A great vacation doesn’t have to be all about whisky, but a wee dram or artisanal cocktail along the way certainly enhances the experience. The best getaways for whisky lovers combine cozy lodging with fun activities, delicious food, warm hospitality, and of course an excellent selection of whiskies. Such great escapes can be found all over the country and around the world—you can squeeze in a bit of fun on a long weekend or fly across the Atlantic to sojourn in the British Isles. Whether you a choose trip focused on skiing, fishing, hiking, golfing, or just relaxation with cooking classes and spa treatments, fabulous whisky-fueled adventures await. We’ve chosen 10 of the best such getaway options.
The Preserve Sporting Club—Richmond, R.I.
A hidden gem of the Northeast, this 3,500-acre wonderland is a perfect weekend getaway, just half an hour from Providence, under 90 minutes from Boston, and less than three hours from New York City. It is also very dog friendly. Activities feature a top-rated 18-hole par-3 golf course, stocked fly-fishing ponds, miles of mountain biking and hiking trails, ziplining, canoeing, kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding, archery, tennis and equestrian centers, plus a wellness facility with a gym and daily yoga classes, several bars and restaurants, and a spa.
The Preserve focuses on shooting sports, including a 10-station 5-stand range, a large and varied 19-stand sporting clays course, and the longest automated indoor shooting range in the U.S. Winter activities add cross-country skiing, snowmobiling, and snowshoeing. For those not used to the sporting lifestyle, the well-stocked Borrowing Closet comes in handy, in partnership with famed British boot and outdoor clothing brand Hunter, lending guests all-weather footwear and outerwear.
The residential community has options from condos to tiny houses to luxury residences, with most offered as nightly rentals, along with the hotel-style Hilltop Lodge, featuring apartment suites with kitchens. Just down the hill from the lodge is a wooden platform with outdoor furniture, fire pits, and two luxury African safari-themed tents—one for cigars, the other for whisky.
The Preserve has partnered with Cohiba cigars and Laphroaig whisky to create a private tasting experience that includes Laphroaig 10 year old, 25 year old, Select, Lore, and Quarter Cask single malts along with Cohiba cigars like Royale and Black Gigante. A private tasting experience can be booked almost anytime, but on Thursdays and Sundays the tents operate like a bar, so anyone can stop by for a drink.
The property also includes two Maker’s Mark Hobbit Houses that offer a storybook setting for a four-course lunch or dinner that includes a Maker’s Mark flight. The seasonal menu is paired with standard Maker’s Mark, 46, Cask Strength, and Private Selection Preserve Reserve.
Elsewhere on the property, there are nearly five dozen whisky choices, including Hakushu and Yamazaki Japanese single malts, Bowmore 50 year old, Talisker 25 year old, and Little Book, among others. The most unique offering, thanks to the Laphroaig association, is the very rare 30 year old Ian Hunter Chapter 1.
Activity packages include two sporting options daily and start around $500 per night per couple in winter and $750 in summer.
