Visitor Appeal
Whisky tourism has become big business with Diageo hosting over a million people at its distilleries and Johnnie Walker Experience in 2023. But whether overall visitor numbers for last year have topped the record 2019 remains to be seen, reports Ian Fraser…
Scotland’s former first minister Humza Yousaf did whisky tourism a service when, just days after becoming Scotland’s first minister in March 2023, he scrapped plans for a ban on alcohol advertising in Scotland.
Such a ban could have forced distilleries to paint over their signage, and made it near impossible for them to adequately promote their brands on home turf – seriously damaging the whisky tourism sector. So, the industry heaved a massive sigh of relief when Yousaf sent the proposal, introduced by his predecessor Nicola Sturgeon, "back to the drawing board".
The company that stood to lose more than most from the proposed ban was Diageo. The Soho-based spirits giant had invested £85 million in converting the eight-storey former House of Fraser department store in Edinburgh’s West End into Johnnie Walker Princes Street. That was part of £185m investment programme for the whisky tourism sector, initiated in April 2018, which saw 12 of the company’s single-malt whisky distillery visitor centres upgraded, with a special focus on the "Four Corners distilleries" – Glenkinchie in East Lothian, Caol Ila on Islay, Clynelish in Sutherland and Cardhu in Morayshire. Diageo also reopened the "ghost" distilleries at Port Ellen and Brora.
With the advertising ban kicked into touch, the investment seems to be paying off, with Diageo’s sites across Scotland attracting a record 1.13 million visitors in 2023, up from 440,000 in 2017. Johnnie Walker Princes Street, which opened in September 2021 complete with audiovisual legerdemain and a rooftop bar, attracted 359,000 whisky aficionados and neophytes from 131 countries in 2023. While that was fewer than the Scotch Whisky Experience on Castlehill, at the top of the Royal Mile, which had 401,000 visitors in 2023 – nipping at the heels of the granddaddy of the sector after less than three years isn't bad at all. The Princes Street attraction has also picked up several international awards, including Europe’s Leading Spirit Tourism Experience 2024 at the World Travel Awards.
Diageo’s second most popular site is Talisker on Skye, which pulled in 184,000 visitors last year, up 211% from 59,000 in 2019. Oban had 157,000 visitors, followed by Blair Athol with 82,000, the Singleton of Glen Ord with 64,000, Lagavulin with 57,000, Dalwhinnie with 55,000 and Glenkinchie with 37,000. Diageo Scotland’s managing director of brand homes, Katie Harris, says: "We’re incredibly proud to have welcomed more than a million people for the first time in Scotland, but we believe this is just the start and there is a powerful opportunity for further growth."
However the SWA’s chief executive Mark Kent warned that the bounce-back from the Covid years "should not be taken for granted", with the SWA adding that: "Despite the 2022 recovery, the 2023 tourism season has been more difficult. The cost-of-living crisis, the impact of the 10.1% tax increase in August 2023, and ongoing infrastructure challenges mean that the positive impact of whisky tourism to the Scottish economy cannot be taken for granted."
However, the market is becoming more saturated and competitive, and even distilleries offering tours with supremely knowledgeable and relatable guides, personalised tastings, branded museums, interactive experiences and beautifully interior-designed shops may struggle to pull in the punters. This probably explains the recent tendency for distilleries to strengthen their offer by adding accommodation. Examples include field-to-bottle distillery Arbikie near Montrose, which recently started renting out mirrored cabins from the Estonian company ÖÖD, complete with saunas.
Chivas Brothers also recently refurbished and reopened Linn House, a Victorian country house in Keith near its Strathisla distillery, which was previously only available to invited guests. Chivas’ brand advocacy head Jacques-Henri Brive believes whisky fans are increasingly looking for "experiences" beyond just product.
In a recent comedy sketch "Craig", a surly distillery tour guide played by the comedian Eleanor Morton, expresses contempt for visitors while rubbishing the product itself. Guides along such lines are surely a thing of the past, but Diageo may have found a way of circumventing applications from the likes of Craig with recent advertorials placed in Scottish newspapers including the Edinburgh Evening News. In these the drinks business appealed for actors and other talent to work at its Johnnie Walker Princes Street site. Diageo made clear that "no background in whisky is required... Instead, applicants should be natural presenters and storytellers [with] a passion for hospitality." Fortunately, Scotland is not short of people who can spend their day talking passionately about whisky!
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Ian Fraser is a financial journalist, a former business editor of Sunday Times Scotland, and author of Shredded: Inside RBS The Bank That Broke Britain.