The Johnnie Walker Experience
Our last day in Edinburgh was quintessentially Scottish
The morning greeted us with rain, so armed with an umbrella and the optimistic belief that it would "probably let up soon," we made the short walk from the Balmoral Hotel to the Johnnie Walker storefront. Even in the rain Edinburgh is stunningly beautiful.
I’ll admit it: when we booked the Johnnie Walker Experience, I was expecting another distillery tour. Instead, we got a Disney-style production about Scotch whisky.
The experience starts before the tour begins. A tablet prompts you to answer a list of questions about what kinds of foods you enjoy, and you're assigned a personalized wristband in the color that matches your preferred flavor profile. Shawn got Fruity, I got Creamy.
Once the tour started, the whole place becomes an interactive journey through the world of Johnnie Walker. There were lights, music, video, moving sets, and energetic hosts who convinced an entire room full of adults to enthusiastically follow them from one room to another, learning about the brand along the way.
The production value was genuinely impressive. Every room was designed to explain a part of whisky-making or the Johnnie Walker story without feeling like a history lecture. It was polished, clever, and surprisingly fun.
And then came the drinks.
Because of those questionnaires at the beginning, the first bar featured a cocktail tailored to our flavor preferences. You match your wristband color to the bottom of the glass, then set it in a machine that doles out a highball tailored to you. We even got to garnish our specific drink with guidance on what to add. It meant we never had to fake an appreciation for a smoky whisky that tasted like someone had accidentally set your dinner on fire.
The last stop gave you the opportunity to sample 2 neat whiskies, or cocktails if you preferred. We both got our money’s worth by sampling the 18 year old neat x 2.
By the end of the tour, we had learned a surprising amount about blending, flavor profiles, and the history of Johnnie Walker, and had a great time doing it. I would recommend this tour even for non-drinkers. (They have mocktails too)
When we were done with our experience, we made our way to the 1820 Rooftop Bar overlooking Edinburgh. Shawn tried the Johnnie Walker Blue Label Ghost and Rare, and the bartender recommended a second tasting for me of a whisky that was older than our kids. Like all Scotts we have interacted with, she had a great sense of humor and made us feel like family.
Of course, after spending the afternoon learning about Scotch whisky, it seemed only logical to continue our "research." After about 10,000 steps around the Old Town to burn off our last rounds, we wandered back to the Balmoral and settled into the legendary Scotch Bar. This is a serious bar with serious whisky knowledge in the kilt-clad bartenders working there. With hundreds of bottles to choose from, we tried 3 with some input from the bartender, but mostly based on Shawn’s research. We had a $100 food & beverage credit to use from our Amex Fine Hotels rewards, and these 3 drinks took care of that.
After all that whisky, it was time for some food! We had reservations at the historic Café Royal for dinner. It’s just a short walk from the Balmoral.
We had started the morning walking through the city in the rain, drank all the whisky, walked some more, drank some more, and ended the evening in one of the city’s most beautiful dining rooms. A perfect day in Edinburgh!