Diageo’s multimillion-pound Johnnie Walker visitor attraction opens its doors to the public today on Edinburgh’s Princes Street.

Spread across eight storeys and 71,500 sq ft, the Johnnie Walker Princes Street is at the heart of drinks giant Diageo’s £185m investment in Scottish whisky tourism. 

The experience is housed in the former House of Fraser building in Edinburgh and features two rooftop bars and a terrace, private dining areas, live performance areas and modern sensory tasting rooms, alongside tours and tasting experiences.

On the ground floor of the building is a retail store, based on the Johnnie Walker flagship in Madrid, where shoppers can select from rare and exclusive whiskies, fill their own bottles and have them personalised. There is also a basement testing room, complete with maturing whisky casks.

The building housing the new attraction is an Edinburgh landmark and Diageo has restored the ornate cantilever clock on the roof. 

A unique blending facility offers more than 800 possible whisky combinations for customers to try. The early history of Johnnie Walker is also illustrated through the use of video, animation and live performance; and a reproduction of Walker’s original grocery shop offers cocktail-tasting options.

Diageo chief executive Ivan Menezes said: “This is a proud day for everyone. Last year Johnnie Walker celebrated 200 years since founder John Walker opened the doors to his small grocery store and today represents the next chapter of the incredible story. 

“Johnnie Walker Princes Street is a landmark investment in Scotch whisky and into Scotland and it sets a new standard for immersive visitor attractions. It celebrates Scotland’s remarkable heritage, our incredible skilled whisky-makers, and looks to the future by engaging new generations of consumers from around the world in the magic of Scotch whisky.”

While the bulk of the £185m has been spent on the new store, Diageo has also invested in visitor experiences at Johnnie Walker distilleries in Glenkinchie, Clynelish, Cardhu and Caol Ila.