The City of Edinburgh Council planning committee yesterday granted official permission for the project, which is the focal point of a £150 million investment in Scotch whisky tourism by global spirits company Diageo.

The venue is expected to create 160-180 new full-time equivalent jobs and to generate in the region of £135m in tourism spend in the wider Edinburgh economy.

Under the proposals, the building at 146 Princes Street will be meticulously restored with many of its beautiful heritage features preserved where possible and integrated into the visitor experience. This will include restoring the famous clock on the corner of Princes Street and Hope Street – known locally as the Binns corner after the former department store - which was an Edinburgh institution and traditional meeting point for city residents.

The plans include: 

• A multi-sensory, immersive visitor experience across three floors, guiding people through the 200 year history of the brand, the art and science of whisky-making, and taking them on a journey through the flavours of Scotland.
• A flexible events space for staging music, theatre, arts and community events, making the venue part of the thriving cultural life of the city.
• A training academy that will be a home for Diageo’s award-winning Learning for Life programme, which creates training and employment opportunities in the hospitality industry for unemployed people, and works to improve hospitality standards and promotes the responsible serving and consumption of alcohol.
• Roof-top access with stunning views of Edinburgh Castle and across the city skyline to east, west and north.
• At street level the plans include a significant retail space, bringing a contemporary shopping experience and interior design inspired by the Johnnie Walker retail flagship store in Madrid, which opened in November.

An application for a premises licence for the sale of alcohol will be considered by the City of Edinburgh Licensing Board in due course.

David Cutter, chairman of Diageo in Scotland, said: “This is another significant step forward in our journey to create an inspiring flagship destination for Johnnie Walker.

“We have had great support for our proposals from local stakeholders and businesses in Edinburgh and we are grateful to everyone who has helped us to get to this stage. We will continue to work with the local community as we now progress with construction and with making our plans a reality.”

Diageo is currently investing over £185m in Scotch whisky experiences in Scotland. As well as the Edinburgh location, the company is also investing to transform its existing 12 distillery visitor attractions across Scotland and a £35m investment to reopen the iconic distilleries of Port Ellen and Brora.

Construction work is expected to begin in the early summer.