Scotch Whisky Experience

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The Scotch Whisky Experience
Scotch Whisky Heritage Centre, Edinburgh - geograph.org.uk - 932290.jpg
The main facade viewed from the Royal Mile.
Location map United Kingdom Edinburgh Central 2.svg
Red pog.svg
Location within Edinburgh city centre
Former name
The Scotch Whisky Heritage Centre
Established5 May 1988;37 years ago (1988-05-05)
Location354 Castlehill, The Royal Mile, Edinburgh EH1 2NE, Scotland, United Kingdom
Coordinates 55°56′56″N3°11′44″W / 55.94889°N 3.19556°W / 55.94889; -3.19556
Key holdingsThe Diageo Claive Vidiz Whisky Collection
Collection size3384 bottles [1]
Visitors401,000 (2023) [2]
FounderAlastair McIntosh
CEOSusan Morrison
Architect Robert Wilson [3]
Public transit access National Rail logo.svg Edinburgh Waverley
Website www.scotchwhiskyexperience.co.uk
Listed Building – Category B
Official name354 Castlehill And 17 Johnston Terrace, Former Castlehill School with Janitor's House, Ancillary Buildings, Railings and Retaining Wall
Designated13 August 1987
Reference no. LB28490

The Scotch Whisky Experience is a whisky visitor attraction located on Castlehill in the Old Town of Edinburgh, immediately adjacent to the esplanade of Edinburgh Castle. The centre offers tours and whisky tutoring sessions, alongside a shop, corporate spaces and Amber Restaurant & Whisky Bar.

Contents

History

Opened in 1988, the Scotch Whisky Experience is located in the former premises of the Castlehill School. Although the school was mixed, boys and girls were kept apart by separate sets of stairways – a design feature which the building still maintains. Due to falling school numbers, the school closed in 1951, fulfilling various roles afterwards, including a catering school, an urban studies centre and a general store. [4]

Creation

In July 1987, 19 individual Scotch whisky companies jointly invested £2m to create The Scotch Whisky Heritage Centre – a permanent attraction based on the history and development of Scotch whisky. The new attraction opened on 5 May 1988, changing its name to The Scotch Whisky Experience in 2006. [5]

Recent developments

In 2008, the attraction became home to the world's largest collection of Scotch whisky, featuring 3,384 bottles. The collection had been built up over 35 years by Brazilian whisky enthusiast Claive Vidiz, who believed it only right that the collection return to its home country. [6] The collection is housed in a specially designed glass and marble vault and was opened by then Scottish First Minister, Alex Salmond, in May 2009. [7]

The attraction's shop underwent a £1m refurbishment in 2012, to incorporate a host of new features, including an interactive tasting map and touch-screen distillery guide. [8] During the same year, the International Spirits Challenge was held at the venue for the first time [9] and it became home to the world's largest bottle of single malt whisky. [10] This bottle is no longer on display having been auctioned in 2019. [11]

In 2013, the attraction celebrated its 25th birthday, which included the launch of an anniversary blend and the unveiling of a one-off commemorative Quaich. [12] Amber Restaurant and Whisky Bar – located in the vaults of the attraction – also underwent a refurbishment, unveiling a new bar which offered over 360 different whiskies from across Scotland. [13]

The attraction's six-year, £7m programme of refurbishments came to an end in 2015 with an upgrade of the building's corporate spaces. [14]

In January 2023, the attraction began work on a new tour experience. [15]

Visitor numbers

In 2013, 300,000 people visited the attraction, with more than 155,000 taking the tour. [16] These figures rose to 308,000 people in 2014, with 157,000 taking the tour. In 2023 cumulative visitor numbers totalled 8.5 million. [17] While visitors from traditional markets made up the bulk of visitors, people from emerging whisky markets, including China, Brazil and India, made up a large proportion of visitors. [18]

Awards

References

  1. ↑ "Brazilian businessman's whisky collection to remain in Edinburgh". BBC News. 4 April 2019. Archived from the original on 24 June 2022.
  2. ↑ "2023 Visitor Numbers!". The Scotch Whisky Experience. Archived from the original on 13 April 2024. Retrieved 1 January 2026.
  3. ↑ "Listed Building LB28490". Historic Environment Scotland. Retrieved 3 January 2026.
  4. ↑ Mclean, David (4 December 2014). "Lost Edinburgh: A brief tour of Castlehill". The Scotsman . Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
  5. ↑ "About the Scotch Whisky Experience". The Scotch Whisky Experience. Archived from the original on 24 November 2009.
  6. ↑ "BBC News".
  7. ↑ "Daily Record".
  8. ↑ "Scottish Licensed Trade News".
  9. ↑ "Whisky Drinker". Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  10. ↑ "BBC News".
  11. ↑ "World's biggest bottle of single malt whisky sold for £15k". BBC News. 16 December 2019. Retrieved 30 December 2025.
  12. ↑ "The Drinks Report".
  13. ↑ "5pm Blog". October 2013. Archived from the original on 11 October 2013. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  14. ↑ "C&IT".
  15. ↑ "The Spirits Business".
  16. ↑ "The Scotsman".
  17. ↑ "The Spirits Business".
  18. ↑ "The Spirits Business".
  19. ↑ "Tourism awards hat-trick for The Scotch Whisky Experience on the Royal Mile". SLTN. 10 December 2024. Retrieved 30 December 2025.
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