Glenora Inn & Distillery

Stopped here for food only as we didn’t make it in time for the tour. The Atlantic Chowder and Fried Classic Calamari was DELICIOUS! The chowder was flavourful and had the perfect amount of seafood. The seafood and vegetables were cut to the perfect bite size pieces and the flavours were well balanced. The calamari was delicious and well seasoned! Would recommend the pub at Glenora! Staff were friendly and the property was also very well kept and beautiful!

I haven’t been to the inn or distillery (hopefully some day, now that I know of it), but I just bought some Glen Breton Single Malt Rare here locally in Ontario and it’s fantastic! It is comparable to a classic smooth single malt scotch or a lovely Japanese whisky. Very well done to everyone who helped create this and thank you!

My family and I came here for lunch and live music. Our time here was a great experience. It must be the manicured lawn, the history of the place, the brief and intimate tour, the East coast hospitality, the beautiful music, the friendly staff service, or the home-made feel of the desserts. But it was great. It was one of the highlights of our Cape Breton trip. Thank you thank you to the wonderful staff at the restaurant. What a memory.

Had a lovely time dining at Glenora Distillery—the food was absolutely delicious, the music was entertaining and the staff at the restaurant were warm and welcoming. However, I believe there is room for improvement when it comes to the guided tours. While the $7 fee is reasonable, the tour itself was somewhat disappointing. A significant portion was spent watching a 20-year-old video with outdated information, and the rest of the tour only covered two rooms. The guide didn’t seem particularly passionate or engaged, and appeared a bit annoyed by questions from the group, which made the experience feel less informative and interactive. There’s so much untapped potential! It would be fantastic to actually walk through the areas where the whiskey is bottled or where the barrels are stored. Seeing the full facility up close would add so much value to the tour. Glenora is a beautiful place with so much history—it just feels like the tour could do a better job of showcasing that. Still, a great spot to visit for food and drinks, and I hope the tours evolve to match the charm of the distillery.

Stayed two nights at the inn. Location was beautiful and well situated to access the Cabot Trail whether you want to access the east or west side of the start of the trail. Having said that I would not stay here again, it was not good value for money. Rooms are clean but dated and do not match the price you are paying in terms of decor and overall state. Service and the nightly music at the pub was good but the food was mediocre. The continental breakfast was also mediocre and could have been a bit more appointed in terms of offerings and effort. Beautiful surroundings but for the price we would have been better to stay at a motel type setting that probably would have been just as clean and basic as this place.

We were really disappointed with our experience at Glenora. This does not apply to the the service! Everyone we encountered was amazing and went out of their way to make our experience great. Firstly, the whiskey tasting was expensive and bad! Why would you put grain alcohol at the beginning of a whiskey tasting? Secondly, the room we reserved in Glenview was rundown. It needs a total renovation. Thirdly, the food at the restaurant was average at best. All three were overpriced!

Was this value for money no! Would we stay there again, no! The room was comfortable and clean but not worth $412.00 ca a night. The restaurant reminded me of a ski lodge of the 80s. The food was expensive for what you got. The menu was a pub menu . However the bar staff were knowledgeable and helpful. We would advise a visit to the distillery and stay somewhere else .

The room was very nice ,clean,comfortable and accessible. However we were disappointed there was no microwave in room and no breakfast. For the cost I would expect at least muffins and cereal with juice . Supper dining was awesome rating a 10 on taste and 7 on service but to say no breakfast because of possible allergies is not sensible since supper was seafood based ( one of the biggest allergies) |We did not feel the cost reflected the experience

The FOOD IS EXCELLENT HERE! We had the Distillers Burger. Best ever..... like a burger was excellent right down to the fresh made bun. Beautiful. Had a salad with the herb dressing on the side and yummmm. An explosion in your mouth. Then there was the, "Chicken a La King but fit for a Queen. It was like this dreamy thing that was aromatic ( (like scent was yum also) and was delicious. The others had the fish and chips and how lovely. Huge piece of fish (8oz) that was fresh and served with hand cuts fries homemade tartar. You have to experience Glenora . The grounds are gorgeous. It's a special place and it has "Whiskey" and loads more.

The pub here at the distillery was great--my husband had the burger; I had the veggie burger. They were very, very good. The veggie burger was the best one I've had. As weary travelers, we ate there again in the evening. Again-- delicious.

What a beautiful spot along the Ceilidh trail. We noticed signs as we travelled along heading back to the mainland from Cape Breton and decided to stop and check it out. What a wonderful place. We did not eat or stay there but it sure is on our list to do that next time. We did stop in the bar however to try some of their scotch (I sampled the 14 year - which was great and my hubby had a Stirling brew (not much of a scotch drinker) lol. Anyway -- a wonderful oasis along the coast. Even if you can't stay - do stop in for a tour and/or scotch tasting and maybe lunch in the restaurant.

On our travels through Cape Breton we saw the signs for this distillery as we were coming South on Route 19. They reminded me somewhat of the old signs I used to see along US 27 and US 441 in Florida for out-of-the-way tourist places, sort of the same sort of thing you see on I-95 for South of the Border in South Carolina, but on a much smaller scale. As we approached the place, the view is really spectacular. They have really done well in terms of making the place appealing to the eye. Parking in the parking lot then walking in the gateway through the gardens to get to the restaurant is quite nice, and I stopped to take pictures. Inside we found that there was a performer playing on various instruments, mostly guitar and mandolin, which was a nice change from some of the place that we had been to over the past week. There are two levels to the restaurant, the ground floor and a loft above that will sit a decent sized party if need be. We chose upstairs, as it reduced the sound level a bit of the performer (he wasn't really loud, but loud enough that if you are sitting next to him it would be a bit too much). I ordered the ribs, as I was pretty much done with seafood for the time being. A week of it gets to be a bit too much. The ribs turned out to be baby-back ribs, which are actually not my favorite, but I understand why they would be using them... they are very popular. The sauce used on the ribs was good, but frankly the whole dish was nothing to write home about. I have certainly had much better ribs (but then, I live in Florida... where pork ribs are the standard, not the exception). The atmosphere made up for any real problems that I had with the food.

After Gord and I drove around the Cabot Trail Saturday, we went to the Glenora Inn where we spent the night. There is also a whisky distillery on site. We had supper in the pub onsite. There was a fella playing the piano and another playing a fiddle for two hours. Gord started with the Maritime Seafood Chowder (leeks sautéed in Glen Breton whisky butter top off our creamy chowder with fresh haddock, scallops and salmon). Then he had the Mushroom and Pesto Chicken Linguini (sautéed mushrooms and chicken, tossed with pesto and linguini in our white wine cream sauce). He said both were good. I had the Fish And Chips (two pieces of beer battered Atlantic haddock, golden fried spuds and tartar sauce). I didn't feel like having fries so substituted them with mashed potatoes. They were delicious! Later on, the musicians switched instruments and a woman got up stepdancing. Very cool! The pub closed at 10pm. It had been a long day so we went back to our rooms. After we checked out yesterday morning, Gord and I took a walk around the grounds. It's a nice place to stay. I imagine would be great for hiking if the weather was less rainy and foggy..

Glenora Distillery was a fun little side stop on the Cabot trail. My husband and I just missed a tour so we went to the pub first before catching their last tour of the day. The pub's service was not great. There were few people in there at 4:15 and 4-5 staff behind the bar. We sat for a good 15 minutes before I had to ask if we could order something. The gentleman I asked wasn't thrilled to be asked to do something but did get our order. We then had to ask for the bill, which they got wrong the first time. Once we got to our tour it was a significantly better experience. The lady giving us our tour was super knowledgeable and had a great personality.

Stopped in our way to Cheticamp. Tours are on the hour so we had a bit of wait. We went into the bar area and had a few drinks. The gift shop is cute to look around as well. The tour is not expensive. However, like most tours it depends greatly on your guide. Ours was to the point but that is about it. It was worth our time but we also have toured other distilleries. I feel like they left out a few steps. Only about 10 people on our tour. At the end you get to taste a few of their products. When we were done my husband wanted to buy a bottle. Oh my their prices are high but also not widely available so we went ahead. If in the area looking for something to do I would stop. I don't know if I would make a special trip to visit though.

Stayed at the Inn while touring Nova Scotia, and participated in the "behind the scenes tour" of the distillery. Bertha MacLean (Inn Manager) personally guided our tour, and as one who has worked every facet of the Distillery and Inn, her knowledge of the property, history, and whiskey is unmatched. So is her passion. My entire group enjoyed her tour and gained an appreciation for Glendora's history and fantastic whiskeys. My group was also very impressed and appreciative of the individual care we received as motorcyclists. Our accommodations were one of the chalets atop the hill, where it could have been challenging to navigate the steep, graded dirt path after our tour and dinner, had the Inn not provided shuttles to and from. It was evident she and her staff place the highest priorities on customer satisfaction. As this was a "boys trip," I will definitely be back with my wife, so she can experience what a treasure this place and people are.

A beautiful looking property. There were some challenges with check-in, as their printer was down, and they had trouble finding our reservation. Got through that eventually. We were staying in one of the new rooms, just past the chalets. The noise carries between the rooms excessively, and doors slamming shakes the entire building. Unaware/inconsiderate guests makes for an unpleasant experience (and our neighbors were such), they were constantly slamming doors, went on the shared porch and sat in front of our window having loud conversations. While that's not the Inn's fault, they can do things to mitigate that (including better sound-proofing and porch dividers). The room itself was brand new and immaculate, and the mountain view was grand. The road to get to the building was harrowing/treacherous if you're not in an SUV/truck, and I wouldn't want to make the mountain-climb in the rain or snow. It's about a half-mile from the main building, so you have to drive to/from your room, essentially leaving the property (there's no way to walk to the main desk or pub). We had dinner at the tavern, and didn't have the best experience. There was a good ol' boys golfing trip that was using the upstairs space; they were loud, obnoxious, entitled... pretty much the stereotypical horrible guests you'd find in a movie. The pub staff had their hands full, which meant service in the rest of the place was less-than-stellar. We waited about 10 minutes to get a menu. Our water glasses were rarely refilled (I had to ask another waitress for a drink we had ordered 15 minutes prior and for water). The food was fine; pricey for pub food, especially dessert ($11 for a tiny portion of sorbet). Our waiter kept walking past us to visit other tables, even though we were clearly trying to get his attention. Our waiter was friendly, but the entire waitstaff was overwhelmed, and I didn't feel the check reflected the meal/experience. One of the highlights of staying at this property is the chance to get to try the single-malt whisky that is distilled there. In addition, it's a cool property design & layout (not just an Inn, but an active distillery, with a stream running through).

The distillery is gorgeous - a sweet little location to sit and have a cup of coffee or a cocktail. We didn't eat there, and we didn't stay there, but we did come for the distillery tour, as it's the only distillery in the Americas doing single malt whiskey. You have to pay $7/person for the tour, which was informative, but, in the end, didn't feel quite worth it. While they claim a tasting is part of the tour, at the end you only get half a shot of their lowest quality whiskey, and nothing more to try. Furthermore, though you can buy the whiskey there on site, it's still wicked expensive and completely comparable in price to higher end imported scotches. The three star rating is really for the beautiful and peaceful locale, which, alone, is worth stopping to enjoy.

Stayed at the lodge for three nights. We ate lunch one day at the pub once in the dining room and the last night in the patio. Terrific people as well as live music in the pub at night. The food was outstanding. Fish and chips were possibly the best I have ever had. Salmon was cooked to perfection. Had the drunken scallops appetizer which was also excellent. The highlight were the mussels in a light curry sauce. I would have taken a cup of the curry sauce to go if I could have talked them into it! Order extra bread or pita for dipping. Highly recommended. Also ordered a flight of scotch whiskeys made at the distillery. Was a selection of 5 different scotch of different ages. Was probably wasted on me for the money and probably wouldn't do it again but still a unique experience if that's your thing.

If there was less than one star I would leave that. Our party sat for two hours before any food arrived at our table. We repeatedly inquired about our service to our waitress, staff members and the manager and no explanation was given. This was the most ridiculous and unprofessional dining experience any of us ,( eight people) have ever experienced. Shame on them.

So! For some reason that continues to escape me, my wife booked this place for 2 nights on our tour of Nova Scotia despite the fact neither of us drinks much hard liquor of any type. As far as I know she has never tasted whiskey of any kind and I gave it up about 40 years ago. However, this place is far more than a distillery! The accommodations were clean, comfortable, and downright charming. The pub is staffed by hard working, delightful, hard-working people. The beer selection, the facet of the experience closest to my heart, consisted of entirely Nova Scotian brews. My personal favorite is Big Spruce Kitchen Party Pale Ale. The patience and competence of the wait staff astounded me. The Pub presented live music at 8:00 p.m. on a Friday night and the entire place pulsated insanely while these young people rushed about meeting everyone's needs and desires. I have visited Canada half-a-dozen time now but this is my first trip to Nova Scotia. The other visits were without disappointment, but my entire Nova Scotian experience exceeds the expectations created by that previous experience. I will write further reviews of experiences in NS. You really should visit--and stop by Glenora Inn and Distillery while you are casting about.

Great atmosphere. Great service. Food was excellent. Love the little inn. Nice music in the bar area after going to the restaurant. Lovely place in the middle of nowhere. The nicest we've seen so far in Nova Scotia

I really wanted to like this place. I'm a big scotch and whiskey drinker, and I just found their whiskey okay, and it is very pricey and comes in tiny glasses (which makes more sense for a tasting). The tour was good to get a feeling of how the alcohol is made, and it was $5. The rooms are plenty comfortable, and it is in a beautiful setting. but you are not by the beach and there is pretty limited hiking on the grounds. The restaurant's food is very good but it's a fancy place.

Stayed at the Lodge. Poorly constructed,could hear the people next door 's intimate sounds very loudly for most of night. Despite new construction,shower door fell off while getting out cutting my foot. Beds were loud and squeaky. Could not sleep due to the noise of other guests and.paper thin walls.No phone in room to call for FD help. Other guests dragged porch chairs from outside our door late at night partying.Not party poopers ,but a little privacy is expected.Out on a dirt road away from main property. Way too expensive for what was provided. Did have a beautiful view, the tour was great,restaurant was fabulous. Lodge was awful.

I had the chicken supreme. We all thought that it would be a boneless chicken breast. We received a very small piece of chicken; bone in the size of a chicken wing. It was a child size serving. The veggies on the side were good. I came home hungry; can not recommend. Very disappointing.

The Glenora Inn is a cool place in the heart of Cape Bretton. The tour is silly; but the scotch tastings in the bar and restaurant are not. Have the very helpful and knowledgeable bartender set up a special tasting, maybe 3 or 4 scotches. Then stay for dinner -- it's wonderful. There will probably be a Ceilidh and you should hang around and listen and dance.

This, hands down, was THE best meal I have ever had in Nova Scotia. My family is from the Cheticamp area, and we are here every summer, but this was the first time we have been to the distillery. We're not super whiskey drinkers, but the meal we had in the restaurant was absolutely phenomenal. There were six of us. Between all of us we had a range of dishes: the drunken scallops, the warehouse salad, the grilled free range chicken, the ambassador, and several different desserts, including the vanilla ice cream, the toffee pudding, the short bread and the whiskey sorbet. We also had the house (Jost) white and red wines. Every single thing was amazing. There was nothing mediocre about anything that we tasted. This place is arguably the best restaurant in the area, and certainly one of the only fine dining experiences in the area. We did not stay at the inn, we drove in from Grand Etang, but I would drive 45 minutes to eat here any day of the week.

I really want to like this whisky. I lived in Scotland for two years, I really love malt whisky, I am proud of my Scottish-Canadian roots, and the concept of an authentic single malt distillery in Canada is truly exciting. But like whole roasted barley in the grist mill, my expectations were crushed due to poor customer service and a below average product. I visited Nova Scotia this past summer to meet my girlfriend's family and to enjoy my first tryst with bawdy Maritime culture. I loved Nova Scotia. In fact, the more time that passes the more fondly I look back at those two and a half weeks. We essentially drove around the entire province: visiting Lunenburg on the South Shore, then up to Cumberland to see Advocate Harbour and Cape Chignecto, then through the apple-filled Annapolis Valley for a stay in Bear River (the Venice of Nova Scotia), and then east to Cape Breton. Cape Breton was a highlight because of its insular character, Acadian quirkiness, outstanding hiking, and gastronomical attractions. Cape Breton has a large number of farms, great access to seafood, and a surprising number of boutique liquor producers. We stumbled upon an emerging craft brewery in the middle of nowhere (just outside of an intersection known as Nyanza) called Big Spruce, and the celebrated Nova Scotia winery Jost is known to use grapes from Cape Breton on a regular basis. Another aqueous attraction on this little island is Glenora Distillery. Established in 1989 and perhaps best known for its court case with the Scottish Whisky Association, rather than for its scotch, Glenora is one of the few distilleries in North America that is producing a single malt whisky; that is, a whisky that is made from 100% barley from a single distillery. We took a tour of the distillery, which was very short and restricted for $7 per head, and then checked out the gift shop which was run by a brusque middle-aged termagant. Glenora basically makes two products: Glen Breton Rare 10-Year Single Malt and Glen Breton Rare Ice. The Ice is very similar to the regular 10-year except for the fact that it is aged in Jost ice wine barrels. We tried both while at the distillery and found the standard Breton Rare to be unconcentrated, harsh, and bland. The alcohol was very evident as well, and the use of absolutely zero peat did nothing to improve this whisky's lacklustre character. The Ice was better, however. One of my favourite single malts in the world is Edradour's Port Barrel whisky and the Breton Ice has a similar multi-layered profile and honeyed finish. I am glad that I have a bottle of North America's top selling single malt whisky in my liquor cabinet. It is an okay dram, and I enjoy buying consumables from the source, but Glenora needs to do a lot of work before it can compete with any of the operations in Scotland.

Came for drinks and live music, was sat directly in front of the bar and then ignored for 30 minutes by over 4 serving staff until we up and left.

Great stop along the Ceildigh Trail - a must for scotch and single malt whiskey lovers. Hourly tours 9-5 during the season with a small sample tasting of their signature 10-yr single malt Canadian whiskey at the end. Also a pub and restaurant on site -- try the whiskey flight. Restaurant only serves food during specific hours.

Extremely rude receptionist kept us waiting while she chatted with a friend on the phone, and then when she finally hung-up she acted as if we were an inconvenience to speak with us. I consider myself a bit of a fan and connoisseur of single malt scotch and whiskey. I have a large collection and was looking to add Glenora to my collection. But because of the receptionist, Glenora lost out on me purchasing a few bottles.

The Glenora distillery was a pleasant surprise nestled along the back country Ceilidh Trail. The grounds were scenic and the food at the pub was modern and tasty. It is a worthy stopover for lunch.

Outstanding atmosphere, great people and excellent service. Will definitely visit again and again.

You stop herer for one reason: single malt whisky. In the middle if nowhere, by a babbling brook, stands a distillery that has room accomodations. First, contrary to another post, everybody was VERY friendly and, dare we say, accommodating. We arrived later in the day. After a quick refresh, a bit of cheese, and peek at the view, it was off to the onsite pub and eatery. Our first choice: a flight of whisky. 5 tasters, wee bits of whisky, which were fantastic. just enough to get the buds a going. Our waiter, Kyle, provided expert guidance through maturation of single malt whisky. From freshly distilled to 21 years-old drams, the taster flight took us on a trip to the highlands. We were in the cottage; which is like being in , uh, a cottage. a bit too rustic for my taste and the beds were horrible, but it might work for some. Others in our party stayed in the Inn, down by the brook, which was indeed babbling, and that looked much nicer. the restaurant is nice if not particularly distinguished in the food department. Don't get me wrong, the food was good, just not inspired. Solid, some might say. The music, however, was really good. really fun! And did i mention the scotch; rather, the single malt whisky. anyway, the pub is good, fun, and a welcome respite. the next morning we took the tour. Our guide was informative, friendly, responsive to questions, and exactly what you might think a Scottish Canadian distillery guide might look like. And , uh, did i mention the smw samples? anyway, we bought some gifts and had a good time. I highly recommend stopping if you have an interest in SMW. Avoid the cottage if you spend the night..

Situated on a beautiful property is a unique opportunity to tour a distillery that makes fine whisky. The tour of the process is interesting. There's a little pub for a bite to eat, but we didn't sample the food. They, of course, have a retail store where you can buy their products directly.

Fabulous location and beautiful grounds. The tour was a bit limited and the sample you get is only their cheapest stuff which you can buy all over the world anyway. Would have been nice to sample some of the rare stuff. The restaurant is pleasant, the staff are very friendly and the food is pretty good. (As with most of NS, the food won't blow your mind but is decent enough.)

We were pretty disappointed by our experience at the pub here. While the location and building are beautiful, the service at the pub on a Tuesday afternoon was subpar. It seemed as though we were completely ignored by our server at the expense of a party of 10-12, who she was extremely responsive to. My drink sat empty for 45 minutes without an offer of a refill. We asked about food when we came in and were told the kitchen wasn't open for another 45 minutes, which wasn't a problem on it's own. But then we didn't get an offer of a menu until something like 20-30 minutes after food service had started, and then were ignored for another 20 minutes while waiting to make an order. The server even acknowledged that she'd kept us waiting but didn't apologize- and there were several other servers sitting around and chatting while we waited to order. We ended up getting the bill at that point. I can't speak to the whiskey- my cocktail was tasty - or to the inn itself. But the experience was pretty disappointing overall!

A good but not great meal - food was well prepared but not exciting. The whiskey flight was interesting and made it worth the visit though.