Diageo looks to build Scotch tourism

Diageo looks to build Scotch tourism

Originally published in print in the IWSR

Diageo will invest £150m ($202m) over three years to transform its Scotch whisky visitor experiences in the biggest programme of its type ever seen in Scotland’s whisky tourism sector.

The centrepiece of the investment willbe a new state-of-the-art Johnnie Walker immersive visitor experience based in Edinburgh. Four distilleries – Glenkinchie (Lowland), Cardhu (Speyside), Caol Ila (Island) and Clynelish (Highland)– will be linked directly to the Johnnie Walker venue in Edinburgh, representing the ‘four corners of Scotland’ and the regional avour variations crucial to the blending of the company’s agship Scotch whisky.

Diageo’s other famous visitor distilleries – Lagavulin, Talisker, Glen Ord, Oban, Dalwhinnie,

Blair Athol, Cragganmore and Royal Lochnagar – will also receive investment to support the growth of single malt Scotch whisky tourism.

The funding will be in addition to the £35m already committed to reopen the previously mothballed distilleries of Port Ellen and Brora, taking Diageo’s network of distilleries with specialist visitor experiences in Scotland to 14.

The programme, the company predicts, will put Scotland at the cutting edge of the global boom in food and drink tourism. Havingbuilt the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin

into Ireland’s number one paid-for tourist attraction, Diageo now plans to partner with Scottish Enterprise and VisitScotland to promote Scotch and Scotland to potential visitors around the world.