VisitScotland Business Events Travel Trade Corporate Media Toolkit

We use cookies

We use Cookies to improve your experience on this site.

You can accept our cookies policy or customise your choices.

Please refer to our Cookies Policy for more information.

Manage cookies settings

Aberdeenshire whisky shop toasts 5 Star national tourism rating

Proxy

An Aberdeenshire whisky shop and tasting room has been awarded VisitScotland’s highest Quality Assurance (QA) grading at its first-ever visit.

Still Spirit - set in a stunning location on the outskirts of Pitmedden, near Ellon, and part of Whisky Hammer, one of the world’s leading online whisky auction houses - has been awarded the national tourism organisation’s 5 Star Tourist Shop award, despite only joining the QA scheme in August 2021. It is one of only three 5* tourist shops in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire.

Staff moved into the shop, which also has an online presence, in September 2020, though due to the pandemic it only opened properly in the new year 2021. Over the last 12 months, Still Spirit has been offering both private and public tasting events suited to every budget and party size, attended by brand ambassadors and whisky experts. 

Sessions have included a collaboration with Meat Monsters smokehouse in Ellon, with traditional Speyside malt Benromach being paired with five different smokehouse meats. A small, decked area outside the store means customers can enjoy a dram in the surrounding countryside on a summer’s evening.

A new warehouse is currently being developed on the site which will house 2,000 casks of whisky, due to be ready to buy by the end of the year. With visitors coming from as far afield as India and Hong Kong, it means they can see the warehouse, taste the whisky and buy a bottle or cask direct from the warehouse.

The shop sells a wide variety of whiskies from across Scotland as well as other fine spirits, including gin, rum, vodka and tequila, and in the fully-stocked take-away dram bar, some old and rare drams can be found.

VisitScotland’s Quality Assurance Scheme has been refreshed in line with the changing landscape, and in consultation with industry, to continue to provide a trusted, relevant and impartial source of information for visitors, as well as the businesses taking part. 

VisitScotland has recently undertaken a pilot programme of visits to test the new procedures, health and safety protocols and risk assessments which have been introduced since the COVID-19 pandemic. This is a key first step towards the return of in-person grading visits for all members, which will resume later this year. 

 Daniel Milne, Managing Director at Still Spirit, said:

“As a fairly young business, we’re always looking for ways to improve our offering and give customers the best possible experience in store and at our dram bar. The 5 Star rating from VisitScotland is a welcome acknowledgement that we’re moving in the right direction as a business and helping to strengthen tourism in the local area in the process.”

 David Jackson, VisitScotland Regional Director, said:

“I hope the success of Still Spirit sets an example to other businesses to join the scheme, which benefits tourism businesses and visitors alike. It is vital that everyone involved in tourism works together to offer visitors a fantastic experience when visiting and staying in Aberdeenshire, to strengthen our tourism offering.

 “Our Quality Assurance scheme can help us drive up standards across the industry, effectively setting expectations and providing reassurance for visitors to Scotland. Our Stars represent world class excellence – helping businesses demonstrate they care about quality and enabling visitors to make informed choices.”

For more information, visit www.stillspirit.co.ukor @stillspiritudny on Instagram.

For more information on VisitScotland’s Quality Assurance scheme, please visit: https://www.visitscotland.org/supporting-your-business/visitor-experience/quality-assurance-ratings

Ends

Save Download

Aberdeenshire Whisky Shop Toasts 5 Star National Tourism Rating

Whisky shop awarded top tourism rating

Asset type post
ID 111779
Word count 669 words

Licence

Licence Rights Managed - VS Editorial A Licence to use assets for editorial purposes, which is, to illustrate an event or story in an article but not commercially such as marketing a product or print ad. An Editorial asset may show a brand, a trademarked logo or product, a public personality, or recognisable people, without a signed release or with limited releases. When you use VisitScotland Editorial content you do so to illustrate Scottish tourism in a positive way.
Expiry No expiry date
Released
Usage Editorial content can be published in a variety of formats ranging from print or digital to online. In print content can be featured in *newspapers *magazines *brochures. Online content can be published in a *blog *website *article or *social media. Regardless of the format this content should always promote Scotland’s tourism in a positive way.

Tags