Highland Park single malt Scotch whisky has officially unveiled £750k of investment at its Orkney distillery including the £250k revamp of the Distillery Visitor Centre.
This significant investment responds to Orkney’s increased visitor levels and features a complete revamp of the Distillery Visitor Centre, Tasting Room and exclusive VIP Room as well as the £500k replacement of two pagoda roofs. Patricia Retson, Highland Park Distillery Visitor Centre Manager, said: “Over the last year group visits have more than doubled which is testament to our growing number of whisky fans. The revamped Distillery Visitor Centre will give guests a truly exceptional experience as well as enabling us to facilitate a greater number of visitors.”
Island Manager for VisitOrkney, Barbara Foulkes, said: “Highland Park’s investment is a real boost for Orkney tourism which has enjoyed 15.1% growth in visitor numbers in 2007 compared with 2006. The wide range of visitor attractions across Orkney are crucial to our tourism industry, drawing visitors from Scotland, the rest of the UK and around the world.”
The revamped Visitor Centre brings to life the distillery and its integral relationship with Orkney. A tasting bar features Orkney dry-stone walls and traditional oak reclaimed from an original Highland Park washback, previously used for the fermentation stage of making the single malt. A new cask education area highlights the vital role of the exceptional sherry oak casks used to develop the distinctive richness and multi-dimensional complexity of the whisky. The Tasting Room will showcase a selection of Highland Park bottlings, old and new, as well as over 200 whisky books including some rare tomes of up to 200 years old such as an original copy of Alfred Barnard’s ‘The Whisky Distilleries of the United Kingdom’, published in 1887. It is the ultimate room for Highland Park connoisseurs, with Orcadian-style interior design including hand-made Orkney furniture from local craft company Sui Generis Furniture.
The exclusive VIP Eunson Room, named after distillery founder Magnus Eunson, exudes a club room feel and features aged leather armchairs, open fireplace and wood panelling as well as a video conference facility. Established in 1798, Highland Park is one of the oldest Scotch whisky distilleries. More important than age though, is the combination of traditional whisky-making techniques with obsessive attention to detail that have made Highland Park arguably the most respected single malt in the world.
For further information please visit www.highlandpark.co.uk
