Edinburgh

The Scotch Whisky Experience

A whisky visitor centre at 354 Castlehill, at the top of the Royal Mile, with tours around a collection of 3,384 bottles, a shop and a restaurant.

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Welcome

At 354 Castlehill, beside the castle at the top of the Royal Mile, the Scotch Whisky Experience is a visitor centre for Scotch, covering how it is made, how it is tasted, and its history.

Visited and photographed by Simon Hird

It is not a distillery, which makes it a good first stop before you visit one.

Every tour passes the Claive Vidiz collection of 3,384 bottles, built up over 35 years by a whisky lover in Sao Paulo and brought home to Scotland, where it has been on show here since May 2009. The Silver Tour takes 50 minutes and suits children, who get a glass of Irn Bru and a trail to follow.

You can visit the shop, with over 550 bottlings, and the Amber restaurant and bar without a tour ticket. Tours can be booked right up to the start time, and the building has a lift to every level.

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Before you go

Every tour passes the collection.

The shop, restaurant and bar are open to you without a tour ticket.

Where: 354 Castlehill, The Royal Mile, Edinburgh EH1 2NE, beside the castle.
Open: Tours from 10am with the last tour at 7pm; the shop 10am to 8pm; Amber restaurant and whisky bar from noon to 9pm.
Price: Silver Tour £25 an adult, Gold Tour £39.75 an adult, Taste of Scotland £95 an adult, on the Plan Your Visit page on 21 October 2026. Concessions on the Silver Tour are for ages 60 and over and students with ID.
Booking: Booking in advance online is recommended, and you can book right up to your tour time. Tickets can be rescheduled up to 48 hours before.
Parking: None for visitors, and none on the Royal Mile. Castle Terrace NCP is about 0.4 miles away and Q-Park Quartermile about 0.6 miles.
Dogs: Assistance dogs are welcome, with water bowls at the box office.
Getting there: Edinburgh Waverley is 0.6 miles away on foot. No bus stops at the door; buses stop on North Bridge, a 0.4 mile walk, and the nearest tram stop is 0.5 miles away.
Access: Automatic doors, a lift to every level and accessible toilets. The streets up to Castlehill are on an incline and cobbled, and most of the tour is spent sitting down. Hearing loop, audio guides, BSL, ASL and International Sign are available.
Food: Amber restaurant and whisky bar, open daily from noon, with a children's menu; allergen information on request.
Children: The Silver Tour suits children; the Gold Tour and Taste of Scotland are for over 18s only.

Opening hours

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Monday: 10am–8pm
Tuesday: 10am–8pm
Wednesday: 10am–8pm
Thursday: 10am–8pm
Friday: 10am–8pm
Saturday: 10am–8pm
Sunday: 10am–8pm

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Did you know

A museum panel describes whisky collector Claive Vidiz beside his portrait holding a dram.

Did you know

One man's bottles.

The collection of 3,384 bottles was built up over 35 years by Claive Vidiz, a whisky lover in São Paulo and a founder member of the Brazilian Association of Whisky Collectors.

A sign reading 'Six original bottles' sits among a row of single malt whiskies on a lit shelf.

Did you know

It began with six.

It started in the 1970s with six single malts brought to him by a colleague from Scotland: Glenlivet, Glenmorangie, Lagavulin, Laphroaig, The Macallan and Strathisla.

A corridor of illuminated glass cases displays rows of whisky bottles on both sides.

Did you know

The good son returns home.

Diageo bought the collection in 2006 and brought it home to Scotland; it has been here since May 2009. As they say in Brazil, the good son returns home.

Rows of whisky miniatures and bottles fill floor-to-ceiling glass display shelves.

Did you know

Every kind of bottle.

Vidiz wanted as wide a range as he could find, from everyday bottles to the rarest, oddities included, so the collection is a record of 35 years of Scotch and how it was sold.

A sign reading 'Two oldest bottles, c.1897, c.1904' sits among antique whisky bottles on a lit shelf.

Did you know

The oldest two.

The two oldest bottles in the collection date from around 1897 and 1904.

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From our guide to Edinburgh

Get your tastebuds around the national firewater with a visit to this Royal Mile attraction, which has been lauding the joys of Scotch whisky for more than three decades. The tours are as lively and informative as you’d expect.

A framed portrait and a round tasting table sit before floor-to-ceiling whisky bottle displays.

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Where it is

At 354 Castlehill, beside Edinburgh Castle at the top of the Royal Mile.

Close byThe places nearest the whisky experience, at the top of the Royal Mile.

Directions

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For further reading, before you go. The details on this page were checked on 21 October 2026.