Bus stop 'scratch and sniff' to take passengers to the country

Published on Tuesday 28 July 2009 09:42

ONE minute you're sitting in a dingy bus stop in the city centre, watching the bus tracker's slow countdown and inhaling exhaust fumes by the lungful.

The next, close your eyes, breathe deeply, and if your imagination is good enough you could be whisked away to a heather-strewn Highland glen or the peaty, windswept shores of Islay.

"Scratch and sniff" poster technology has arrived at Edinburgh's bus stops, and the Scotch Whisky Experience, which is behind the idea, hopes to transport travellers to the country's best-known whisky-producing areas while they wait.

The posters feature four buttons, each representing a different area – the Lowlands, Highlands, Islay and Speyside. The aromas are contained in small granules held in a pod behind each button.When the button is pressed, it emits a waft of scent associated with each area.

Marketing manager Julie Trevisan Hunter said: "The Lowlands smell of grain, like fresh biscuits, representing the cereal tones and lighter notes that you get in Lowland malts.

"The Highland region is massive, and it's hard to generalise, but there are much more floral refreshing notes, so this one is a floral aroma, with a heather-y character to it.

"All Speyside whiskies are characterised as being very fruity, from the lighter fruits like pears and bananas, through to the richer versions like sultanas and cherries, so our Speyside is a fruity aroma like pears.

"Islay is peat smoke – the Islay whiskies are all peated to some extent and very distinctive."

Similar scents are being used at the Scotch Whisky Experience on the Royal Mile as part of its 3 million new tour.

Ms Trevisan Hunter said: "Part of the tour is our Sense of Scotland room where we explain to people about the different regions around Scotland. We get people to smell those four aromas and say which they prefer, and we'll give you a dram of whisky with a taste that reflects that."

The posters went up yesterday, one close to the top of Waverley Steps and another outside the St James Centre. In Princes Street the poster and its scents got a mixed reception.

Medical student Therese White, visiting the Capital from her home in County Down, Northern Ireland, said: "I thought the Lowlands scent was best, it was fruity. I think it's a good idea. I'm not really a fan of whisky but I might be after smelling these."

Leona Sutherland, 26, a videographer from Bathgate, was less impressed. She said: "The Islay and Speyside ones smell of nothing. The Highland one smells a bit floral and the Lowlands smells of cinnamon.

"I think it's a waste of money actually, because I don't know how many people would go on and do it, and next to a busy main road there's that much pollution you can't really smell it anyway."

Student Joe Allen, 23, from Riccarton, said: "They all smell nice but they don't smell of whisky. The Lowlands smells like soap, so does the Highlands. Maybe some girl's been sniffing it with perfume on."

He added: "I doubt people will have a sniff, though – especially at the bus stop where you might miss your bus."