Speyside Distillery opens £200k visitor centre

Speyside Distillery has invested £200,000 (US$267,395) in creating a new visitor centre in the Scottish Highlands of Aviemore, called The Snug.

L-R: John Harvey McDonough, CEO of Speyside Distillers; Patricia Dillon, MD of Speyside Distillers; local MP Drew Hendry; and Joanna McDonough, artist in residence at Speyside Distillery

The Snug, which is located at the Aviemore Retail Park, will create at least two full-time and four part-time jobs, and was officially opened by Drew Hendry, MP for Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey, on 7 June last week.

A percentage of sales from The Snug will be donated to local community transport scheme Where 2 Today, which works to alleviate social exclusion in rural areas by providing free accessible transport in conjunction with Cairngorm Business Partnership.

John Harvey McDonough, Speyside Distillers chief executive officer, said: “We describe Speyside Distillery as the secret distillery because it’s hidden from the public, but all that is going to change now.

“The Snug will allow us to have a presence in Aviemore and the distillery itself will continue to welcome a very limited number of people in pre-organised visits.”

Speyside Distillery is located in the foothills of the Cairngorms and produces Scotch whisky brands including Spey and Beinn Dubh single malts, as well as Byron’s Gin. It is also the residence for artist Joanna McDonough.

Patricia Dillon, managing director, added about The Snug: “The Snug will be a first-class facility for our team and global brand ambassadors, customers and VIP guests; a place where they can further establish their knowledge and understanding of Speyside Distillery, its craft spirits and art.”