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News
Diageo reports record visitors to its Scottish distilleries
The annual number of tourists visiting Diageo’s 12 distillery visitor centres in Scotland has passed the 400,000 mark for the first time.
Blair Athol’s new bar is made out of a redundant mash tun from Clynelish Distillery
From July 2016 to July 2017, 409,908 total people visited the sites, which include Glenkinchie, Lagavulin, Talisker, Clynelish, Glen Ord, Dalwhinnie, Cardhu and Royal Lochnagar – up 7% on the previous year.
Visitor numbers have followed an consistent upward trajectory in the last 10 years, with Diageo’s distilleries now attracting more than double the number of people recorded eight years ago.
The results were announced at Blair Athol Distillery in Pitlochry, which has recorded 75,234 visitors in the last year – up by 7.7% on the previous year.
Diageo Scotland director, Ewan Andrew, said: “Scotch whisky is not only the country’s most valuable export industry, it’s the world’s most popular spirit, attracting visitors from around the globe to Scotland. That’s great for our distilleries but it also makes a major contribution to the local economies and communities where we operate.
“We have seen visitor numbers increasing rapidly over recent years as global Scotch sales have grown, and we’re investing to ensure Scotch continues to grow and that we welcome even more visitors to Scotland in the years ahead.”
The company is “investing steadily” in distillery visitor experience. Part of this includes the launch of a Scotch whisky tasting bar at Blair Athol, made out of a redundant mash tun from Clynelish Distillery.
Coppersmiths from Diageo Abercrombie in Alloa, who are usually employed making copper potstills for whisky production, were responsible for transforming the mash tun.
Malcolm Roughead, VisitScotland chief executive, officially opened the new bar. He said: “Whisky is one of Scotland’s most valuable commodities, with visitors from all over the world coming to our shores to experience an authentic Scottish dram.
“Scotland’s reputation as a quality destination relies on continued investment and innovation. This new whisky tasting bar at Blair Athol is a fantastic example of how the industry is working to attract new visitors and continue its vital contribution to the Scottish economy.”