Glendullan Distillery

The smell hits you first when you walk into Glendullan - that rich, warm mix of malted barley and oak that's somehow both sweet and slightly industrial. It's a working distillery just outside Keith in Aberdeenshire, so you're not getting a theme park version of whisky-making; you're seeing the real thing.

The tour takes you through the production process, from the mashing house right through to where they age the spirit in casks. If you've got any interest in how single malt actually gets made rather than just drinking it, this is genuinely worth your time. The guides know their stuff without being pretentious about it.

It's not the flashiest distillery you'll visit - there's no gift shop theatre here - but that's rather the point. You get to see a proper working facility. Plan on two hours if you're doing the full experience. Most visits require booking ahead, and they usually charge, though prices aren't steep.

Families with older children will get more from it than those with toddlers - there's quite a bit of standing around, and the technical side bores younger kids quickly. But if you've got teenagers interested in how things work, or you're a whisky enthusiast, you'll find it absorbing.

If you're staying at Hillside Havens nearby, it's barely a mile away, making it a solid half-day activity to break up the holiday park routine. The area around Keith doesn't demand much more than a morning visit, then you're back for lunch.