• A multi-sensory, immersive visitor experience across three floors. Guiding people through the 200 year history of the brand, the art and science of whisky-making. Taking them on a journey through the flavours of Scotland.
• A flexible events space for staging music, theatre, arts and community events. The venue will be part of the thriving cultural life of the city.
• A training academy that will be a home for Diageo’s award-winning Learning for Life programme. This creates training and employment opportunities in the hospitality industry for unemployed people. It works to improve hospitality standards and promotes the responsible serving and consumption of alcohol.
• Roof-top access with stunning views of Edinburgh Castle and across the city skyline to east, west and north.
• At street level the plans include a significant retail space, bringing a contemporary shopping experience and interior design. This is inspired by the Johnnie Walker retail flagship store in Madrid, which opened in November.

An application for a premises licence for the sale of alcohol will be considered by The City of Edinburgh Licensing Board in due course. Construction work is expected to begin in the early summer.

David Cutter, Chairman of Diageo in Scotland, said: “This is another significant step forward in our journey to create an inspiring flagship destination for Johnnie Walker.

“We have had great support for our proposals from local stakeholders and businesses in Edinburgh and we are grateful to everyone who has helped us to get to this stage. We will continue to work with the local community as we now progress with construction and with making our plans a reality.”

Cristina Diezhandino, Diageo Global Scotch Whisky Director, said: “We are incredibly excited by our plans for the Johnnie Walker visitor experience in Edinburgh where people can explore, discover, and immerse themselves in story of the world’s leading whisky brand.

“We have ambitious plans to make this a truly world-leading attraction, drawing people from the four corners of the globe to Scotland and to give them an unforgettable experience in Scotch whisky and Scottish culture.”

Diageo is currently investing over £185 million in Scotch whisky experiences in Scotland.

As well as the Edinburgh location, the company is also investing to transform its existing 12 distillery visitor attractions across Scotland. Also in the works is a £35 million investment to reopen the iconic distilleries of Port Ellen and Brora.

Whisky from Diageo’s distilleries all over Scotland contribute to Johnnie Walker. Four distilleries – Glenkinchie, Cardhu, Caol Ila and Clynelish – will be linked directly to the Johnnie Walker venue in Edinburgh, representing the ‘four corners of Scotland’. These represent the regional flavour variations crucial to the art of whisky blending.  Together these sites will create a unique Johnnie Walker tour of Scotland. They will encourage visitors to the capital city to also travel to the country’s extraordinary rural communities.