While the Michelin Guide has been the foodie’s bible for a long time, naming and awarding the best restaurants around the world, hotels are also part of the list. Instead of Michelin stars, hotels receive Michelin keys, providing regular updates to the prestigious guide. And to help kick off 2026, six new additions have been announced, with a Scottish hotel being named one of the best hotels in the world by the Michelin Guide.
The list included incredible places in Japan, Norway, India and Australia, as well as in Aberlour in Scotland. The Dowans Hotel in Speyside, famous for its whisky, is a boutique hotel within a renovated Victorian Mansion.
Dowans is close to a whopping 50 distilleries, such as Glenfiddich and Glenlivet, making it a destination fit for every whisky enthusiast. As a family-run hotel, the building has kept its Victorian allure while being upgraded to the 21st century – guests can find respite in one of its 16 en-suite rooms, dine at the ’57’ restaurant, indulge in a decandent afternoon tea overlooking the Spey Valley, as well as have a wee dram or a few, exploring the hotel’s noteworthy collection of around 750 whiskies.
The Still is your traditional Highland bar, stocking 750 single malt whiskies, including the 1940 Macallan and a 1953 Glen Grant, and the MBar is a champion for local microbreweries.
The Michelin Guide said: “Dowans is a family-run, 16-room treasure in the Speyside region, where Glenfiddich, Glenlivet and many more distil their spirits. The hotel has two charming bars: the MBar, where whiskies are fashioned into cocktails both classic and contemporary, and The Still, home to the hotel’s 750-strong whisky collection featuring some seriously impressive bottles.”
“Sip a dram in here when you’re not on never-ending tasting tours throughout the region, and return in time for the afternoon tea service from the hotel’s own in-house baker.”
You can stay or dine at The Dowans Hotel in Speyside by booking on their website.