October 12 2018

Diageo has provided its first indication of how a new Islay distillery could look after staging a public exhibition of its outline plans to overhaul the visitor experience at Caol Isla ahead of a formal planning application.

Simpson & Brown Architects are steering plans for an upgrade of the existing facility as part of a £150m investment package for each of its Caol Ila, Glenkinchie, Cardhu and Clynelish single malt visitor centres. Together each of these attractions will plug into a wider Johnnie Walker tour of Scotland centred on a global visitor experience in Edinburgh.

These plans will see the current warehouse transformed to include a bar boasting views across the Sound of Islay as well as a new footbridge to provide direct access to a new build visitor centre.

A planning application will be lodged with Argyll & Bute Council before the end of the year with work commencing in 2019 should the submission be successful.
 

6 Comments

#1 Posted by Fat Bloke on Tour on 13 Oct 2018 at 10:58 AM

Got to love the cod history / management techno babble in all of this.

To them Scotland is only so much rock and peat that revolves around Edinburgh.

Kilmarnock is just a blip — a long lost relative that nobody talks about through personal shame and a sense that reality is now optional in the post truth / post Trump world.

Butcher a town’s economy and spend the savings on some tourist friendly tat in amongst the Teuchters — that is what now passes for progress in today’s multi national world.

#2 Posted by Fat Bloke on Tour on 13 Oct 2018 at 12:47 PM

As for the design — not very classy at all.
Overstatement abounds.

Plus the roof terrace looks like a low rent 1970’s extension with a patio on top.

Not good.

#3 Posted by theo saurus on 15 Oct 2018 at 08:35 AM

nice to see development all across Scotland that tells the story and tempt tourists away from the ugly sisters of the central belt. killie is famous for its pie and its rampant bigotry FBoT??
'Techtars'?

#4 Posted by boaby wan on 15 Oct 2018 at 10:34 AM

My previous comment on this wasn't approved, didn't think it was anything too bad.
The image presented here is terrible

#5 Posted by Fat Bloke on Tour on 15 Oct 2018 at 14:15 PM

But what story does it tell -- that Scotland is just Auld Reekie with a garden?
Kilmarnock is just airbrushed out of the story.
How sad.

What next for a similar corporate makeover -- Tennents Lager?

That would be a hut by Loch Katrine and a kiosk in Edinburgh Airport?

#6 Posted by Dulnain on 16 Oct 2018 at 11:36 AM

Pity about the poor tourists seemingly trapped on the patio and a stair which appears to serve no purpose.
Hopefully by the time a planning application is made there has been a rethink of design into something that sits happily into the existing building and provides the visual experience talked about in the blurb

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