For the past seven years, about 400 barrels of whisky made at the former Willowbank Distillery in Dunedin have been maturing at the premises, after they were bought by Oamaru residents Warren and Debbie Preston.
Newly-appointed maturation store manager Kay Hansen said after the whisky won a string of industry awards over the past year, the barrel store would now be opened up to tourists in the summer.
''Whisky is pretty high up the agenda for a good number of tourists, especially European tourists.''
Ms Hansen said a seasonal tasting room would also be set up at Dunedin Railway Station to encourage cruise ship tourists to come to Oamaru.
The barrels were bought by the NZ Whisky Co about three years ago and Mrs Preston remained as maturation store manager until she stepped down yesterday, to move to Tauranga.
She said with a new tour guide manager, appropriately from Scotland, recently employed to lead the guided tours, she expected tourists to enjoy both the sights and scents of the whisky store.
Tours had been run before, but were halted when earthquake assessments were required following the Canterbury earthquakes three years ago, she said.
''It is a beautiful building, and tourists love coming here for that feeling they have found that elusive little village that no-one else has been to.''
