The Glenlivet's New Visitor Centre Blends History & Innovation

The Glenlivet Visitor Experience

The Glenlivet Reveals a Stunning Whisky Experience in Speyside's Heart

The Glenlivet, the iconic Scottish single malt whisky maker, has undergone a major renovation of its distillery in Speyside, Scotland to incorporate a cutting edge and evocative new 855 m visitor experience designed by Blacksheep, the London based specialist F&B design studio, which immerses guests in The Glenlivet's rich history. Blacksheep is responsible both for the interior and experience design, which takes direct inspiration from the wilderness of the Cairngorms National Park landscape that surrounds The Glenlivet Estate in which the distillery sits.

Tim Mutton, Founder of Blacksheep, said: "The brief was to make The Glenlivet Distillery the number one whisky experience in Speyside for both guests and staff. We were asked to communicate and embrace The Glenlivet brand vision and mission into a unique set of design sensibilities in an engaging and eloquent way and to project the new The Glenlivet Distillery Centre in Speyside as a modern dynamic destination within the International Whisky market."

Harnessing raw materials directly from nature, Blacksheep has crafted a distinctive and dynamic visitor experience. The Blacksheep team has articulated the rich authenticity of The Glenlivet brand and with a focus on hospitality have broken down whisky traditions to define a series of innovative experiences that opens up the enjoyment of whisky to a new generation. The result is an intimate and welcoming new home for The Glenlivet.

The visitor experience is spread over the ground and lower floors of the distillery.

Jacob Banks from Dodds and Shute, a design led platform dedicated to sourcing the most sustainable products, for projects including The Glenlivet Visitor Experience said: "We worked very closely with Blacksheep and The Glenlivet Distillery themselves to source and supply the FF&E for the project. We helped throughout the process to select the fabrics and the bespoke FF&E items for the site.

"The brief was about reflecting the brand story through traditional interiors so there wasn't necessarily a specific aesthetic to follow; it was more about referring to the Scottish home feeling and creating a comfortable and inviting environment with some vintage and vibrant touches to pay tribute to the beautiful surrounding light and nature."

Visitors enter the experience at the reception where they are greeted by a spectacular custom chandelier by London based florists, Grandirosa, which is made from local dried wildflowers. This sits above a large table with hand turned legs designed by Blacksheep made by Elmwood Projects of Glasgow from Antique bleached oak. From here the visitors then embark on a guided explorative journey through a series of spaces that bring the story of The Glenlivet to life.

To the left of the reception lies the Lounge, which acts as a waiting area ahead of the tour and features comfortable sofas and armchairs in a blue upholstered fabric. These are complemented by leather lounge chairs and deep buttoned poufs. An intricate, bespoke, hand-crafted plasterwork inspired by Scottish foliage and nature, created by the master craftspeople at Locker & Riley, sits above a feature working fireplace, giving the room a cosy and welcoming domestic ambience. The Lounge also includes a portrait of George Smith, the founder of The Glenlivet, and his original pistols from The Glenlivet's historical archive presented in a bespoke cabinet designed by Blacksheep. All the paintings on display are from The Glenlivet's private collection that further add to the story of The Glenlivet.

The History Room can be found by the entrance to the Speyside Room with a triple height illuminated bottle wall alongside graphics on the key people in The Glenlivet story. A concealed sliding door hides the entrance to the Speyside Room and beyond.The Speyside Room features a dramatically sweeping indoor field of barley, also by Grandirosa. This is the whisky's key ingredient and has been harvested and preserved at one of the local farms that supplies The Glenlivet. The walls of the space feature large LED screens that tells a different element of The Glenlivet story, allowing visitors to hear from the artisans and makers behind the whisky. Distinctive stained oak hand carved panelling has been used throughout evoking the inside of a whisky barrel and adding to the overall ambience of the space. Blacksheep also developed a 3D routed landscape of the Glenlivet valley, overlaid by a motion graphic projection, bringing the distillery's locale area to life.

The Process Room provides visitors with an interactive masterclass in the distillation process. Set within one of the original washback drums, the room features a digital animated ceiling and stone water pump enabling tasters to immerse themselves in the whisky making process.

The Tasting Room is a dramatic circular space with a round custom walnut table at its centre. A sculptural central display rises from the table displaying a selection of The Glenlivet whiskies. The room is wrapped with a circular walnut counter and stools facing the central table reinforcing the rooms' theatrical purpose. Copper inlayed tasting notes on the countertop provides tasters with background on the whiskies being sampled.

The Sample Room is The Glenlivet's premium retail space. It is inspired by an original whisky preparation room, with a central wooden display of The Glenlivet's finest collections. At its centre sits the Winchester, a £19K bottle of The Glenlivet whisky in a bespoke cabinet designed by Blacksheep. The Provision Room is The Glenlivet's second retail space offering an.

The Drawing Room, The Glenlivet's atmospheric and relaxed onsite bar echoes the design of the Lounge with a series of sofas in red fabric and upholstered lounge chairs with customised upholstery. Here, visitors can sit and enjoy some of The Glenlivet definitive single malt, whilst admiring a bespoke mosaic floor by Scottish artist and ceramic maker, Helen Miles, which celebrates Scottish history. A large custom drinks cabinet in the room is inspired by the work of Charles Rennie Mackintosh.

The Smugglers Hideout is an elevated private space for tasting the finest bottles of The Glenlivet, which can also be used as a private space for a unique tasting experience and features another custom dried flower chandelier and a custom oak counter fronted by eight leather topped bar stools. The walls are wrapped in bespoke wooden shelving which display eighty-three hand-crafted clay pots by Whichford Pottery, created to replicate those that were historically used to smuggle The Glenlivet through the Scottish hillsides many years ago.

The visitor experience also includes The Glenlivet Warehouse, featuring the distillery's whisky casksA custom lighting scheme by Into Lighting brings a touch of drama to the space and celebrates the casks' precious contents.

For more information, please visit: https://www.theglenlivet.com/en-UK