Whisky Tourism Quenches Thirst for Knowledge

Press release issued 16th March 2009

Distilleries remain a 'must-do' for 1.2 million tourists to Scotland

Figures announced today by Scotlandwhisky - the national Whisky tourism organisation- report a trend bucking picture for distillery visitor centres.  The data shows that 1,236,329 visitors toured a distillery in 2008, a 0.21% increase in numbers over the previous year.  More significantly, spend increased by 12.2% - boosting the Scottish economy by £25 Million  .

Commenting on the figures, Chris Conway of ScotlandWhisky said:

 "Visiting a distillery remains one of the 'must-do' activities for tourists in Scotland.  The number of visitors has held-out strongly in what are difficult conditions - VisitScotland research reports a -4.1% decrease in numbers in 2008  - and the impressive spend figure reflects the investment that distillers have made in their visitor centres over the last few years"

Conway continued:

 "There is a real thirst for knowledge, with enthusiasts and novices alike wanting to learn as much as possible about the making of Scotch Whisky.  Distillers continue to innovate to meet this demand and have introduced a whole selection of tours to satisfy consumers' growing interest in all aspects of Scotch.  In addition to general tours, many have introduce in-depth masterclasses, often hosted by the distillery manager, which offer the public an opportunity to explore overlooked parts of distilleries and sample rare bottlings. "

With Scotch Whisky positioned as a central pillar of this year's Homecoming celebrations, it is hoped that these positive results will continue throughout 2009.   May, having been named 'Whisky Month', will witness the largest ever Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival, to celebrate its tenth anniversary, and a new Spirit of the West festival will be taking place at Inveraray Castle.  In addition, the successful Islay malt and music festival and a number of individual distillery events will be taking place. There will be plenty to attract the Whisky enthusiast back to Scotland.

To assist the promotion of Whisky Month, Scotlandwhisky's Embassies have put together Whisky packages and events for May. For more details see: www.ScotlandWhisky.com
 

Notes for editors

• 90 hotels, golf courses, bars and restaurants are now officially recognised as Scotch Whisky 'Embassies', having met specific quality criteria, including staff trained in Scotch Whisky appreciation.   Further information about ScotlandWhisky and its Embassy network is available at www.scotlandwhisky.com. 
• ScotlandWhisky is supported by The Scotch Whisky Association, The Scotch Whisky Experience, Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, VisitScotland and its membership.