It has been five years in the planning and six months in the refurbishment, but now the old Scotch Whisky Heritage Centre, hard by Edinburgh Castle, has been re-born as The Scotch Whisky Experience, at a cost of £3 million. And what a great experience it is. My first question was ‘Why the name change?’

Julie Trevisan Hunter, SWE’s long-standing Marketing Manager, explained candidly that the focus of the place had changed radically. ‘There were several problems with the word ‘Heritage’, she said. ‘We did a lot of market research, and it was clear that most people associated ‘heritage’ with museums, exhibits in glass cases, a somewhat worthy and learned exhibition. Nobody immediately associated the word with fun! Interestingly, there was also a ‘lost in translation’ problem: few languages have words for ‘heritage’, and since around 70% of our visitors are from overseas, this was tricky!’ But there was more than this.

The previous focus had been ‘History’. Now it’s ‘Flavour’. At the heart of the old Heritage Centre was a tour through the history of Scotch on a ‘barrel car’ (a bit like a dodgem on rails), via various scenarios – smugglers making illicit whisky, Robert Burns, Prohibition in the USA – complete with wax-work models and voice over. This was novel in 1988, when the Centre opened, but had become distinctly tired by 2008. It also took up a whole floor in the rambling former school which houses the Centre.

Travelling through time

The barrel ride has been retained, but relocated on the ground floor as the first part of the ‘experience’, and radically changed in content. Now the journey is through the malt whisky-making process, as the barrels pass through a barley loft, a malt kiln, the mill, mash-tun, washback, etc, stimulated by sound effects and smells and guided by the ghostly holographic figure of 19th century blender ‘Douglas MacIntyre’.

The Cooperage

Next into ‘The Cooperage’ a holding area with detailed information about casks and maturation, where tours meet their guides and pick up foreign language headsets if required (fifteen languages are available, and the guides themselves speak nine or ten between them). Cleverly, the new arrangements engage the interest of children through ‘Peat the distillery cat’, who sets the kiddies hunting for clues and objects as the tour proceeds. We move into the ‘Sense of Scotland’ room, where we sniff four aroma pots – biscuity, fruity, floral, smoky – while our guide discusses where flavours come from and explains the flavours associated with the four traditional whisky regions. Each of us is then given a dram which embodies the aroma we like best – Speyside, Highland, Lowland, Islay (or a blend if they prefer, or Irn Bru for kids and tee-totallers). We take these drinks into the next room: The Diageo Claive Vidiz Scotch Whisky Collection – the largest publicly displayed collection of whisky bottles in the world – where our guide takes us through a nosing and tasting of our whiskies, tells about the collection and points out some of the rarest bottles on display.

The collection continues into the final room, the ‘McIntyre Whisky Gallery’, which offers stupendous views over the Grassmarket and Heriot’s Hospital to the distant Pentlands. Here we learn a bit more about the history of Scotch, and can buy a coffee or a dram – and those that have signed up for a ‘Gold’ or ‘Platinum Experience’ can sample a range of four single malts. Whisky cocktail and food pairing demonstrations are also held here daily. Our tour concludes with a visit to the spacious shop on the ground floor, well stocked with bottles from all Scotland’s whisky producers (the Experience is owned jointly by them), whisky books, glassware and memorabilia, and for those who want to add a cherry to the cake, with lunch or dinner in the first class Amber Restaurant downstairs.

You don’t have to like it to love it

The old Heritage Centre was among the top ten ‘most visited’ attractions in Scotland, welcoming around 220,000 visitors a year. The managers of the new Scotch Whisky Experience are quietly confident that what they now offer will attract even more people – and justifiably so. Their slogan is ‘You don’t have to like it to love it!’, and the goal of the enthusiastic staff is to prove this. Even those who have not yet developed a palate for Scotch pick up on the passion, the romance and above all the complex range of flavours to be found in whisky. Each leaves with, at the very least, increased respect for our national drink. It really is a fun and worthwhile day out for all the family!

field facts

The Scotch Whisky Experience, 354 Castlehill, The Royal Mile, Edinburgh. Tel: 0131 220 0441

www.scotch-whiskyexperience. co.uk