Benromach Distillery earns Five Star Visitor Attraction status from VisitScotland
EDINBURGH, Scotland, 2018-Sep-11 — /Travel PR News/ — A family-owned distillery in Moray Speyside which attracts more than 13,000 visitors per year has achieved its Five Star Visitor Attraction status from VisitScotland’s Quality Assurance scheme.
BenromachDistillery in Forres makes whisky the traditional way by hand. Now exported around the world, Benromach single malt Scotch provides whisky lovers with a lost taste of Speyside.
The distillery was closed in 1983 and lay silent for many years before being brought back to life by the Urquhart family. Reopened in 1998 by His Royal Highness the Duke of Rothesay, Benromach offers visitors five different tours, including the ‘Classic’, the ‘Contrast’, and the ‘Meet the Maker’ tour. It also hosts tastings for visitors who can’t attend a tour along with special events throughout the year.
Visitors can see the distillers at work as they orchestrate every second of the production by sight, sound and touch. Tour guides take visitors around their boby mill, mash tun, wooden washbacks, copper stills, spirit safe, filling room, dunnage warehouses and visitor centre.
On Monday 3 September, the distillery unveiled Benromach Cask No 1, an incredibly rare and limited-edition expression taken from the first cask that was laid down when the distillery reopened. All profits from the sale of Cask No 1 will be donated to charitable causes.
The popular distillery also launched its Red Door Gin in July – named after the distinctive red doors at the distillery. It is hoped the new gin visitor experience will attract another 10,000 visitors per year. When opened, visitors will hear the story of Red Door Gin’s handmade copper still, ‘Peggy’, how the distillers create each batch of Red Door Gin and the secrets of creating ‘perfect serves’.
Jo Robinson, VisitScotland Regional Director, said: “Achieving Five Star Visitor Attraction status demonstrates that the owners of Benromach Distillery have put in a tremendous effort to provide a very high level of service to their guests, and I would like to congratulate them for that.
“Whisky is one of Scotland’s most valuable commodities, with visitors from all over the world coming to our shores to experience an authentic Scottish dram.
“Whisky tourism has a strong record of investing in and improving the visitor experience, which is paying dividends for communities by creating jobs and sustainable sources of income.
“I hope their success is an inspiration to others to strive for a Five Star award, which helps to raise the profile of the industry as well as promote this beautiful part of Scotland.”
Susan Colville, Benromach Brand Home manager, said: “The Quality Assurance scheme from VisitScotland is recognised by tourists from all over the world and we are delighted to have achieved Five Star status for our visitor centre at Benromach Distillery.
“We have seen a steady increase in visitors over the last five years, from 8,000 in 2013 to 13,500 in 2017 with May, June and August at record figures. Our flagship expression, Benromach 10 Years Old, is now available around the world. It has a beautifully balanced classic Speyside single malt character with a touch of light peat smoke. It’s perfect for those who enjoy the sweet notes of a traditional Speyside whisky.
“As one of only a few distilleries in Scotland where all our whiskies are crafted by hand, our visitors can enjoy a highly personal and up-close experience. We don’t use computers or even pressure gauges here so it is possible to witness our distillers using all their senses to handcraft the distinctive Benromach taste.
“We are continually improving the visitor experience and this award is testament to the hard work of everyone involved in the creation of Benromach single malt Scotch whisky and a great achievement in our 20th anniversary year.”
For more information about Quality Assurance, visit www.visitscotland.org and for more information about the distillery, visit www.benromach.com
Notes to Editors
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- The organisation’s core objective is to contribute to the Tourism 2020 Strategy ambition of growing tourism revenues by £1 billion by 2020.
- This will be supported by five overarching strategies: Marketing, Events, Quality and Sustainability, Inclusive Tourism, International Engagement.
- The organisation employs 700 people and has offices and VisitScotland Information Centres across Scotland.
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2018 Year of Young People
- The Year of Young People (YoYP 2018) will inspire Scotland through its young people aged 8 to 26, celebrating their achievements, valuing their contributions to communities and creating new opportunities for them to shine locally, nationally and globally
- Central to YoYP 2018 will be a celebratory events programme that puts young people at the heart of its development and delivery, creating new and valuable experiences for young Scots and the wider public, with links to the inaugural 2018 European Championships.
- Over 200 young people throughout Scotland are currently being recruited to become YoYP 2018 Ambassadors. Ambassadors will ensure that people and organisations in their communities know about what’s happening and will lead on projects and activities to create events and opportunities to celebrate young people.
- The Year of Young People will have six themes which were developed in co-production with young people themselves:
- Participation – looking at how young people can influence public services and decisions which affect their lives
- Education – creating a stronger role for young people in shaping their learning
- Health and Wellbeing – supporting young people to lead healthier, active lives and have opportunities to learn about and improve their mental health and resilience
- Equality and Discrimination – broadcasting the value of young Scots, challenging negative perceptions of young people, and supporting young people to take leading roles in challenging discrimination in all its forms.
- Enterprise and regeneration – celebrating young people’s role in innovation, entrepreneurship and the Scottish economy as well as making Scotland a greener and more pleasant place to live
- Culture – celebrating young people’s talent and contribution to Scottish culture and arts.
- Further information on what’s happening and how people can get involved can be found on the new website www.yoyp2018.scot or @YOYP2018 on Twitter.
Contact:
Chelsea Charles
Special Projects Communications Manager
Themed Years
Chelsea.Charles@Eventscotland.org
0131 472 2067
Source: VisitScotland
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