Johnnie Walker Princes Street, the eight-floor new visitor experience for the world’s best-selling Scotch whisky, officially opened in the heart of Scotland’s capital city recently.

Set over 71,500 square feet, Johnnie Walker Princes Street uses world-first technology to reimagine the traditional whisky tour experience. Visitors will be taken on a personalised journey of flavour and discovery, which identifies unique flavours and tastes tailored to them, and learn about the fascinating 200-year-old journey brought to life by actors.

Visitors on the Johnnie Walker ‘Journey of Flavour’ tour will have their personal flavour preferences mapped with drinks tailored to their palate. With more than 800 flavour combinations available in innovative dispensation systems, one person could visit Johnnie Walker Princes Street every day for more than two years and not have the same experience twice!

The cellar has become a true whisky treasury with some of the most unique whisky casks in the world gently maturing and waiting to be sampled by guests. More than 150 diverse and talented new employees, speaking 23 languages between them, will bring to life the 200-year story.

The building – formerly a traditional department store for almost 100 years – will contain a state-of-the-art experiential retail space where shoppers can select from most unique and exclusive whiskies, fill bottles direct from casks and even have them engraved.

Johnnie Walker Princes Street is crowned by two world-class rooftop bars and a terrace with breath-taking views of the Edinburgh skyline, including the ‘Explorers’ Bothy’ whisky bar stocked with 150 different whiskies, and the 1820 cocktail bar where drinks are paired with a carefully curated menu sourced from, and representing in culinary form, the four corners of Scotland.

The building includes roof terrace planters which will provide herbs for garnishes and infusions for drinks, a sedum roof covering and bird boxes to encourage biodiversity.

Johnnie Walker Princes Street is the centrepiece of Diageo’s £185-million investment in Scotch whisky tourism in Scotland, the largest single investment programme of its kind ever seen in Scotch whisky tourism.

In 2019, the Scotch whisky industry attracted a record 2.16 million visitors. Its ‘Learning for Life Academy’ will also host a hospitality training programme for the unemployed.

Tickets for tours start from £25 per person, including a 90-minute tour and three personalised Scotch whisky drinks. (www.johnniewalkerprincesstreet.com).