Cool Place of the Day: Scotch Whisky Experience, Edinburgh

Every day, a new place to discover or explore from

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is nearly done, and what better way to finish off a great month than by visiting the city’s Scotch Whisky Experience – a brilliant education in all things whisky, whether you are a lover of the water of life or not.

It’s a deliberately fun and engaging, multimedia sort of attraction – you can hop aboard a whisky barrel for a ride through a replica distillery and watch whisky production come alive – but you do also learn a lot along the way and get the chance to ogle the world’s largest private collection of whisky. They won’t put a price on it. You probably couldn’t. Tours take you through how whisky is made, the art of blending and Scotland’s four main whisky regions, so it’s a perfect introduction if you’re heading off to the Highlands and Islands – most of the big names are represented here, and they all get a fair crack of the whip.

Afterwards you can sample some whisky cocktails at the bar or superb food at Amber, which is perhaps the best devotedly Scottish restaurant in the city, with a host of superb regional ingredients featuring in regular starters and main courses along with tapas and sumptuous sharing platters. Then, of course, there is naturally a well-stocked whisky shop, with some colourful souvenirs and rare bottlings.

Cool Places is a website from the creators of Rough Guides and Cool Camping, suggesting the best places to stay, eat, drink and shop in Britain (coolplaces.co.uk)