The opening date for Johnnie Walker Princes Street, the most eagerly anticipated new visitor experience in Scotland this year, has officially been announced. The 71,500 sq ft iconic building will open in the heart of Edinburgh on 6 September, with tickets available to buy from today.
The experience, which takes visitors on an immersive journey through the 200-year history of the world’s best-selling Scotch whisky as well as offering a world-class food and drink experience, will be hosted across eight floors of the transformed landmark on one of the Scottish capital’s most famous streets.
Guests can relax and enjoy the views from stunning bars and restaurants in the renovated building, which for generations has been a well-known spot in Edinburgh. Among them are the 1820 rooftop bar, offering breath-taking views across the city and Edinburgh Castle, and The Label Studio which will host a variety of live events and performances throughout the year.
As well as enjoying this must visit food and drink destination, guests will be able to embark on a one-of-a-kind immersive personalised Journey of Flavour tour including a trip through Johnnie Walker whisky’s epic search for flavour, a sensory experience offering a curated exploration of Scottish whiskies, and the opportunity to discover the inspiring stories behind Scotland’s favourite whisky brands.
The building also has an extensive retail space with an unrivalled selection of exclusive Johnnie Walker whiskies and merchandise, including limited edition bottlings.
Johnnie Walker Princes Street stands at the heart of Diageo’s £185million pound investment in whisky tourism in Scotland and follows the opening of new experiences at the Glenkinchie, Clynelish and Cardhu distilleries which represent the Lowland, Highland and Speyside whisky-making regions respectively.
Barbara Smith, Managing Director of Diageo’s Scotland Brand Homes, said, “Over the past year we have faced unprecedented challenges brought by the Covid-19 pandemic but now we can finally start the countdown to the opening of Johnnie Walker Princes Street.
“We have built an incredibly talented and diverse team who will bring the Johnnie Walker story to life, creating a world-class experience for our guests.
“Johnnie Walker Princes Street will offer something unlike any other visitor experience in Scotland. It will be a venue for everyone, whether that’s visitors to Scotland or local people in Edinburgh, Scotch whisky lovers or those savouring Scotch whisky for the first time. We can’t wait for you to join us.”
During the ongoing pandemic, the team at Johnnie Walker Princes Street’s number one priority is ensuring the safety and wellbeing of its staff, visitors and communities and as such has put a number of measures in place, in line with Scottish Government guidelines, which ensure a Covid safe environment without impacting on guests’ overall experience.
To keep visitors healthy, there will be reduced store capacity, a one-way system clearly marked throughout the experience, extra cleaning and hygiene routines, physical distancing, hand sanitiser stations, while guests will also be required to wear masks and encouraged to make any payments via contactless methods.