A £1m, state-of-the-art Tennent’s Visitor Centre – with ambitions to be the biggest beer attraction in the UK – will open in Glasgow this month.
Tracing the history of Scotland’s favourite pint, from the 1500s to the present day, the immersive experience will take visitors behind the scenes of the famous beer; covering everything from its origins and Hugh Tennent, through to production, provenance and even how to pour the perfect pint.
It is the single biggest investment the company has made in the brewery’s visitor experience, which now boasts an three-floor development at the Duke Street site. The major development aims to become the UK’s biggest beer attraction, boosting local and international visitor numbers to Glasgow’s east end.
Opening to the public on 22 November, visitors to The Tennent’s Story will be able to view innovative motion capture animations developed by Glasgow School of Art and never-before-seen artefacts gathered from the first days of brewing at Wellpark in 1556.
As well as being able to walk around the famous brewery, the tour also ends at the unique tasting experience, home to the country’s fourth Tennent’s Tank Lager installation, serving up brewery fresh pints of Tennent’s from impressive copper tanks filled with unpasteurised liquid straight from brewery floor only a few hundred meters away.
Alan McGarrie, group brand director for Tennent’s Lager, said: “The Tennent’s Story is at the heart of Glasgow’s history, and with this significant company investment at our home at Wellpark, we are bringing the story to life, bigger and better than we ever have before, as we showcase the brewery, the beer and the brand.
“With an ever-growing interest in the provenance story of beer, and a subsequent rise in beer tourism, we want to give locals and visitors to the city a behind the scenes look at not just a working brewery, but the history of Scotland’s No.1 beer and the cultural icon that is Tennent’s Lager.
“It has been an incredible experience to watch the transformation of the visitor centre over the last 7 months, which will build upon Scotland’s best-loved brewery tour and we can’t wait to open the doors to the public in November. We look forward to watching the impact and growth this will have for tourism not only in Glasgow, but in Scotland as a whole.”
VisitScotland regional leadership director Jim Clarkson said: “Visitors love the Tennent’s brand for the same wit and warmth of personality that they love in Glasgow itself. It’s a great fit for the tourism experience in the city, and I’m delighted at this investment which will contribute to Glasgow’s ambitions for an additional one million visitors by 2023.
“Tourism is more than a holiday experience. It is integral to sustaining communities across Scotland by generating income, creating jobs and stimulating social change.”
