New whisky attraction for Capital
● ‘Four corners of Scotland’ to be linked to new Johnnie Walker venue in capital
Drinks giant Diageo has unveiled plans to invest a further £150 million into the country’s booming whisky tourism sector. The programme of investment will involve creating a state-of-the-art Johnnie Walker immersive visitor experience based in Edinburgh. The firm will also upgrade the brand’s existing network of 12 distillery visitor centres in a move which, according to Diageo, will boost the industry in Scotland.
Diageo has seized on the meteoric rise of whisky tourism in Scotland by unveiling plans to invest a further £150 million into the booming sector.
The programme of investment will involve creating a state-of-the-art Johnnie Walker immersive visitor experience based in Edinburgh. They will also upgrade to the brand’s existing network of 12 distillery visitor centres in a move which, according to Diageo, will put Scotland at the “cutting edge of the global boom in food and drink tourism”.
A record 1.7 million visitors from across the globe travelled to more than 40 distillery visitor centres in 2016 in a sign of the sector’s growth.
Four of the firm’s key distilleries, Glenkinchie, Cardhu, Caol Ila and Clynelish, will be linked directly to the Johnnie Walker venue in Edinburgh, representing the “four corners of Scotland” – the regional flavour variations of Lowland (Glenkinchie), Speyside (Cardhu), Island (Caol Ila) and Highland (Clynelish).
A firm spokesperson said the aim was to create a “unique Johnnie Walker tour of Scotland”, encouraging visitors to the capital to also travel to the country’s “extraordinary rural communities”.
The announcement comes as the Scottish Government and its agencies, Scottish Enterprise and Visitscotland, launch the Scotland is Now campaign to sell the country to the world as a business and tourism destination.
The Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) is already predicting a strong year for whisky tourism with distillery visitor centres now playing an increasingly important and valuable role in the Scottish tourism sector.
Some are already on a par with other large tourist attractions like Edinburgh Castle and the National Museum of Scotland.
SWA chief executive Karen Betts said: “I’m delighted to see this investment by Diageo, which is a huge vote of confidence in the future of Scotch Whisky.
“Scotch Whisky tourism is increasingly important to the business model of distilleries, with over 1.7 million visits to Scotch Whisky visitor centres last year.
“This not only provides a boost to communities across Scotland, but also showcases Scotland’s culture, history and beauty by sharing our pride in Scotland’s national drink.”
The new building in Edinburgh will become a hub for Diageo’s business in Scotland, linking to wider social investment and creating opportunities in the hospitality sector for young unemployed people through increased investment in the company’s Learning for Life programme.
Diageo chief executive Ivan Menezes said: “Scotch is at the heart of Diageo and this new investment reinforces our ongoing commitment to growing our Scotch whisky brands and supporting Scotland’s tourism industry.”
Welcoming the investment, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the investment would not only “help attract more tourists to Scotland”, but that it also underlines the “fundamental importance of the whisky sector to Scotland’s economy”.