Community distillery cheers growing visitor numbers

Tomatin Distillery in the Highlands is raising a glass after its visitor centre welcomed 40 per cent more customers last year compared to 2014, following recent investment.

From left: Drew Hendry with distillery general manager Graham Eunson and Tomatin chief executive Robert Anderson

Turnover from the attraction jumped by 50 per cent to £580,000, which is to be reinvested back into the centre, with plans for further facilities on site such as a new film about the distillery and the people that live there.

The community-based distillery, 16 miles south of Inverness, has 80 per cent of its staff living and working at the site in 30 distillery houses.

Drew Hendry, MP for Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey, paid a visit to the visitor centre to help celebrate its success.

He said: “The whisky, the beautiful scenery and the people make it unique. It is no wonder the centre has been attracting so many people each year.”