From the very second you step into the fresh air at Edinburgh Airport arrivals, there’s no missing Johnnie Walker Princes Street. Forget banners and balloons – travellers into the city are greeted by an enormous, multi-storey ad for the experience emblazoned on the side of the car park. For scale, part of the “installation” is a photograph of the Edinburgh Castle view from the rooftop 1820 Bar – that alone stretches to 402 square metres. The airport’s CEO, Gordon Dewar, is glad to showcase the “iconic Scottish brand to those passengers as they arrive at the terminal”. It’s sure to whet the appetites of many for a dram.
In many ways, the scale of the ad mirrors the size of the investment. In April 2018, Diageo announced a mammoth £150 million investment into Scotch whisky tourism. The figure is the largest ever ploughed into the sector, and includes upgrades to Diageo’s single malt distillery visitor centres across Scotland. But it’s clear from the sheer scale – eight floors of whisky experiences, bars, retail and some office space – that Princes Street accounts for the bulk of the outlay. But what is it, has it changed the industry, and, for Diageo and for visitors, is it worth it?
First, a disclaimer.
