ARDNAHOE Distillery, which officially opened its doors in April this year, has wasted little time in establishing itself as a major tourist destination with the award of a five-star rating from VisitScotland.
The distillery, owned by independent whisky firm Hunter Laing, offers a range of tours and tastings and has already welcomed 24,000 visitors.
Ardnahoe is only the second of Islay’s nine distilleries to have secured a five-star rating from VisitScotland (Bowmore, the island’s oldest distillery, is the other).
Paul Graham, visitor centre operations manager at Ardnahoe, said: “The whole distillery team at Ardnahoe have a real passion for whisky and Islay. Coupled with their expert knowledge and warm welcome, they have offered an exceptional experience for visitors since we opened in April. I’m thrilled to see our hard work recognised by this award from VisitScotland.”
David Adams McGilp, VisitScotland regional director, said the five-star rating was “a testament to the hard work of this business to offer a quality experience”.
“Our Quality Assurance Scheme is world-leading and provides a trusted, independent and impartial source of information for visitors,” he said.
“It is about much more than just a star rating – it is about the entire visitor experience and investing in the business to make it as economically sustainable, and profitable, as it can be.”
