Whisky

Taking measures

Whisky – ‘uisge beatha’ in Scots Gaelic – is Scotland’s biggest global export, worth £2.5 billion per annum. Renowned the world over, the undying attraction of Scotland’s national drink leads to over 1.2 million tourists visiting a distillery each year.

To tap into the potential of ‘whisky tourism’, Scotland and Whisky has been formed. They are a private sector-led initiative supported by the Scotch Whisky Association, Scotch Whisky Heritage Centre, Visit Scotland, Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise.

One of the major planks of the project has been the establishment of an accredited Scotch Whisky Embassy network. These are hotels that are recognised for their Scotch Whisky expertise and which employ staff who have successfully trained at the Scotch Whisky Heritage Centre’s Scotch Whisky Training School. As flagship establishments they are being promoted, along with Scotland’s distillery visitor centres, under the banner of Scotlandwhisky.com 

The whisky embassy model is now being extended to incorporate great Scotch whisky bars, ensuring that tourists are aware of all the best places where they can experience whisky in Scotland. The project has also been instrumental in encouraging the development of new whisky tourism products such as whisky trails and whisky tours.

For the companies involved in the whisky embassy network, the benefits flow from the collective promotion and marketing carried out by Whisky and Scotland. Those businesses that meet the entry criteria are a select group and therefore able to lever their membership as a key differentiator - their association with the whisky industry underscoring their premium standing. In addition, say Whisky and Scotland, the whisky training alone has been proven to increase whisky sales by a minimum of 10% - easily paying for itself within the first three months!

For further details:
Telephone: 0131 478 710 
Email: c.conway@whisky-heritage.co.uk