The Johnnie Walker Princes Street experience is a permanent eight-floor ‘brand home’ in Edinburgh. From the six-storey sculpture that dominates the atrium, to the 10 rooms and corridors that contain the tour itself, Stage One was an integral part in delivering the project.

The team delivered key components and entire fit outs for an extensive part of this project including Keep Walking, Landscape of Flavour, Creativity of Making, Casks of Discovery, and the atrium, using many skills and areas of expertise within the company including automation, joinery, scenic painting and fabrication.

The build required a high-end finish that exuded elegance, with the ability to withstand the footfall of thousands for many years to come. Materials were selected to ensure both durability and a luxurious quality that would be ‘on brand’ with the company’s messaging and reputation.

A render of the atrium was designed with screens fixed within the panelling like a digital art piece. Due to the scale of the atrium, the team fixed a rigging point at the very top, concealed above the design, allowing the team to abseil down the wall to conduct maintenance.

The highly detailed flooring was sophisticated in its design and required a detailed assembly instruction manual for the installation crew as each piece was individually fitted.

A star attraction within the experience, Keep Walking is a live performance experience that included a travelator to enhance the history and storytelling. The actor could move about the space with ease, creating the iconic ‘walking’ statue synonymous with the Johnnie Walker brand.

To create a wow factor, alongside the travelator assisting the performer to move about the space, the globe and table were also on drive carriages, allowing them to be individually programmed to move freely about the space on cue.

One of the main features was a suspended ceiling framing which comprises four ‘quadrant units’. Each unit was bolted to a steel frame, which is suspended from the ceiling slab soffit. An MDF board cut to the shape of the Scotland map was suspended from the steel framing. The frame also supports a number of projector units. The units themselves are steel ERW frames, with plywood skeleton framing and bendy-ply skin. These units are bolted to the steel single frame. The entire frame has been suspended from the existing ceiling slab soffit by 10mm steel rods.

Fact File

Muse Creative Awards 2022: Experiential & Immersive - Retail (silver)

Scottish Design Awards 2022: Experiential (winner)

Icons of Whisky 2022: Best Distillery Visitor Experience

Visit Scotland: 5 Star Attraction Status