BRC Imagination Arts completes new Glenkinchie Distillery brand home for Diageo as part of cycle of Scottish whisky attractions
LA-based experience design studio, BRC Imagination Arts, is the creative force behind the new Glenkinchie Distillery attraction, which has opened today (29 October 2020) near Edinburgh, Scotland.
The single malt distillery is located in East Lothian, a region known for its produce and has undergone a major transformation of its visitor attraction as part of a wider £185m investment by owner, Diageo.
Glenkinchie will be known as the ‘Lowland Home of Johnnie Walker’ and is the first of four distillery attractions around Scotland to be designed by BRC, that will form a network of brand homes linked to Diageo’s brands.
Distilleries have been chosen for investment in the north, south, east and west of the country, to showcase Scotland's diverse styles of whisky-making.
At the heart of the cycle of attractions will be the global centrepiece – Johnnie Walker Princes Street – which will open in Edinburgh in summer 2021.
The Glenkinchie Distillery attraction is surrounded by landscaped gardens, curated to reflect the rural setting and offers an immersive guest experience in the distillery’s traditional Victorian red-brick warehouses.
BRC has created the Glenkinchie brand home as a full sensory experience, allowing visitors to immerse themselves in the history, craft and flavour of whisky.
The new experience takes visitors on a journey through Glenkinchie’s rich heritage, its generations of whisky makers and its intricate flavour-creation process.
Tasting rooms allow guests to enjoy the whisky, while a bar area serves tasting platters, whisky highballs and a selection of dram flights after tours.
The new attraction offers a range of specialist tours and events, including a Glenkinchie Flavour Journey; the Whisky in the Wild tour; Warehouse and Cask Tour; Flowers and Cocktails Class and a Behind the Scenes Tour and Tasting.
Barbara Smith, MD of brand homes for Diageo in Scotland, opened the attraction with a ceremonial tree planting.
She said: “The opening of the visitor experience and garden is the first step in our long-term, £185million investment in whisky tourism in Scotland.
“We’re acutely aware of the difficult times many people are going through, particularly our colleagues in the tourism and hospitality sector across Scotland. We know there’s a long way to go and a lot of uncertainty ahead. Still, we believe in the resilience of our business and our communities, and we will be doing all we can through our investment to sow the seeds of recovery and future growth.”
Ramsay Borthwick, Glenkinchie Distillery manager, said: “Glenkinchie will give people a thrilling first taste of the new cycle of visitor experiences we're creating across Scotland.
“We’ll be offering people an experience like no other distillery in Scotland and that will be followed by the transformation of our distilleries at Clynelish, Cardhu and Caol Ila over the coming months, as we build towards the opening of our global Johnnie Walker Princes Street attraction in Edinburgh next summer.”
Glenkinchie was recently presented with a Gold Award by Green Tourism, the visitor attractions benchmark for environmental sustainability, while accessibility has been implemented in line with Euan’s Guide, the information source for accessibility in visitor attractions.
Watch the promotional video for the new attraction here.
Diageo Glenkinchie whisky tourism BRC Imagination ArtsScotland targets alco-tourism with £150m investment into Scotch Whisky projects
FEATURE: Creating a stir – Erik Lorincz
UAE’s first Dior Spa debuts in Dubai at Dorchester Collection’s newest hotel, The Lana
Europe's premier Evian Spa unveiled at Hôtel Royal in France
Clinique La Prairie unveils health resort in China after two-year project
GoCo Health Innovation City in Sweden plans to lead the world in delivering wellness and new science
Four Seasons announces luxury wellness resort and residences at Amaala
Aman sister brand Janu debuts in Tokyo with four-floor urban wellness retreat
€38m geothermal spa and leisure centre to revitalise Croatian city of Bjelovar
Two Santani eco-friendly wellness resorts coming to Oman, partnered with Omran Group
Kerzner shows confidence in its Siro wellness hotel concept, revealing plans to open 100
Ritz-Carlton, Portland unveils skyline spa inspired by unfolding petals of a rose
Rogers Stirk Harbour & Partners are just one of the names behind The Emory hotel London and Surrenne private members club
Peninsula Hot Springs unveils AUS$11.7m sister site in Australian outback
IWBI creates WELL for residential programme to inspire healthy living environments
Conrad Orlando unveils water-inspired spa oasis amid billion-dollar Evermore Resort complex
Studio A+ realises striking urban hot springs retreat in China's Shanxi Province
Populous reveals plans for major e-sports arena in Saudi Arabia
Wake The Tiger launches new 1,000sq m expansion
Othership CEO envisions its urban bathhouses in every city in North America
Merlin teams up with Hasbro and Lego to create Peppa Pig experiences
SHA Wellness unveils highly-anticipated Mexico outpost
One&Only One Za’abeel opens in Dubai featuring striking design by Nikken Sekkei
Luxury spa hotel, Calcot Manor, creates new Grain Store health club
'World's largest' indoor ski centre by 10 Design slated to open in 2025
Murrayshall Country Estate awarded planning permission for multi-million-pound spa and leisure centre
Aman's Janu hotel by Pelli Clarke & Partners will have 4,000sq m of wellness space
Therme Group confirms Incheon Golden Harbor location for South Korean wellbeing resort
Universal Studios eyes the UK for first European resort
King of Bhutan unveils masterplan for Mindfulness City, designed by BIG, Arup and Cistri
Rural locations are the next frontier for expansion for the health club sector
Tonik Associates designs new suburban model for high-end Third Space health and wellness club
How Portugal’s biggest brewer enlisted the help of one of the country’s best known architects to turn two historic nature parks into thermal spa and nature destinations