Royal Lochnagar welcomes 49,000 visitors for whisky experience

Royal Lochnagar welcomed 49,000 visitors in 2023.

The high turn-out at Royal Lochnagar contributed to global drinks manufacturer Diageo passing 1 million visitors to its brand home experiences in 2023.

Royal Lochnagar offers visitors a variety of tour and tasting experiences and is recognised by visitors for its Royal connections. In 2023, the distillery launched The King’s Birthday Edition Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky, a single cask distilled at neighbouring Royal Lochnagar and aged 45 years.

Laura Sharp, regional brand home manager, Diageo, said: “Scotch whisky is well-established as Scotland’s leading export to the world and every bottle is an invitation to visit Scotland and experience its amazing culture, heritage and environment first hand.

“Scotch whisky tourism creates opportunities all across Scotland, from our capital city to the communities of the highlands and islands where many of our distilleries are located.

“We are incredibly pleased to have increased visitor footfall across our portfolio of brand homes and are proud to play our part in increasing tourism opportunities across the regions in which we operate.”

Marc Crothall, CEO of Scottish Tourism Alliance (STA), said: “These figures highlight further evidence that Scotch whisky is making a fantastic contribution to both driving visitor demand and growing Scotland’s visitor economy across the length and breadth of the country.”