The second annual report on the popularity of whisky distilleries has been released by The Cask Connoisseur, an expert drinks marketing platform founded in 2020 ran by beer and whisky enthusiasts.

The Cask Connoisseur have created their own ‘distillery popularity index’ that scores distilleries based on reviews and ratings from Google and Tripadvisor alongside various metrics from their social media platforms.

Of course, there’s no definitive way to ‘score’ a distillery and its whisky - so don’t be leaving furious comments if your favourite doesn’t make the list! -, but it’s nevertheless an interesting approach to see which whisky brands and distilleries people are engaging with.

Compiled in May 2024, the data was drawn from 298 distilleries throughout the UK and Ireland. Each distillery was given an index score out of 3,576. Below we’ll outline the top ten most popular distilleries according to The Cask Connoisseur.

Spoiler alert: Scotch distilleries dominate the list, but there’s still some surprising names throughout the count.

10. TOMATIN DISTILLERY

Inverness-shire’s Tomatin Distillery cracks the top ten with an index score of 2,773. Tomatin’s had a turbulent history, opening and closing a number of times since it was founded in 1897. Perhaps some of that history is represented in Tomatin’s ranking; this year’s top 10 position was preceded by a 93rd place in the last report.

Alongside their eponymous whisky, Tomatin is also home to the popular Cu Bocan peated single malt and The Antiquary blend.

9. STIRLING DISTILLERY

From a distillery with a topsy-turvy history to one with not much history at all. Despite only producing whisky since 2023, Stirling Distillery boasts an impressive 2,791 score on the index. These numbers are no doubt boosted by the city’s reputation as a popular historical visitor attraction and the distillery’s existing customer base thanks to its successful eight years producing gin.

8. GLENMORANGIE DISTILLERY

Arguably the first ‘big’ name on the list, Moet-owned Glenmorangie earned a score of 2,833 on the index. As one of the best selling single malts in the UK, its popularity might have been predictable had it not scored so lowly in the previous year’s list (57th).

The distillery is home to Glenmorangie’s famously tall necked, Giraffe-like stills, as well as a second still house called The Lighthouse that specialises in innovative and experimental distillation methods.

7. LAPHROAIG DISTILLERY

Laphroaig is one of two Islay distilleries to make the top 10. The distillery’s iconic white walled warehouses is one of the island’s most enduring images and is an absolute must-see for whisky fans visiting the island. Laphroaig’s fan club - the Friends of Laphroaig - is among the best-served and most active in the world, no doubt a big factor in the brand’s score of 2,891.

With an expansion planned for the near future, it’s very possible that Laphroaig could climb further up the list in years to come.

6. GLENFIDDICH DISTILLERY

As well as being one of the most recognised single malt brands on the planet, Glenfiddich are something of a pioneer in the world of whisky tourism. They built their first visitor centre in 1969 and was considered the first of its kind. Whisky fans flock to Glenfiddich every year, contributing to its index score of 2,926.

5. ISLE OF HARRIS DISTILLERY

Jumping ahead of some of the biggest names in Scotch whisky is the Isle of Harris distillery with a score of 2,977. Isle of Harris share a similar story to that of Stirling, in that they are a distillery who in recent years have been better known for producing gin. However, Isle of Harris are a few years ahead of Stirling, having bottled their inaugural release The Hearach last year.

Also, having a picturesque distilleries at one of Scotland’s most beautiful locations can’t have hurt their score.

4. ISLE OF RAASAY DISTILLERY

Another island distillery now, with Isle of Raasay just beating Isle of Harris by 30 index points. Interestingly, Isle of Raasay also enjoyed a high placement on last year’s list, but this year has fallen from third to fourth.

Raasay first started producing their own whisky in 2017, with their first releases following in 2020. As one of the most remote distilleries to make this list, potential guests will be pleased to hear that the distillery hosts its own on-site accommodation.

3. KILCHOMAN DISTILLERY

The second and highest placed Islay distillery on the list, Kilchoman earned a score of 3,090 on the index. Like Isle of Raasay, kilchoman enjoyed a higher placement last year, falling from second into third place. The independently owned distillery has enjoyed a lot of success in its relatively short life, with planned expansions in the future to facilitate increased demand.

Among the distillery’s features are its uniquely small stills and their own floor maltings - one of the few Scotch distilleries to do this procedure onsite. Unlike most Islay distilleries, Kilchoman sits more inland, nestled among fields in which they grow their own barley.

2. TEELING DISTILLERY

Finally, Scotch’s hot streak throughout this list has been broken! Triumphing over Scottish distilleries old and new is Dublin’s Teeling distillery. Teeling was founded in 2012 but only built their distillery in 2015. In relatively short time the brand has grown into one of the foremost names in Irish whiskey and the distillery is a must-see attraction on a visit to Ireland’s capital.

An index score of 3,214 earned Teeling a jump from tenth to the silver medal position in this year’s ranking.

NOTABLE NAMES AND HONOURABLE MENTIONS

Perhaps the biggest surprise with this list is the number of huge names from the world of Scotch whisky that are missing. Both Macallan and Glenlivet distilleries failed to make the top ten, landing at 12th and 13th respectively (an improvement on the previous year’s score and ranking for both distilleries).

Peat loving Islay fans may be surprised to see some names missing. Ardbeg distillery holds a weighty reputation among whisky fans but failed to make the top twenty (36th). Interesting, Ardbeg was recently awarded the top spot in a whisky tourism guide curated by Milroy's of Soho and The Whisky Travel Index. Beyond this, Bruichladdich was the next highest Islay distillery outside the top ten, falling to 15th from last year’s fourth placed result.

Campbeltown’s Springbank distillery is another popular name that failed to make the top ten for the second consecutive year (17th in 2023, 30th in 2024). That said, one of the appealing thing about the distillery is it’s ‘traditional’ feel. It’s an out the way distillery that doesn’t lend itself to a casual visit, and the brand’s comparatively limited social media presence may work against it when using this study’s metrics.

Teeling has been the only Irish distillery covered so far. Galway’s Micil, Wicklow’s Powerscourt and Kerry’s Dingle, and Clonakilty distillery all made the top twenty. The highest ranked Northern Irish distillery was Copeland distillery (31st).

No Welsh whisky made the top ten list, but Penderyn missed out by the narrowest of margins. Less than 10 points separated the Welsh distillery and tenth placed Tomatin.

English whisky has been a growing force in recent years, with the whisky itself picking up awards and the distilleries becoming go-to attractions. The highest scoring English distillery outside the top ten was the Spirit of Yorkshire distillery, coming in 17th with a score of 2,704. They weren’t the highest placed English distillery, however…

COTSWOLDS DISTILLERY

For the second year in a row, Cotswolds Distillery is the champion of The Cask Connoisseurs ranking of popular distilleries. It’s an impressive feat for a distillery founded as recently as 2014.

In the last couple of years the distillery has received investment that has facilitated significant expansion to both their production capacity and visitor centre. As they are largest English distillery by capacity, Cotswolds are very much at the forefront of the English whisky movement.

Cotswolds earned a score of 3,217 - beating Teeling by a mere three points. An unbelievably close call, and we can’t wait to see if Cotswolds can retain their title of the UK and Ireland’s most popular distillery next year.