Whisky on The Fringes - 25 Years of the Scotch Whisky Experience

When visiting Scotland’s capital this summer, either on holiday with the family or visiting the Edinburgh International Comedy Festival, take the time to escape the hustle and bustle of the city with a visit to The Scotch Whisky Experience.

Located at the top of Edinburgh’s famous Royal Mile, The Scotch Whisky Experience is currently celebrating 25 years in Scotland’s capital. Since opening its doors in May 1988, the five-star Whisky visitor attraction has welcomed over five million visitors through its doors, and sold upward of one million bottles of Scotland’s national drink.

Housed in a former Victorian School overlooking Arthur’s Seat, the Scotch Whisky Heritage Centre – as it was first known – was established by a consortium of leading distillers to represent the Scotch Whisky industry in a single, centrally located venue. Over the past quarter of a century, visitor numbers have almost quadrupled with around 270,000 individuals now visiting the attraction each year, and the centre now recognised as the flag bearer for Whisky tourism in Scotland.

In 2009, the attraction underwent a multimillion pound refurbishment, which also saw it become home to the World’s Largest Collection of Scotch Whisky: a stunning collection of 3,384 individual bottles presented in a custom made glass and marble vault.

In recent years, the attraction’s retail space has gone through a £1m renovation, to become the capital’s best stocked Whisky shop, offering more than 350 bottles of Single Malt and Blended Whiskies. In March, it was also been awarded World Whisky Attraction of the Year by Whisky Magazine’s Icons of Whisky award.