Scotland’s whisky distilleries hosted a record 1.6 million visitors in 2015.
The Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) found that visits increased by 7% between 2014 and last year.
Between 2010 and 2015 the rise has been more than 20% and total spend at distillery visitor centres soared from £27 million to £50m.
Collectively, Scotch Whisky distilleries ranked among the most popular UK visitor attractions, with a similar number of visits as Edinburgh Castle and London’s St. Paul’s Cathedral.
The SWA survey also found that distillery visitors spend an average of £25 per head.
Scotch Whisky companies have invested significantly in visitor centres and tourism facilities.
Most visitors came from Scotland and other parts of the UK, Germany, the USA and France – the largest markets for Scotch.
Julie Hesketh-Laird, SWA deputy chief executive, said: “Scotch Whisky distilleries offer unique opportunities to visit the homes of some of Scotland’s most famous brands.
“It is testament to Scotch Whisky companies that visits increased when overall Scottish visitor numbers fell.”
She said the wider rural economy also benefits from visitors’ spending in accommodation, pubs and other attractions.
Des McCagherty of the Edradour Distillery near Pitlochry, said the weaker £ after Brexit had further boosted the number of foreign visitors and their spending.
