9 Students to Embark on Immersive Whisky Tour that Blends Tradition, Culture, and Global Hospitality Education
KOLKATA, India, Sept. 8, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — The International Institute of Hotel Management (IIHM), Asia’s largest chain of hotel schools, has announced its annual whisky tour for nine of its selected students from across IIHM’s campuses. The Scot Malt Whisky Education Tour is a one-of-a-kind experience, a unique offering by IIHM, whose teaching principle focuses on practical experiences, like an International Whisky Education Tour.
The Scot Malt Tour, curated by its Scotland-based International Director, Ron Scott, is in its tenth year of taking students for a first-hand experience of a bucket-list adventure. For them, misty isles whisky-making in Scotland is beyond a beverage experience. This is part of IIHM’s philosophy of extending its world-class hospitality education beyond classrooms and screens: to touch, feel, and savour and, as they say, “smell the coffee.” Or in the case of this immersive Scotland tour, to express and convey flavours of the malts from the isles of Scotland.
This is IIHM’s investment in their futures, as it hosts this tour in totality.
IIHM Chairman Dr Suborno Bose, who envisioned experiences of this nature to give unparalleled international exposure to IIHM students, along with Professor Scott, said:
“At IIHM, we believe hospitality education must go beyond classrooms and textbooks. The Scotland Whisky Tour is a rare opportunity for our students to experience history, tradition, and innovation in their purest form. When they return, they bring back not only knowledge but also inspiration to create guest experiences that are authentic, meaningful, and world-class.”
The selection of the final 9 was a meticulous process. 150 students across IIHM campuses applied for this unique annual experiential learning initiative. At the end of round one, 35 students were shortlisted. After the final round of selection, through a combination process of a written exam and an interview chaired by the curator of the tour, Professor Ron Scott, nine students were selected, who will go on a week-long educational tour of Scotland’s world-famous whisky distilleries in November.
The initiative itself and the learnings from it have reverberated positively through the hospitality industry, as many of the students have utilised their learnings in their future careers, often with top-notch hospitality brands.
Sabrina Dey, General Manager, ITC Windsor, Bengaluru, and an Esteemed Fellow of IIHM International College of Distinguished Fellows (FIIHM), said:
“Opportunities like the Scot Malt Tour truly embody the spirit of experiential learning. It’s a privilege for all these deserving students to explore the heritage, tradition, and skill behind Scotch-making in its very birthplace. My warmest congratulations to all nine winners from IIHM campuses across India, may this experience enrich your journey and inspire you to aim even higher.”
Abhiram Menon, (FIIHM) General Manager, Hilton EGL, Bengaluru, reflected on this unparalleled visionary experience offering of IIHM to its students:
“True hospitality extends beyond our walls and into opportunities that broaden horizons. The Scot Malt Tour is a remarkable platform where deserving students witness the art, tradition, and craftsmanship of Scotch-making in its homeland. My heartfelt congratulations to all nine talented students from IIHM campuses across India, may this journey inspire you to bring back knowledge, stories, and a deeper appreciation for excellence.”
IIHM student Sonal Jain, who went on the Scot Malt Education Tour in 2024, recounts her thrilling experience:
“I am proud to have gotten the opportunity and made the most of it.” Congratulating the students selected for the 2025 tour, she said:
“The country and the people you will experience and the friendships you will form will leave a lasting impact on you, just as they did for me.”
A look at the itinerary reveals exactly why. The eight-day Scot Malt Educational Tour 2025 will take IIHM students across Scotland’s legendary whisky heartlands, from Speyside to Fife and Edinburgh. Over the course of the journey, they will visit seven iconic venues including Glenlivet, Strathisla, Glenfiddich, Glendronach, Kingsbarns, Port of Leith, and the Edinburgh Gin Distillery. This carefully curated mix brings together the grandeur of established names with the innovation of new-age craft producers, giving students a rare opportunity to understand whisky as both heritage and contemporary artistry. Beyond distilling techniques, the itinerary exposes them to Scotland’s landscapes, regional cultures, and the hospitality traditions that surround whisky. It is a celebration of flavour, craftsmanship, and cultural legacy—an experience that will stay with the students long after the tour concludes.
For IIHM, this tour is more than an educational exercise. It is a celebration of humanity’s eternal quest for flavour, fusion, and finesse. From the Highlands to Islay, students discover how whisky reflects not only terroir and technique but also the soul of a people who turned craftsmanship into culture.
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