Diageo Seeing Record Numbers Visiting Scotch Distilleries

Spirits giant Diageo, by far one of the largest players in the Scotch whisky industry, is riding high of late on recent tourism numbers reported from its distilleries that are open to the public. Some records look to have been set based upon the number of folks taking time to visit their favorite whisky making operations.

Diageo officials said that over the last year, a total of 409,908 people visited its 12 whisky distilleries scattered across the Scottish countryside. That’s noted as being up 7 percent over the previous year, and also reflects “a trend of consistent year-on-year growth in visitor numbers over the past decade, with Diageo’s distilleries now attracting more than double the number of people they did eight years ago.”

Among the different distilleries Diageo has in its stable Blair Athol in Pitlochry is said to be the busiest, seeing just over 75,000 visitors in the last year, an increase of 7.7 percent. This is likely in part what inspired the parent company to open there what’s described as “a unique new whisky tasting bar.”

“Scotch whisky is not only the country’s most valuable export industry, it’s the world’s most popular spirit, attracting visitors from around the globe to Scotland,” said Diageo Scotland Director Ewan Andrew in a prepared statement. “That’s great for our distilleries but it also makes a major contribution to the local economies and communities where we operate. We have seen visitor numbers increasing rapidly over recent years as global Scotch sales have grown, and we’re investing to ensure Scotch continues to grow and that we welcome even more visitors to Scotland in the years ahead.”

Diageo facilities open to the public in Scotland include Blair Athol, Caol Ila, Cardhu, Clynelish, Cragganmore, Dalwhinnie, Glenkinchie, Glen Ord, Lagavulin, Oban, Royal Lochnagar and Talisker.