Scotch and gin distilleries named best attractions

New UK distilleries including Bombay Sapphire’s Laverstoke Mill and the Ardnamurchan Distillery have been named among Lonely Planet’s hottest new attractions around the world in 2015.

The botanical greenhouses of Laverstoke Mill feature in Lonely Planet’s list of hottest new attractions for 2015

Featuring a total of 26 destinations around the world, the list praises the gin renaissance in England and the boom in the Scotch whisky industry in Scotland, where two dozen distilleries are currently being built.

“Britain is undergoing an alcohol revolution,” states Lonely Planet. “Craft beers are booming, and where and how drinks are made is seen as more and more important.

“So it’s not surprising to see that English gin and Scottish malt whisky, two spirits imbued with a real sense of place and history, are enjoying a renaissance.”

In particular, Ardnamurchan Distillery, based on the shores of Loch Sunart in the Western Highlands, and Isle of Harris Distillers in the Western Isles, are picked out as two of the best attractions of 2015.

Along with Laverstoke Mill, Bombay Sapphire’s new “brand home” which officially opened in September last year, the East London Liquor Company distillery and bar has also been selected for the list.