THE FAMOUS GROUSE EXPERIENCE WINNER OF BEST VISITOR EXPERIENCE AWARD

The Famous Grouse Experience at Glenturret Distillery in Crieff has picked up the Best Visitor Experience Award at the Association of Scottish Visitor Attractions (ASVA) awards, held last night at Crieff Hydro.

A busy time for the distillery, last week saw 152 locals and whisky enthusiasts alike gather to celebrate 240 years of distilling whisky on the same site in Crieff with a successful world record attempt for the most people to raise a traditional Scottish dram.

Entries for the award, sponsored by The Royal Yacht Britannia, were received from visitor attractions across Scotland, all of whom were then visited by members of Britannia’s management team to see if they were delivering what they promised in their entry forms. The 3 finalists, which also included Edinburgh’s Camera Obscura & World of Illusions, and The National Trust for Scotland’s Drum Castle, were then visited by the judging panel chaired by Bob Downie, Chief Executive of The Royal Yacht Britannia.

Stuart Cassells, General Manager at The Famous Grouse Experience, said:

“We’re delighted to have been awarded Best Visitor Attraction 2015 by ASVA and is a testimony to the hard work and dedication of the team, who welcome tens of thousands of visitors every year. We know we have a world-class venue that is enjoyed by so many people every year and everyone here at The Famous Grouse Experience is thrilled for that to have been recognised.”

“The entire Famous Grouse team, from customer-facing tour hosts to the talented stillmen who lovingly create the famous golden Glenturret malt, have a key focus – an unwavering commitment to offering an outstanding experience to the people who come to explore Scotland’s oldest working distillery.”

The Famous Grouse Experience has so far this year secured nominations for Whisky Visitor Attraction of the Year, a title which it won last year, and Whisky Visitor Attraction Manager for The Famous Grouse Experience’s General Manager Stuart Cassells, firmly placing it as one of Scotland’s top visitor attractions.

Commenting on The Famous Grouse Experience’s win, Chairman of the judges Bob Downie said:

“Glenturret is clearly a visitor attraction that focuses on the customer first and foremost, providing an exceptional visitor experience, coupled with outstanding customer service to deliver whisky storytelling at its very best”. 

ASVA Acting Chairman Douglas Walker said: “This was an absolutely outstanding entry, with staff at the attraction clearly going ‘above and beyond’ to provide visitors with a truly memorable visit.”

For more information or to visit The Famous Grouse Experience visit www.thefamousgrouseexperience.com

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For further information on this news release, please contact Tricia Fox, Volpa: 01738 658187, Email: t.fox@volpa.co.uk 

Notes to Editors

IMAGE DETAILS - Bob Downie from The Royal Yacht Britannia (Left) presents Lesley Williamson (Centre) and Mandy Ingram (Right) from The Famous Grouse Experience with the award for ‘Best Visitor Experience 2015’

About the Association of Scottish Visitor Attractions

•             Links to winning visitor attractions can be found at www.asva.co.uk. 

•             ASVA has over 450 member visitor attractions.

•             Its member sites attract almost 32 million visitors each year.

•             Visitor attractions in ASVA membership generate almost 5,000 Full Time Equivalent jobs for the Scottish economy.

About The Glenturret Distillery and The Famous Grouse Experience

• The Famous Grouse Experience is located at Scotland’s oldest working distillery – Glenturret. Originally established as a single malt distillery in 1775, today The Famous Grouse Experience is the most visited distillery in Scotland (welcoming an average of 100,000 visitors every year).

• The distillery was fully refurbished in 2014 and was recently awarded UK Whisky Visitor Attraction of the Year by Whisky Magazine and finished in the top three at the Global Icons of Whisky Awards for Whisky Visitor Attraction of the Year.

• It has recently announced the opening of a new café & restaurant on site, Wilde Thyme at Glenturret, a partnership with award winning Comrie based luxury caterers Wilde Thyme offering the very best in locally sourced Scottish produce and dishes that give diners an authentic and delicious taste of Perthshire. 

• The distillery offers the opportunity to learn how a single malt is made in the traditional way, as well as learning how some of the Glenturret single malt is then blended along with other grain and malt whiskies to create The Famous Grouse, the No. 1 whisky in the UK.

• Opening Hours10am-6pm (Nov-Feb 10am-5pm)

• Visitor and café restaurant Opening Hours 10am-6pm (Nov-Feb 10am-5pm)

• For more information please visit www.thefamousgrouseexperience.com or call 01764 656565

Tour Experiences

• Distillery Experience: (1 hour) Runs hourly. Includes one exceptional distillery tour, and a taste of two fine whiskies. £10 adult, £9 concession (seniors/students/under 18s).

• Tasting Experience: (1 hour) Runs hourly. Includes one exceptional distillery tour, a taste of five fine whiskies and a souvenir nosing glass to keep. £20 Famous Tasting, £30 Finest Tasting, Over 18s only.

• Warehouse Experience: (1½ hours) Includes one exceptional distillery tour, a taste of four fine whiskies and a magical peek at hundreds of sleeping casks in our very special warehouse. £40, Over 18s only, Pre-booking recommended.

• Blending Experience: (2 hours) Includes one exceptional distillery tour, a tasting of four fine whiskies inside our exclusive bonded warehouse and a unique opportunity to master the art of blending your own whisky, complete with complimentary 100ml bottle and certificate. £60, Over 18s only, Pre-booking recommended.

• Stillman Experience: (Full day) Available Tue, Wed, Thu. Includes one exceptional experience with unrivalled access to the unique world of whisky production. Spend the day side by side with our Stillman and our Drammolier™, learn the art of blending, and toast one fine day with a dram from your complimentary bottle of The Glenturret Highland Single Malt. £250, Over 18s only, Pre-booking essential.