Diageo’s plans centre around the renovation and conversion of Glenkinchie’s traditional red brick warehouse buildings into a multi-levelled visitor experience, which will include a welcome lounge, retail unit, bar and cocktail making classroom, tasting rooms and a cask draw experience.

The submission of formal plans follows community engagement last month as well as pre-application consultation with East Lothian Council and Historic Environment Scotland.

The plans are part of Diageo’s £150 million investment to upgrade its Scotch whisky centres, which also include a new Johnnie Walker experience in Edinburgh.

The upgrade will see the site ‘directly linked’ to the new Johnnie Walker site, along with three other distilleries representing the ‘four corners of Scotland’ and Scotch whisky’s regional flavour profiles: Cardhu (Speyside), Caol Ila (Island), and Clynelish (Highlands).

Ramsay Borthwick, Glenkinchie distillery manager, said: “This is a very significant and exciting point on our journey to transform Glenkinchie.

“We are all incredibly excited about the plans which will surely capture the imagination of Scotch whisky fans of all ages, tastes and experience from around the world.

“We want to celebrate the distillery’s history and combine this with a new state-of-the-art visitor experience which will not only link us to the new global Johnnie Walker visitor attraction in Edinburgh but will establish Glenkinchie as a must-see for tourists in Scotland.”

Subject to planning approval, work will commence in 2019 and is expected to be completed by 2020.