Johnnie Walker Princes St

Standing tall at the west end of Princes St the new Johnnie Walker Experience is just that, an experience!

There is no distillery, no cooperage and no whisky store however the world and history of Johnnie Walker is told with dazzling effects.

Making each experience personal begins with  determining your whisky flavour profile. We discover we were spicy and creamy so sporty our respectively coloured wristbands we began our Johnnie Walker journey.

The surroundings in every part of the eight floor building is highly finished with light and visual effects everywhere. The tour is very inclusive with our guide and her Johnnie Walker walking cane interacting with all visual effects. 

The history of Johnnie Walker was told by an amazing actress. With sliding panels, moving stage floors and many props she told how it all began to how today it is known as the bartenders' favourite whiskies. 

Moving on we entered the highball bar where our flavour profile played an important role. The room had an array of gleaming gold whisky machines which, after placing a matching coloured glass to our wristbands, served a super cocktail to match our personal tastes. The final touch, a corresponding garnish completing our Johnnie Walker highball cocktail.

After enjoying our drinks we moved into another great interactive room learning more about the various flavours in each brand and style of whisky. The story of how whisky is made was illuminated along the walls using clever lighting and moving graphic designs, a super way to explain this technique without an actual distillery.

Our final room was of course another bar ... it was after all a whisky experience. Here we had free choice of any flavour profile as a highball, an old fashioned or a dram. I chose a fruity old fashioned, so delicious I'm hoping to replicate it at home. Hubby had a dram of Gold Reserve, no ice, straight as it comes. 

Our second drinks were soon served and I again selected an old fashioned, this time with star anise. It was lovely but not quite as nice as the fruity version. A dram of Green Label was Hubby's second choice, again without ice. 

Our Johnnie Walker Experience was a super way to learn more about these blends of whisky, such variety in flavour to suit everyone's taste and style. 

After the tour we moved to the rooftop 1820 bar having pre-cooked a table. The bar was certainly well stocked, the food menu inviting, the service professional and the view of Edinburgh castle stunning.

After studying the drinks list we chose a whisky each, the wine was tempting but when on location! My Knockando was smooth and full of caramel, Hubby chose a Mortlach as although we stayed in Dufftown this was not a brand we had tried. To accompany our drams we shared a cheese board and some olives, such a treat in amazing surroundings.

Princes St is also Johnnie Walker's flagship store, a whisky delight in an elegant, high market setting. The merchandise ranged from playing cards to coats and the store walls were lined with every style of Johnnie Walker as well as Diageo's other brands. The Rare and Exceptional room housed some very expensive bottles, none more so than Johnnie Walker's Master's Ruby Reserve 40 year old. A delightful bottle in many ways.

Without a doubt Johnnie Walker Princes St was an experience: the amazing technology, the elegant bars, the superb whisky and the stunning views.

It was a memory to treasure joining Johnnie Walker, decked in the colours of Scotland, on the rooftop terrace in front of Edinburgh Castle. I'll certainly 'keep walking'.