The £600,000 investment sees a former engineering workshop be transformed to house a whisky bar; tasting lounge; extra toilets, including disabled facilities; and substantial outdoor seating space with incredible uninterrupted views of Ben Rinnes.

The whisky bar will offer a range of The GlenAllachie Distillers Company’s whiskies and rums, offered in single measures or as a flight, as well as mixers and locally made soft drink options.

As part of the distillery’s sustainability efforts, the new space will be heated using excess heat energy from the stillhouse: the room where distilling takes place. Electric vehicle charging points have also been installed for visitor use.

Along with the expansion, The GlenAllachie’s Visitor Centre team has doubled over the last 12 months to cater for accelerating demand and footfall since recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic.

The company appointed Tracy Sellar as visitor centre manager in 2022 to oversee its upgrading and upscaling, as well as the ongoing strategic running of The GlenAllachie’s brand home.

The distillery plans to further expand its visitor experience offering once the whisky bar is fully up and running.

Commenting on the expansion, Tracy Sellar said: “We’re thrilled to unveil our expanded Visitor Centre at The GlenAllachie Distillery after months of planning and preparation. As a team, we identified a gap in our offering: the option to enjoy a dram or flight without the need to join a tour.

“The new whisky bar, between the indoor and outdoor space, allows for an impressive capacity of 100 people at any one time. As we continue to expand as a visitor attraction, we look forward to a busy summer season with more experiences to offer our guests.”

Winner of Visitor Attraction of the Year (Icons of Whisky Scotland, 2022), the site opened to the public for the very first time in April 2019 with a retail shop, small tasting room and limited tour programme.

The GlenAllachie is hosting a launch event for the whisky bar and tasting lounge on Thursday 13th July 2023 from 17:30 – 19:30, open to all, which will showcase the new space, with drams and nibbles on offer.