BUSINESS EVENTS SCOTLAND’S FINEST VENUES ADVERTORIAL
Johnnie Walker strides into Edinburgh
Scotch whisky- maker’s flagship visitor experience and stunning new events space opening soon on Princes Street
J
ump into a whisky adventure like no other when Johnnie Walker Princes Street opens to the public in Edinburgh in December.
Te remarkable new space – at
the west end of Princes Street in the former House of Fraser depart- ment store building – will become a world-leading cultural visitor experience that will enhance and diversify Edinburgh’s tourism landscape and attract new visitors to Scotland. Back in 1820, a young John
Walker took his first steps in busi- ness and set in motion a chain of events that changed the world of whisky forever. Now, 200 years later, the world’s best-selling Scotch whisky is helping cement its founder’s legacy by opening the doors to a multi-million pound visitor experience in the heart of Scotland’s capital city. By the time it launches, John- nie Walker Princes Street will have
employed about 160 new staff. Te 81,000 sqft experience will include: l A multi-sensory, immersive vis-
itor experience across three floors, which will guide people through the brand’s 200 year history and take them on a journey through the big, bold flavours that go into making all Johnnie Walker whisky l A flexible events space for stag-
ing music, theatre, arts and com- munity events that is also ideal for conferences and corporate events l A training academy that will be
a home for Diageo’s award-winning Learning for Life programme, which will create training and employment opportunities in the hospitality industry for unemployed people. It will also work to improve hospitality standards and promote the responsible serving and con- sumption of alcohol l Two bars one of which has a
roof-top vantage point with stun- ning views of Edinburgh Castle and across the city skyline to the east, west and north l At street level there will be a
significant retail space at this his- toric shopping location. Johnnie Walker Princes Street
general manager Barbara Smith said: “Our new Johnnie Walker brand home is set to be the most exciting visitor experience to hit Edinburgh for some time. We are looking forward to welcoming visi- tors from all around the world and to putting whisky and Scotland at the cutting edge of the global boom in food and drink tourism.
26 | EVENTSBASE | SPRING 2020 “Tis is much more than a visitor
centre. We will host events and provide experiences that imbed Johnnie Walker Princes Street as part of the vibrant, cultural fabric of Edinburgh. Te venue will cater for event planners in the capital and beyond, offering a multi-purpose, dynamic space, configurable for many different types of events. Tere will be something for every- body at Johnnie Walker Princes Street, both for established whisky fans and for people who may be new to whisky.” Te new development will also
retain and restore many of the building’s beautiful heritage fea- tures, including the famous clock on the corner of Princes Street and Hope Street – known to many as Binns corner. Diageo is currently investing
over £185 million in Scotch whisky experiences in Scotland - the single
‘THIS IS MUCH MORE THAN A VISITOR CENTRE. WE WILL HOST EVENTS AND PROVIDE EXPERIENCES THAT IMBED JOHNNIE WALKER PRINCES STREET AS PART OF THE VIBRANT, CULTURAL FABRIC OF EDINBURGH.’
Barbara Smith, Johnnie Walker Princes Street general manager
The roof-top spaces of Johnnie Walker Princes Street will have stunning views of the Edinburgh skyline
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