Scotch whisky distillery The GlenAllachie has revealed major upgrades to its award-winning visitor centre.
Crowned Visitor Attraction of the Year at the 2022 Icons of Whisky Scotland awards, the site opened for the first time in April 2019, featuring a retail shop and small tasting room.
The £600,000 investment sees a former workshop transformed to house a whisky bar; tasting lounge; extra toilets; disabled facilities and a large outdoor seating space with views of Ben Rinnes.
The whisky bar will offer a range of the distillery’s whiskies and rums, while, in a sustainability effort, the new space will be heated using excess heat from the stillhouse.
The extended tour offering now consists of the following three experiences:
• The GlenAllachie Experience (1 hour, £25 per person) – "a journey through the production process ending at the tasting room to enjoy four whiskies."
• The Premium Experience (1 hour 15 minutes, £35 per person) – "a tour of the production area, including a detailed discussion of our innovative cask management policy, followed by a tutored tasting of four premium whiskies."
• The Connoisseurs Tour (2 hours, £60 per person) – "running every Thursday afternoon, the experience is aimed at ‘whisky geeks’ who want an in-depth tour, including a warehouse visit, before enjoying a tasting of five of our finest drams."
Commenting on the upgrade, visitor centre manager Tracy Sellar said: “We’re thrilled to unveil our expanded Visitor Centre at The GlenAllachie Distillery after months of planning and preparation. As a team, we identified a gap in our offering: the option to enjoy a dram or flight without the need to join a tour.
“The new whisky bar, between the indoor and outdoor space, allows for an impressive capacity of 100 people at any one time. As we continue to expand as a visitor attraction, we look forward to a busy summer season with more experiences to offer our guests.”
A launch event is to be hosted by the distillery on 13 July between 17:30 and 19:30. More information, including opening times for the summer season and ticket booking, can be found on their website.
