A Whisky Lover's Travel Guide to Scotland's Royal Troon

This summer, for the 10th time in its history, Royal Troon golf club on Scotland’s windswept west coast will host the British Open, formally known as the Open Championship. The surrounding area is one that can be described as a golfer’s dream: Prestwick Golf Club, where the Open Championship was first contested in 1860, is just five miles up the road, and a half-dozen other prominent courses lie within a 45-minute radius. Less well-known is the fact that this region is also a great corner of Scotland for whisky lovers to explore.

There are so many fun whisky experiences nearby this part of Scotland’s western shore that you could construct a multi-day whisky itinerary from Troon. Your main base of operations should be the Marine Troon Hotel, where Curtis McConnell, manager of the hotel’s The Seal Bar, likes to mix and shake with scotch. McConnell and his team will often research the origins of a scotch whisky, delving into the distillery’s location, botanicals that are native to the area, even the traditional cuisine of the city or town, all of which enable him to craft a drink that spotlights the whisky in interesting ways.

In some cases, McConnell will look to literature for inspiration, and Scotland’s famed national poet Robert Burns occasionally serves as his muse. The 18th-century poet often romanticized whisky in his verse. In his epic tale “Tam O’Shanter,” for example, Burns declared that whisky not only makes us bold, it inspires us to scorn danger and even face the devil. Naturally, McConnell had to craft a cocktail as an homage to the poem, and the resulting drink, the Tam O’Shandy, mixes Aberfeldy 12 year old with Grand Marnier, freshly squeezed lemon juice, and a splash of simple syrup. It’s then topped off with Tennent’s lager.

“Tennent’s is one of those draft beers that the Scottish public like to pretend they hate,” says McConnell, who explains that the cocktail shines for its ability to “balance the citrus notes of Tennent’s with fresh-pressed lemon juice and the stone-fruit notes of the whisky.”

Looking at Lochlea

Connections to Burns can be found all across the region. The poet’s birthplace museum and his home in Mauchline—as well as the Rozelle House, a gallery that’s home to the National Burns Collection—all are no more than a 20-minute drive from the hotel. Even Lochlea Distillery, which began distilling in 2018, is eight miles east of Troon and has a strong connection to the poet, as Lochlea’s barley is grown on-site on the same farmland where Burns lived and worked from 1777 to 1784.

“Traditionally Lowland whiskies have tended to be light, grassy, and floral in character,” Lochlea’s production supervisor Darren Mc-Cormick says of most of the region’s whiskies. Lochlea, on the other hand, is more substantive. He points to long fermentations and slow distillations, which together “encourage the fruity and cereal-forward character to come through on our new make spirit.”

This independent, family-owned distillery takes pride in its ability to easily experiment and explore innovative practices without much constraint. Unfortunately, it’s closed to the public; however, Lochlea’s full lineup (including seasonal releases) are readily available at The Jar, a whisky shop near the center of Troon that offers whiskies from eight independent bottlers. The shop’s proprietor, David Iain Grant, estimates that as much as 40% of his inventory is comprised of independent bottlings, and while some are highly unusual and showcase the spirit of shuttered distilleries, they won’t necessarily break the bank.

Independent Bottlings

Take, for example, a bottle of 22 year old Port Dundas single grain whisky, which was originally laid down in hogsheads in 2000, about a decade before the distillery was shuttered (and later demolished). Bottled by Fib Whisky with a 4-month finish in Rivesaltes ambre wine casks, the special release is rich, robust, and—in the independent bottler’s estimation—enticing for its ability to showcase “what could have been from one of Scotland’s lost distilleries.” Priced at only £79/$100 in Grant’s shop, it also offers visitors a chance to return home with an affordable whisky that they won’t find in the States.

The Jar’s proprietor does more than just sell unique bottles. He also hosts a variety of tasting experiences, including one that offers participants a chance to sample six single malts with an average age exceeding 25 years. A recent session included pours of a 25 year old Linkwood, 27 year old Glen Grant, and a 1994 bottling from Tormore Distillery, among others. “Getting to drink 150 years of maturation in one sitting is always an exciting evening,” says Grant.

Grant is even contemplating a top-shelf tasting headlined by exceptionally rare and equally mature whiskies, like single-cask bottlings of Glenfarclas 1957, Mortlach 1954, Bowmore 1957, 50 year old Tomatin (distilled circa 1971), and a 1977 Brora. With an anticipated price of £10,000/$12,700 per person (and with a minimum of 10 participants), such an experience would be reserved for those with deep pockets, but it would assuredly deliver an unparalleled experience.

If tasting flights are your thing, a visit to Dundonald Links, about three miles north of downtown Troon, is a must. This boutique golf resort is most famous for its barrel of 1980 Bunnahabhain finished in canasta casks; however, the resort’s whisky room features more than 100 offerings, with dozens of four-dram flights on the menu. In short, there’s a grouping for every taste and budget. The Speyside flight (£55/$70), for example, features 15 year old bottlings of Tamdhu, Glenallachie, and Benromach, along with an 18 year old Cardhu, while the resort’s top shelf flight (£1,400/$1,800) includes Macallan M, 40 year old Highland Park and Bunnahabhain, and the aforementioned canasta-finished cask.

Elsewhere in Troon, whisky enthusiasts will be drawn to the Lochgreen House Hotel, since its gated Malt Room features a collection of more than 180 whiskies, which comprehensively represent each of Scotland’s six distilling regions. To step inside The Piersland House, on the other hand, is to immerse yourself in scotch whisky lore, as the boutique hotel was originally the private residence of Sir Alexander Walker, the grandson of Johnnie Walker.

Visiting Nearby Distilleries

As for distillery tours, Auchentoshan is just under an hour’s drive from Troon, and the Isle of Arran—a very nearby, ferry-accessible destination worthy of at least a full day’s exploration—is home to two distilleries, both owned by the same company. Lochranza Distillery on the north end of the island creates Arran and other single malts rich in citrus and vanilla flavors with hints of cinnamon that have garnered numerous 90+ scores from Whisky Advocate. Sister distillery Lagg in the south of Arran opened in 2019 and thus is still young, but also dedicated to peated malts. “Lagg is laying the good groundwork for what’s going to be very good whisky,” Grant says. “Their sherry cask is about to become very good whisky. The bourbon cask is still a bit aggressive because it’s peaty, it’s young and fiery.”

Aside from its whisky, the isle of Arran offers plenty to do, including mountain hikes, self-guided walking excursions, brewery visits, artisan food shops, castle tours, and—yes—even rounds of golf. Indeed, the place has long been characterized as Scotland in miniature, complete with castles, morning mist, and other magical Scottish charms.

Certainly it can be said that there’s no shortage of adventures to be had on a visit to Scotland’s western shores. And should you venture there specifically for golf and whisky, you can’t go wrong—unless you end up in a pot bunker.

RELAXING AT THE MARINE TROON HOTEL

With its red-brick façade starkly contrasted against the undulating first and 18th fairways of the Old Course at Royal Troon, the Marine Troon Hotel commands your attention. Built in 1894 and designed in Scottish Baronial style, the 89-room property, originally known as The Marine Hotel, opened its doors 16 years after Royal Troon was founded. Just as the golf club’s championship layout received a much-needed renovation a century ago, the hotel was acquired and subsequently renovated by Marine & Lawn Hotels and Resorts more recently, making its grand reintroduction in 2022.

Marine Troon’s decor is as much inspired by the region’s rich golf history as by the town’s allure as a seaside retreat. Works of art depicting maritime scenes adorn the walls, woven seagrass and driftwood chandeliers hang from ceilings, and bespoke jewel-toned tapestry carpets that line the hallways and staircases are adorned with images of golf clubs and the Claret Jug—a tip of the cap to the Open Championship’s origins.

The ambience at Marine Troon is both relaxed and refined. The hotel’s restaurant, The Rabbit, serves up elegant dishes, from venison filets to west coast mussels. Canine-loving patrons can sip expertly crafted cocktails from comfortable couches and armchairs in The Seal Bar as their dogs lay at their feet. There’s a feel of a time long passed, and it endures at Marine Troon.

PLAYING ROYAL TROON

From the warm confines of the Marine Troon Hotel, I looked out over the Old Course at Royal Troon, but I saw nary a golfer teeing off the first hole, nor any making a final walk up the 18th fairway. It was nearly the end of March, yet the club’s members were nowhere to be seen. If they knew better than to brave the elements on that cold and blustery day, what was I in for?

The opening trio of holes quickly answered the question. Playing alongside the Little Craigs and South Sands sections of Troon Beach, these three par-4s each play less than 400 yards. But given the stiff winds that blew at a steady 30 to 35 mph, not to mention temperatures in the low 40s, I needed full swings with a hybrid club on my second shots to even get near the greens on all three—and those shots came after well-struck drives had me positioned in the middle of each fairway.

The temperatures almost certainly will be warmer when Open Championship play commences at Royal Troon the week of July 15; but the gusts and gales that can define a round here are likely to play a factor in this year’s tournament. The last time The Open was played at Royal Troon, in 2016, defending champion Zach Johnson played the par-4 ninth hole with a 3 iron off the tee, and then an 8 iron into the green during the first day of competition. The following day, however, he teed off with a 3 wood and still needed a 5 wood to reach the putting surface.

Should you be fortunate enough to play the course when the winds are calm, your journey from first tee to 18th green won’t be devoid of peril, as Royal Troon’s treacherous pot bunkers—all 99 of them—are always in play. In fact, over the winter, eight members of the club’s grounds crew tediously rebuilt by hand 56 of those sand-filled hazards; and while the bunkers’ newly revetted faces are strikingly beautiful and dynamic from afar, they’re equally imposing should your ball come to rest near their base. Fortunately, the vast majority of the bunkers strewn across these 18 championship holes are at least partially visible from hundreds of yards away, so there’s no mystery regarding each hole’s potential pitfalls. That’s not the case at neighboring Prestwick Golf Club, where the Open Championship was born more than 160 years ago.