Johnnie Walker win tourism “Oscar”

The Johnnie Walker flagship whisky attraction in Edinburgh has been named the World’s Leading Spirit Experience in a leading industry awards.

Johnnie Walker Princes Street took the award at the World Travel Awards (WTA), dubbed the “tourism Oscars”.

The eight-storey landmark, which opened in September 2021, was created as the centrepiece of Diageo’s £185million investment in Scotch whisky experiences.

Designed to put Scotch and Scotland “at the pinnacle of global food and drink tourism”, it has established itself as a leading visitor attraction, welcoming over 700,000 visitors from 131 countries.

Rob Maxwell, Head of Johnnie Walker Princes Street, said yesterday [SAT]: “Everyone associated with Johnnie Walker Princes Street is enormously proud of this award.

“When we set out to create Johnnie Walker Princes Street, we had the ambition of putting Scotland at the forefront of global food and drink tourism, and this award is recognition that we have made great strides towards that ambition.”

Malcolm Roughead, Chief Executive of VisitScotland, said: “This achievement recognises the investment and time that has been put in by Diageo and the team at Johnnie Walker Princes Street to create a truly world-class visitor experience.

“Research continues to show visitors love to connect with the people and places associated with our iconic food and drink. Whisky has huge international appeal, and this award confirms the important role it plays in the Scottish tourism experience.”

The 71,500 sq ft attraction explores the 200-year history of Johnnie Walker with various experiences across its eight floors, from guided tastings and tours to a retail area complete with a “fill your own” station.