Bonnie & Wild might only be a few months old, but the new Food Hall in central Edinburgh has already cemented itself in the public eye after attracting more than 150,000 guests and hosting a string of high-profile whisky launches, including last week’s UK launch of Bowmore Masters’ Selection single malt whisky.

The VIP event was held to celebrate the partnership between Bowmore and Aston Martin, and was attended by industry insiders and experts. Two Bowmore-branded Aston Martin cars were also on display within the St James Quarter, the new shopping mall that opened this summer. A very limited number of Bowmore Masters’ Selection bottles will be sold through Inverarity Morton, which runs the boutique bottle shop at Bonnie & Wild.

Bowmore’s partnership with Aston Martin will see the two luxury brands collaborating on a series of products and experiences over the coming months and years.

Thursday’s Bowmore launch is the latest in a series of events and product launches at Bonnie & Wild’s Scottish Marketplace, ranging from smaller distilleries such as the Secret Herb Garden to the launch of global player Edrington’s Naked Malt, as well as the two latest releases from Bruichladdich.

Virgin Atlantic also announced two new routes to the US at Bonnie & Wild shortly after the venue opened in July this year, while in the past couple of months Scotland Food & Drink launched its Regional Ambassadors programme at Bonnie & Wild, followed by the launch of Ghillie Basan’s latest cook book, A Taste of the Highlands.

Mike MacKenzie, brand manager for Bowmore said: “This new whisky is a celebration of Bowmore and Aston Martin’s shared passions, values and ideas; qualities that mirror Bonnie & Wild’s own commitment to high quality produce and sourcing, of celebrating knowledge and expertise. It’s a beautiful venue and I’m delighted our latest launch will see this unique whisky going on sale in their splendid bottle shop!”

Marc Crothall, chief executive of the Scottish Tourism Alliance said: “Bonnie & Wild has within a few months become a key destination within Edinburgh. Already, it’s accomplished an incredible roster of events since opening, on top of wowing tens of thousands of guests in its Food Hall. This is in spite of the well known struggles that Covid, Brexit and the alarming issue of staff shortages have had upon the hospitality and tourism industry in general.”

Mr Crothall added: “I’m keen to see Bonnie & Wild continue this work and build an exciting programme of events that will I’m sure continue to prove a draw to Edinburgh residents and visitors alike.”

Kate Russell, General Manager of Bonnie & Wild, said: “With our commitment to showcasing Scotland’s high-quality produce, suppliers and chefs, we’re keen to continue to work with companies, organisations and individuals seeking to showcase their product to a keen audience hungry for Scotland’s best.

“This venue has behind it some brilliant operators, such as Gary Maclean, National Chef of Scotland, and The Gannet, which last week won Restaurant of the Year at the SLTN Awards.”

Ms Russell added: “We’re looking forwards to a busy Christmas period with a range of functions and industry events, catering to our local community, visitors, tourists, and various businesses and organisations, including another whisky launch in a few weeks! But we’re also putting plans together for an exciting year ahead where we will have a programme that showcases the best of Scotland, and we’re looking forward to collaborating with multiple partners to deliver this. We’ve had a fantastic first five months, but it feels we’re only just getting started.”

Bowmore’s Master’s Selection Aston Martin Edition is on sale now from £300.