Surge in visitors at Cardhu and Cragganmore distilleries in Moray
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A PAIR of Moray distilleries have seen a surge in visitors in what has been their first fully-operational year after the coronavirus pandemic.
Cardhu Distillery, near Archiestown, and Cragganmore Distillery, in Ballindalloch, have had more than 40,000 visitors in 2023.
The high turn-out at the distilleries contributed to global drinks manufacturer Diageo passing 1 million visitors to its brand home experiences in 2023.
Cardhu and Cragganmore Distilleries both offers visitors a range of tours, from a guided tasting to an immersive experience that explores the intricacies of the distilling process.
Laura Sharp, regional brand home manager at Diageo, said: “Scotch whisky is well-established as Scotland’s leading export to the world.
“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.”
