Set within an Edinburgh landmark transformed, offering eight floors filled with breath-taking bars, event spaces, and views across the capital and castle, Johnnie Walker Princes Street stands at the heart of Diageo’s £185million investment in whisky tourism in Scotland. 

Targeted to international and domestic tourists, as well as the local community, Johnnie Walker Princes Street takes visitors on a journey of discovery, where they learn more about whisky flavour creation, Scotland, and themselves. The experience offerings are fully immersive, story rich, and participatory. They connect guests to the people, places, and flavours of Scotland, and transform the traditional image of Scotch as an exclusive spirit into a flavourful and accessible drink guests can enjoy any way they wish. 

Objectives include bringing in a more contemporary identity: that while Johnnie Walker holds fast to rules for making their whisky, there are no rules for drinking it. Guests explore the brand story and process in ways that awaken and open their senses, then taste the whisky in a variety of ways to discover just how enjoyable whisky can be. This leads to another main objective: to create a lasting emotional bond between visitors and the brand. 

The creative team drew upon the extensive Diageo archives, whisky historians and makers, and members of the community for brand stories and artefacts. Scottish artists and craftspeople were commissioned to create works of art throughout, reinforcing the vitality of the brand and welcoming guests to immerse themselves in the art and enjoyment of whisky. 

Johnnie Walker has a long tradition of sustainability and ingenuity. Among the many innovations are a custom-made dispensing system that removes the need for single use glass bottles, saving over 40,000 glass bottles per year, and the FlavourPrint programme, which uses artificial intelligence to tailor each guest’s experience to them. 

Efforts to create a truly inclusive brand home include implementing accessibility measures in line with Euan’s Guide, the information source for accessibility in visitor attractions. Johnnie Walker Princes Street is one of less than ten visitor attractions in the UK to have received a rare 5-star gold review from the organization. Signage uses universal symbols and language-assist devices are available. All experiences offer non-alcoholic options. 

Despite opening under the current Covid restrictions, Johnnie Walker Princes Street is a tremendous success. The Brand Home’s opening received 2,070 pieces of media coverage and over 3B impressions across online, broadcast, newswire, and print. Tour reservations have been consistently filled since opening and per cap spending among visitors to the whiskey experience is up significantly.