The wait is finally over as the highly anticipated return of Caol Ila Distillery reopening on the Isle of Islay is here.
The island venue which has been closed since 2019 has seen an extensive renovation throughout its premises, welcoming guests back for the first time today to its global visitor attraction.
Drinks firm and owners of the distillery, Diageo, have invested £185 million across various different sites across Scotland in a bid to connect each corner of the country to its Johnnie Walker brand.
Caol Ila (pronounced ‘Cull-Eela’) at Port Askaig is the last of the brand’s new Four Corners home sites, which also include Cardhu, Clynelish, Glenkinchie as well as Johnnie Walker Princes Street, to reopen as the fourth home of Johnnie Walker.
It is the seventh of Diageo’s whisky brand homes to be re-imagined as part of their ongoing multi-million-pound investment in whisky tourism. A total of 12 staff are employed at the premises, with the view to add two more.
What can visitors expect at Caol Ila Distillery?
With a new updated visitor centre area, modern retail space, tasting booths with stunning views of the Paps of Jura and a warehouse maturation area where guests can find out more about the brand, the venue looks quite different.
While just the Flavour Journey tour is available initially where customers can enjoy a full tour plus three drams and a cocktail served in the bar area, two additional experiences will be added in the near future.
They include the Spirit of Smoke: Cask Draw and Tasting where visitors will sample five cask strength Caol Ila expressions in the maturation warehouse that are only available in the distillery and the Taste of Islay which is a 90-minute premium tour showcasing the best flavours of the brand.
On the Flavour Journey guests will be exposed to the brand’s new immersive storytelling rooms which dive into the Johnnie Walker and Caol Ila brands.
Tours will be in operation seven days a week and will take around an hour and a half. Around 12 people will be able to book onto any one session.
Visitors can also enjoy drinks at the venue and do not need to book a tour to visit the bar area or the visitor area where a number of bottlings, including exclusive distillery bottlings, are available to purchase.
Bar snack boards including cheese and meats will be available to tuck into.
Visitors can also purchase a personalised memento from Caol Ila by bottling their own whisky and engraving it with a message.
The new entrance point is also worth noting where visitors now enter through the roof of the visitor centre by crossing a footbridge that is connected to a new car park on the hill behind the distillery.
Local artist recognised
Like each of the distilleries featured as the Four Corners of Johnnie Walker, a unique Striding Man statue salutes visitors with a tip of his hat. Islay artist and craftsperson, Rosemary Fletcher, and her two daughters, Cairistiona Fletcher and Jessica May Fletcher, designed the statue’s top hat, boots and jacket, taking inspiration from the island.
Barbara Smith, managing director of Diageo’s Scotland Brand Homes, said: “Caol Ila is the last of our reimagined brand homes to be unveiled and it’s truly something special.
“Islay is known around the world for its whisky and we’ve ensured that our visitor experience not only tells the story of the Caol Ila brand but also the major role whisky plays in the island’s history.
“The new building will offer something new and unique to visitors and also to locals who will be able to come for social occasions or just to simply enjoy the stunning views.”
Fergus McCreadie – 2022 Mercury Prize shortlisted jazz pianist, whose music is inspired by Scotland’s coast and islands – created a special piece of music and performed it in front of the distillery’s incredible panoramic views to coincide with the opening.
The distillery is open from 10am to 6pm daily throughout January to December.
Diageo boasts 13 other visitor experiences in Scotland.
See inside the new visitor centre and distillery…
Conversation