New drinks tourism concept will turn normally inaccessible working distilleries into bookable experiences- creating new opportunities for producers to generate revenue and bring whisky lovers closer to Scotch.
Scottish drinks tourism platform Sip Seekers has launched Sip Seekers Unlocked, a new series of limited-capacity experiences giving whisky lovers rare access to distilleries and parts of Scotland’s drinks industry they would not ordinarily be able to visit.
The concept will see Sip Seekers work directly with producers to create one-off or limited experiences at working distilleries not normally open to the public, alongside unusual behind-the-scenes access beyond conventional visitor programmes.
And the first gates to be unlocked are at one of Scotland’s most intriguing new single malt distilleries.
On Thursday 8th October, just 10 whisky lovers will be invited inside Aberargie Distillery in Perthshire for a two-hour experience hosted by the distillery’s Head of Production, Graeme.
Normally closed to the public, Aberargie has no conventional visitor centre or daily tour programme. Guests will step inside the working distillery, explore its production areas and maturation warehouse, and taste new make spirit, an exclusive warehouse sample and Aberargie’s newly released whiskies at the place they were made.
The independent, family-owned distillery began production in 2017 on the Morrison family’s 300-acre farm just south of Perth, following a genuine barley-to-bottle philosophy, with barley grown on the surrounding estate. After years of maturation, Aberargie released its inaugural single malt in 2026. Now, on 15 September, it will launch the first two whiskies in its new Expressions range, exploring the influence of two estate-grown barley varieties: heritage variety Golden Promise and modern variety Laureate.
Taking place just weeks later, Unlocked will give guests the opportunity to taste both new Expressions at their source, alongside new make spirit and a warehouse tasting. For Sip Seekers founder Victoria Miller, Aberargie demonstrates the wider opportunity behind Unlocked: expanding Scottish whisky tourism beyond the traditional visitor-centre model.
“Scotland has more than 150 operating Scotch whisky distilleries, each with its own people, place and story behind it,” said Miller.
“At Sip Seekers, we want to proudly shine a light on those stories and everything that makes whisky so special, right across Scotland.”
“Some distilleries have incredible established visitor experiences, while others aren’t normally accessible to the public at all. Unlocked gives us an opportunity to showcase another side of the industry – creating special moments that bring whisky lovers closer to the people, places and stories behind the bottles they love.” Victoria Miller, Sip Seekers Founder
“Having spent 15 years working in the drinks industry, I’ve seen first-hand how powerful it can be when producers engage directly with the people who genuinely love their brands. There is something different about meeting the people behind a whisky, hearing its story where it was made and experiencing that sense of place for yourself.”
The launch comes as Scotland’s whisky industry navigates a challenging global trading environment, making opportunities to diversify revenue and deepen direct consumer relationships increasingly important. Scotch Whisky exports were worth more than £5.3 billion in 2025, but declined during the year amid challenging global trading conditions. At the same time, tourism continues to demonstrate its economic potential. According to the Scotch Whisky Association, Scotland’s Scotch whisky distilleries attracted 2.7 million visits in 2024, while visitor spend increased by more than 21% between 2022 and 2024.
Miller continued: “These distilleries don’t all need to become seven-day-a-week visitor attractions. Opening the gates for even a handful of carefully curated dates each year can create incremental revenue, introduce consumers to brands in an incredibly memorable way and create a new tourism product from assets that already exist. And that value travels beyond the distillery gates too. Visitors stay locally, eat, shop and explore, creating wider economic value for communities across Scotland.”
“You have five generations of Morrison family whisky history, barley growing metres from where the whisky is made and brand-new expressions about to reach consumers- but ordinarily you can’t simply book a tour and experience that story for yourself. For 10 people this October, we’re changing that”, says Miller.
Lauren Doherty, Senior Brand Manager at Morrison Scotch Whisky Distillers, said:
“We’re delighted to be opening the gates of Aberargie for the first Sip Seekers Unlocked experience. As a working distillery that isn’t normally open to the public, it’s a fantastic opportunity to share Aberargie’s story in the place where it all happens- from the barley growing in the surrounding fields to production and maturation on site.”
“The timing is particularly exciting with the launch of our new Expressions range in September. We’re looking forward to sharing those whiskies directly with guests just weeks after their release and allowing them to explore the influence of Golden Promise and Laureate barley at the very place the whiskies were created.” Lauren Doherty, Morrison Scotch Whisky Distillers
The inaugural Sip Seekers Unlocked experience takes place at Aberargie Distillery on Thursday 8 October 2026 at 12pm.
Tickets cost £125 per person, with only 10 places available. The experience includes access to the production areas and maturation warehouse, new make spirit, an exclusive warehouse tasting, Aberargie’s newly launched Expressions and a locally prepared lunch.
Further Sip Seekers Unlocked experiences with producers across Scotland are planned.
About Sip Seekers
Sip Seekers is Scotland’s specialist drinks tourism discovery and booking platform, helping consumers discover and book whisky distillery tours, gin experiences, brewery visits, tastings and drinks-led experiences across the country.
The platform works with producers across Scotland to increase discoverability, drive visitation and unlock the economic potential of drinks tourism. Sip Seekers Unlocked is its limited-access experience series, working directly with producers to create unusual, behind-the-scenes and normally inaccessible drinks experiences.
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