Whisky tourism in good spirits with record number of visitors to distilleries

Drinks giant Diageo has welcomed a flood of tourists who want to soak up the Scotch experience

The number of tourists visiting Diageo’s 12 distillery visitor centres across Scotland reached a record high of 440,260 last year – an increase of 15.2 per cent on the previous year and the highest figure reported to date.

To celebrate the second International Scotch Day, which takes place on 8 February, the brand’s distillery visitor centres will open their doors for free over three days to welcome visitors from home and abroad for standard tours of the sites and explore behind the scenes of some of the world’s favourite whiskies.

With visitors flocking to Scottish whisky sites from across the globe, this record year for Diageo demonstrates the growing contribution that Scotch – the world’s favourite whisky – is making to the tourism economy in Scotland.

Diageo’s Scotland-based head of international supply, Ewan Andrew, said: “As the country’s lead export, Scotch whisky is one of the biggest magnets for tourism and we’re continuing to grow visitor numbers from around the world. We’re also continually working to ensure those visitors have the best experience at our distilleries. They always enjoy meeting the makers, then tasting and learning more about our outstanding single malts and blends.

“We look forward to welcoming even more visitors to our distilleries throughout the year, and especially so for International Scotch Day.”

Over the last five years, the attractions have recorded a remarkable 96.3 per cent growth in visitor numbers across the country, fuelled by international visitors to Scotland and the increasing rise of staycations.

Blair Athol Distillery in Pitlochry, the home of the Bells’ Scotch brand, was Diageo’s busiest distillery visitor centre drawing in 86,019 people.

Malcolm Roughead, chief executive of Visitscotland, said: “Whisky is one of Scotland’s most valuable commodities with people from all over the world coming to our shores to experience an authentic Scottish dram.

“A culinary icon, it remains as important as ever to the tourism industry, with one in five visitors making a trip to a whisky distillery during their stay and even more visiting a bar, pub or restaurant to sample our renowned national drink.

“Whisky tourism is vital for many areas, attracting visitors, creating jobs and sustaining communities.”

0 Blair Athol had over 86,000 visitors