are the five specific highlights to look out for during your visit.

1. The Top-Floor Bar (Floor 8)

Your tour begins (and often ends) here. The double-height bar features floor-to-ceiling windows offering unobstructed, panoramic views across the Firth of Forth, the Royal Yacht Britannia, and over to the coast of Fife. Even if you don’t take the full tour, the bar is open to the public for walk-ins and reservations, serving an extensive menu of whiskies, cocktails, and small plates.

2. The Gravity-Fed Washbacks (Floors 5 & 6)

As you descend, you’ll walk on grated steel walkways suspended directly over the production equipment. You can look down into the massive stainless steel washbacks where the yeast is actively fermenting the sugary wort into “distiller’s beer” (wash). The smell here is distinctly bready and fruity.

3. The Copper Stills (Ground Floor)

At the base of the tower sit two gleaming copper pot stills, custom-built by Speyside Copperworks. Because the building is so compact, the stills are situated right next to the gift shop and entrance. You can feel the intense heat radiating off the copper as the low wines are boiled into high-proof spirit.

4. The “New Make” Spirit Tasting

Crucial context: By law, Scotch whisky must mature in oak casks for a minimum of three years. Because the Port of Leith Distillery only recently began production, they do not yet have their own mature single malt whisky to sell.

Instead, the tasting focuses on their “New Make Spirit”—the clear, high-proof alcohol straight off the stills before it touches wood. Tasting this allows you to understand the foundational character of their future whisky, which is surprisingly sweet, malty, and fruit-forward.

5. The Component Tasting (Sherry & Port)

To help you understand what their whisky will taste like in the future, the tasting session includes samples of the exact wines and sherries that previously held the casks they are using for maturation. You will taste high-quality Oloroso sherry from their partner bodega in Spain, alongside white port, giving you a clear picture of the flavors the wood will eventually impart to the spirit.

Ticket Options & Tour Comparison

There is essentially one main tour experience at the distillery, but you have a few ways to book it, plus an alternative for those short on time.

Where to Book Your Tickets

You can book the standard 90-minute Vertical Tour & Tasting through several platforms. The price is standardized, but availability can vary between providers if one allocation sells out.

Audience Segmentation: How to Plan Your Visit

Not everyone visits a distillery for the same reasons. Here is how to tailor your visit based on your travel style.

For the Time-Poor

If you only have 45 minutes to spare before a dinner reservation in Leith, skip the 90-minute guided tour. Instead, book a table at the top-floor bar. You still get to experience the architecture of the building and the panoramic views, and you can order a flight of sourced whiskies or a cocktail without committing to the full educational walkthrough.

For Whisky Purists & Nerds

Manage your expectations: you are not coming here to drink a 12-year-old single malt made on-site. You are coming to see cutting-edge industrial engineering and to taste the raw ingredients (New Make Spirit and Sherry). Ask your guide about their specific yeast strains (they experiment heavily with brewing yeasts rather than standard distilling yeasts) and their direct relationship with Spanish bodegas. If you want to taste mature, locally distilled whisky, you should also book a tour at Holyrood Distillery, which has been operating slightly longer, or do a comprehensive tasting at the Scotch Whisky Experience on the Royal Mile.

For Budget Travelers

At £30, the tour is on the higher end for Edinburgh distilleries. If you are strictly watching your budget, the building is free to enter. You can walk into the ground-floor shop, look at the copper stills through the glass, and take the elevator up to the bar for a single £6 dram or a half-pint of local beer, taking in the views for a fraction of the tour price.

Logistics & Transit Directions

The Port of Leith Distillery is located at 11 Coburg Street, Leith, Edinburgh EH6 6ET. It is situated right on the water, immediately adjacent to the Ocean Terminal shopping center.

By Tram (Highly Recommended): The extension of the Edinburgh Tram network makes getting here incredibly easy. Catch any tram heading toward “Newhaven” from the city center (Princes Street or St Andrew Square). Get off at the Ocean Terminal stop. The distillery is a flat, 3-minute walk from the tram stop. The journey takes about 20 minutes from the city center.

By Bus: Lothian Buses 16, 34, and 35 all stop at or very near Ocean Terminal.

By Taxi/Uber: An Uber from the Royal Mile will cost roughly £10–£15 and takes about 15 minutes depending on traffic.

Local Tips & Itinerary Ideas

1. The “Leith Spirits” Double Header The founders of the Port of Leith Distillery also own the Lind & Lime Gin Distillery, which is located just a 10-minute walk away on Coburg Street. Lind & Lime offers one of the most hands-on, highly-rated tours in the city, where you bottle your own gin and mix your own cocktails. You can easily do the Lind & Lime Tour at 2:00 PM, walk over to Port of Leith, and catch a 4:30 PM whisky tour.

2. Combine with the Royal Yacht Britannia The distillery is literally next door to the Royal Yacht Britannia, the former floating palace of Queen Elizabeth II. Doing the Yacht in the morning followed by a distillery tour and lunch in the afternoon is a perfect, self-contained day trip to Leith.

3. Where to Eat Nearby While the distillery bar serves excellent charcuterie and small plates, you will likely want a full meal before or after drinking high-proof spirits.

• Casual: The King’s Wark on The Shore offers excellent traditional pub food and seafood.
• Upscale: Leith has the highest concentration of Michelin-starred restaurants in Scotland. Restaurant Martin Wishart and The Kitchin are both a 15-minute walk away (reservations required months in advance).
• Street Food: The Pitt Market (check current opening locations/times) or the street food vendors inside the nearby Ocean Terminal.

Keep Planning: For more ideas on what to do in the area, check out our complete Leith Neighborhood Guide.

Where to Stay in Leith

If you plan on spending significant time exploring the waterfront, eating at the Michelin-starred restaurants, and visiting the distilleries, staying in Leith is a great alternative to the crowded Old Town. Use the map below to find hotels and apartments within walking distance of the distillery.

Frequently Asked Questions