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01hrs on Wednesday, October 3, 2012

TOURISM MINISTER TOASTS SCOTCH WHISKY VISITOR BOOM

SCOTTISH Tourism Minister, Fergus Ewing, has today (Wednesday, October 3rd) raised a glass of Scotch whisky to toast the growth in visitors to distilleries north of the Border. Announcing the latest visitor figures from Diageo - Scotlands leading whisky tourism operator with 12 distillery visitor centres - Mr Ewing welcomed the growing contribution Scotlands national drink is making to the tourist economy. The figures show an overall 14 per cent growth in the number of tourists being welcomed at Diageos 12 distillery visitor centres over the past twelve months. During the last financial year (from June 2011 to July 2012), there were a total of 271,968 visitors an increase of 33,669 on the previous year. Since 2008 (when Diageo first started recording visitor numbers), when there were 176,471 visitors, the numbers have increased by 54.1 per cent, clearly showing the strength of growth in the popularity of whisky tourism. Diageo has also recorded the country of origin of its visitors and found that year-on-year there had been strong growth in those coming from countries such as China, Brazil, Russia and India the same markets which are also leading the global growth in demand for Scotch whisky. The number of Chinese visitors grew from 804 in 2010 to 1,241 in 2012 - an increase of 54.3 per cent The number of visitors from Brazil grew from 514 in 2010 to 1322 up by 157.1 per cent Visitors from Russia grew from 1,976 in 2010 to 3,762 growth of 90.3 per cent Visitors from India grew from 1,968 in 2010 to 4,729 growth of 140.2 per cent

People of 46 different nationalities visited Diageo distilleries in the past year. The majority came from traditional Scotch whisky markets, with the UK; Germany; USA; France and Spain making up the top five. But most striking was the rapid growth in visitors from the came from the new high growth Scotch whisky markets: Mr Ewing announced the figures at Glenkinchie distillery - which witnessed an increase of 4037 visitors last year - and welcomed the contribution Scotch whisky makes to attract growing numbers of people to Scotland. He said: "Whisky is recognised internationally as Scotland's national drink and one of our finest exports. These figures show the significant contribution that Whisky makes to our economy through not only through sales, but through tourism. People from China to Brazil travel from across the world to see how their favourite tipple is made and sample straight from the cask! "I am confident that as we see new markets being opened up to our national drink we will also see a further increase in visitors from those areas, strengthening local economies in the process."

Peter Lederer, Chairman of Gleneagles Hotel - Scotlands leading five star hotel resort which is owned by Diageo - said the growing popularity of Scotch whisky combined with the high quality of visitor experience offered at the distilleries were the key factors in their increasing success. He said: Scotch whisky is experiencing remarkable success around the world, with people in over 180 countries enjoying the leading brands we produce here in Scotland. That growth is particularly strong in countries in Asia and Latin America and we are now starting to see a knock-on growth in the tourism we are seeing from these markets. People in countries like China and Brazil are attracted to Scotch because of its reputation for provenance, heritage and authenticity. Scotch is the best advert possible for Scotland and customers who enjoy our whisky brands are increasingly attracted to visit the home of Scotch. We are delighted that Scotch whisky is playing such a strong role in attracting new visitors to Scotland and helping to boost the overall tourism economy. Mike Cantlay, Chairman of VisitScotland, also welcomed the latest figures. He said: Instantly synonymous with Scotland, whisky is one of our most valuable icons. The significant increase in the number of visitors to Diageos visitor centres across the country show that our national drink continues to be a huge draw. As we seek to further position Scotland as a world-leading visitor destination, it is extremely encouraging that our strongest attributes continue to go from strength to strength. Diageo operates 28 malt whisky distilleries in Scotland, more than any other company, and with 12 of these having dedicated visitor centres it is also the leading provider of whisky tourism facilities. These include the homes of some of Diageos iconic Scotch whisky brands such as Glenkinchie, Talisker, Oban, Lagavulin, Dalwhinnie, Royal Lochnagar and Cardhu. Talisker, on the Isle of Skye, was Diageos busiest distillery visitor centre with 59,767 people in 2012- up by more than 10 per cent from 54,303 in 2011 - while the iconic Blair Athol Distillery recorded the largest year-on-year increase of 35,411 visitors (up by 37.3 per cent) to 48,621. There were also improved figures at Cardhu (up 38.7 per cent to 8,300 visitors), Royal Lochnagar (up 20.7 per cent to 14,289) and Glenkinchie (up 15.2 per cent to 30,542). In terms of the countries represented by the distillery visitors, the UK came out top with 98,012 visitors with Germany (37,041 visitors), the USA (19,789), France (18,359) and Spain (10,495) making up the remainder of the top five. For more details on Diageos distilleries visit: www.discovering-distilleries.com ENDS Enquiries Diageo Corporate Relations Ian Smith Tel: 0131 519 2045 Mobile: 07736 786 888 ian.smith@diageo.com

Notes to Editors

Diageo distillery visitor centre admission figures:

Distillery Talisker Oban Blair Athol Glenkinchie Dalwhinnie Glen Ord Royal Lochnagar Lagavulin Caol Ila Cardhu Clynelish Cragganmore Total 2008 41,271 30,057 23,391 24,079 16,033 16,923 8,840 4,463 3,597 4,424 2,992 401 176,471 2009 47,115 30,261 31,093 22,827 17,829 17,204 9,175 5,449 4,979 4,315 2,971 1,287 194,505 2010 50,550 32,018 28,375 24,465 20,645 18,126 12,005 7,854 5,813 4,446 3,644 2,491 210,432 2011 54,303 34,128 35,411 26,505 28,292 19,091 11,837 9,355 6,554 5,981 3,855 2,987 238,299 2012 59,767 38,004 48,621 30,542 30,072 20,180 14,289 9,943 3,275 8,300 5,366 3,609 271,968

Blair Athol distillery visitor centre was closed for a substantial period in 2010 to allow for refurbishment work, resulting in a decrease in visitor numbers Caol Ila distillery was closed for major refurbishment in 2011/12, resulting in a drop in visitor numbers

Top six nationalities of visitors to Diageo distilleries in 2012

Nationality 1 2 3 4 5 United Kingdom Germany USA France Spain

Visitor numbers 98,012 37,041 19,789 18,359 10,495

About Diageo Diageo is the world's leading premium drinks business with an outstanding collection of beverage alcohol brands across spirits, beer and wine. These brands include Johnnie Walker, Crown Royal, JB, Windsor, Buchanans and Bushmills whiskies, Smirnoff, Croc and Ketel One vodkas, Baileys, Captain Morgan, Jose Cuervo, Tanqueray and Guinness. Diageo is a global company, with its products sold in more than 180 countries around the world. The company is listed on both the New York Stock Exchange (DEO) and the London Stock Exchange (DGE).

For more information about Diageo, its people, brands, and performance, visit us at Diageo.com. For our global resource that promotes responsible drinking through the sharing of best practice tools, information and initiatives, visit DRINKiQ.com. Celebrating life, every day, everywhere. About Diageo in Scotland Scotland is one of Diageos largest spirit supply centres responsible for producing nearly 50 million cases of leading brands of Scotch whisky and white spirits and over four million cases of Ready To Drink brands annually. Around 85% of Diageos brands produced in Scotland are sold overseas. Diageo in Scotland currently employs around 4,000 people. Diageo currently operates 28 malt distilleries, one grain distillery and has a 50 per cent share in a second grain distillery. As well as engineering and technical support functions, there are extensive warehousing operations in Scotland, and the companys Scottish headquarters are in Edinburgh.