Sip Seekers - Modernising Scottish Drinks Tourism with Sip Diaries
There’s a quiet revolution happening in Scottish drinks tourism and it’s being led not by a centuries‑old distillery or a global brand, but by a young, ambitious platform called Sip Seekers. Founded by whisky expert and creator Victoria Miller, Sip Seekers is on a mission to modernise how we explore Scotland’s spirits, spotlight rural communities, and inspire a new generation of travellers to fall in love with distillery culture.
And if their first creator experience, Sip Diaries: Perthshire Edition, is anything to go by, Scotland’s drinks tourism is about to get a whole lot more exciting.
I was lucky enough to be invited along for the inaugural Sip Diaries weekend, a countryside escape filled with whisky, storytelling, luxury accommodation, and the kind of Scottish hospitality that wraps around you like a warm blanket. Here’s everything you need to know about Sip Seekers, Sip Diaries, and why this new movement matters.
What Is Sip Seekers? A Modern Guide to Scotland’s Drinks Experiences
Sip Seekers is essentially the search engine Scotland’s drinks tourism has been waiting for.
Think:
✔ whisky distillery tours
✔ gin tastings
✔ brewery experiences
✔ countryside escapes
✔ bookable, discoverable, all in one place
The platform allows travellers to search by location, spirit type, availability, and experience style, making it easier than ever to plan a drinks‑led adventure. It’s built to feel as seamless as booking a flight or hotel, something the industry has desperately needed.
But Sip Seekers isn’t just a booking tool. It’s a storytelling platform. A celebration of the people, places, and craft behind Scotland’s world‑class spirits. And now, with Sip Diaries, it’s becoming something even bigger.
Introducing Sip Diaries: A Creator Campaign With Purpose
Sip Diaries is Sip Seekers’ new creator‑led campaign designed to reshape how whisky and drinks tourism is perceived. The goal?
To show that distillery visits aren’t just for connoisseurs, they’re for anyone who loves travel, culture, food, and a good story.
For the first edition, Sip Seekers brought together a group of lifestyle and whisky creators including All Time Lois, Moray & More, Swedish Whisky Girl, Kayedinsley, ShonaSips, Scottish Whisky Girl, and yours truly, Tartan Spoon representing a combined reach of over 200,000 followers.
Across the weekend, we documented our experiences to show our audiences what modern Scottish drinks tourism really looks like: accessible, aspirational, social, and deeply rooted in place.
Our Home for the Weekend: The Beautiful Bolfracks House
If you could bottle the feeling of a Scottish countryside escape, it would taste like Bolfracks House. Set amongst rolling Perthshire hills, woodland, and river views, this 18th‑century estate has been lovingly restored into a luxurious yet homely retreat. Think:
- elegant drawing rooms
- midnight outdoor firepit for drams and marshmallows
- beautifully designed bedrooms
- a stunning dining room
- views that make you exhale
It’s the kind of place where time slows down. Where you wander from room to room touching fabrics, admiring details, and thinking, “I could stay here forever.”
Bolfracks wasn’t just accommodation, it was the heart of the Sip Diaries experience. A place for conversations, tastings, laughter, and the kind of creative energy that only happens when you gather passionate people under one roof.
Read more about Bolfracks House and how you can stay here - www.tartanspoon.co.uk/home/bolfracks-house
Distillery Visits: Glenturret & Dewar’s Aberfeldy
No drinks‑led escape is complete without distillery visits, and Sip Seekers curated two exceptional experiences.
Glenturret Distillery
Scotland’s oldest working distillery welcomed us with warmth and craftsmanship. We explored their traditional production methods, enjoyed a guided tasting, and soaked up the storytelling that Glenturret is known for and finally got to blend our very own whisky!
Read more about my visit here
Dewar’s Aberfeldy Distillery
A short drive away, Dewar’s offered a contrasting but equally compelling experience; rich heritage, interactive exhibits, and a tasting that highlighted the depth and diversity of their whiskies.
Both visits reinforced Sip Seekers’ mission: distillery tourism isn’t niche. It’s cultural, immersive, and genuinely fun. Read more about my visit here
A Private Scottish Dinner by Chef Theodore Chana
One of the highlights of the weekend was a private dining experience created by acclaimed chef Theodore Chana, known from MasterChef: The Professionals and The Great British Bake Off.
The menu was Scottish‑inspired, seasonal, and beautifully plated, the kind of food that feels both comforting and elevated. Sharing that meal around a long table in Bolfracks House felt like the perfect expression of what Sip Diaries is all about: community, creativity, and celebrating Scotland’s flavours in every form.
Why Sip Seekers Matters
Beyond the beautiful weekend, there’s a bigger story here.
Only 2 in 10 overnight visitors to Scotland currently visit a distillery, despite whisky being one of our most iconic exports. Sip Seekers believes that increasing this to 3 in 10 could unlock £35 million in additional tourism spend annually, much of it flowing directly into rural communities.
Distillery visitors don’t just buy a dram. They stay locally. They eat. They shop. They explore. They support small businesses and help sustain jobs.
Sip Seekers is tapping into one of Scotland’s greatest untapped tourism opportunities and doing it in a way that feels fresh, inclusive, and culturally relevant.
The Future of Sip Diaries
This Perthshire edition is just the beginning. Sip Diaries will become a recurring series, bringing creators to distilleries, countryside escapes, and drinks‑led experiences across Scotland. With partnerships already secured with more than 65% of Scottish whisky distilleries, the potential is enormous.
And if the first weekend is anything to go by, Sip Diaries is set to become one of the most exciting new movements in Scottish travel.
Final Thoughts
My time with Sip Seekers at Bolfracks House was more than a press trip. It was a glimpse into the future of Scottish drinks tourism - one that’s modern, welcoming, beautifully curated, and rooted in community.
If you’ve ever thought distillery visits weren’t “for you”, Sip Seekers is here to change your mind.
If you already love whisky, gin, or Scottish travel, this platform will become your new favourite planning tool.
And if you’re looking for your next countryside escape, Perthshire, with its distilleries, landscapes, and warm hospitality, is waiting.
Scotland has always been a place worth romanticising. Sip Seekers is simply giving us new ways to do it.
So, if you need to find and book tours, tastings and one-off events at distilleries across Scotland, visit Sip Seekers - honestly, its so easy to use and you’ll have your perfect spirits trail sorted in minutes!