100,000 visitors a year is goal of major Tomatin Distillery expansion plan
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More than 100,000 visitors a year could soon be touring the Tomatin Distillery if ambitious multimillion pound plans to expand the site are realised.
That's the hope of the distillery as it prepares to embark on planned expansion work. This will result in the creation of a large new visitor centre in phase one, and will later include on-site VIP accommodation for whisky fans – and a possible path network that will better connect it to the village and local hills as part of wider hopes of fostering even closer relationships with the community in which it is located.
If the application for the visitor centre is approved by Highland Council, the new build could be open by May 2025 as part of phase one of the distillery's wider plan to capitalise on surging tourist demand for whisky experiences in Scotland.
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The distillery currently welcomes more than 30,000 visitors every year, but is hopeful of attracting up to 100,000 annually once its expansion is complete.
The plan for the new centre, which was first revealed by the Courier in November, is described as being a central hub with a "village square" type vibe around which the rest of its visitor offering will revolve.
Visitor centre manager Martin Macalister Hall explained that the site also aims to increase its number of whisky tours from three to four, offering a range of warehouse tasting, a blending academy and Highland food and drink.
One key aspect of the expansion is not just increasing the number of visitors but also the time they spend in the area once they arrive – the so-called 'dwell time'.
He explained that it is currently around one hour and 40 minutes, but that the distillery hopes to increase this significantly – with benefits not just for the distillery but also for the nearby village.
And he added that the distillery's long history of ties to the community are also something it wishes to develop further in the years ahead.
He explained that the distillery takes its responsibilities to the local community seriously, and wanted its expansion to be of benefit to the wider community too. He said: "We don't want to go into direct competition with the likes of The Three Bridges [Cafe] in the village. We want to work with the community and send them [visitors] down there.
"We're very much careful about what we trade there [in our food offering and visitor centre]."
He explained that this was why the food the visitor centre hopes to serve will be via "small sample plates that reflect the best of the Highlands", akin to a small charcuterie menu, rather than something that would compete directly with local eateries. They would also serve to boost local food providers.
He went on to say that the privately-owned distillery's long history of staff living and working on site was important to its identity, and that he hoped this could be built on further as the site grows.
"A good thing about our company is our people. Half of them live on site [in dedicated houses] and the rest live in the village and nearby."
"It gives young folk the idea that perhaps they can have a career where they grew up. It's giving people the opportunity to see 'actually, I don't have to leave Tomatin'.
"The expansion is an exciting time for us and an exciting time for the distillery."
He added that phase two "and beyond" hoped to make more use of the distillery's 140 acres of land, of which it currently uses "only a small part", and also bring some of the vacant on-site buildings back into use as whisky-related accommodation.
The distillery is also said to be eager to open up the land for the public to more easily access it, with a possible network of paths and cycleways being one idea they are looking at, as well as bothy and picnic areas on the hills.
Martin hopes this will encourage people not just to spend more time at the distillery, but also in the local community – boosting both.
