TENNENT’S Glasgow brewery will become the UK’s biggest beer attraction under a seven-figure plan, bosses say. The company announced its intent ahead of the opening of a new big-money visitor centre.
The Tennent’s Story will open on November 22 and it is hoped that the site, at the company’s Wellpark Brewery in the east end, will attract international travellers.
The “immersive” facility focuses on Hugh Tennent and the first brew of Tennent’s Lager in 1885, which was described by newspapers at the time as a “madman’s dream”.
It includes motion capture animations developed by Glasgow School of Art, new work by local street artist Conzo Throb and items from company archives.
The tour ends at a “revamped” beer-tasting with pints coming straight from the brewery floor only a few hundred metres away.
A spokesperson said: “The major development aims to become the UK’s biggest beer attraction, significantly boosting local and international visitor numbers to Glasgow’s East End. The Tennent’s Story will be a must-visit destination in Scotland and puts the country’s favourite beer at the heart of Glasgow tourism and the city’s ambitions for visitor growth.”
Alan McGarrie, group brand director for Tennent’s Lager, said: “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 number one beer and the cultural icon that is Tennent’s Lager. We look forward to watching the impact and growth this will have for tourism not only in Glasgow, but Scotland as a whole.”
Jim Clarkson of tourism body VisitScotland called the centre, “a great fit for the tourism experience in the city”, adding: “This is an exciting time for Scottish brewing, with the growing global demand for variety and quality of beer greater than ever. Scottish beer appeals to almost a quarter of visitors to Scotland and this investment demonstrates a real commitment to further promoting Scotland’s brewing heritage.
“Tourism is more than a holiday experience – it is integral to sustaining communities across Scotland by generating income, creating jobs and stimulating social change.”
Meanwhile, David McDonald, depute leader of Glasgow City Council, said: “If we are to achieve our target of attracting one million more tourists by 2023 then it’s crucial that we continue to tell Glasgow’s stories to the world.
“Our focus is on showcasing Glasgow as an outstanding global city, one that’s welcoming and vibrant with a rich cultural history, flourishing food and drink sector and unrivalled visitor experience.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here