In a new twist on the whisky festival format, the organisers of this September’s Whisky week in Aberdeen plan to pair up city venues with out-of-town distilleries to create a ‘walkable’ tour.
Running from September 5th to 15th, this inaugural Whisky Week intends to put both Aberdeen’s ‘punching above its weight’ bar scene and whisky distilleries across Scotland in the spotlight.
The event is being organised by Charlie Bain of whisky merchandising firm Slanjj, and Gregor Sey of Cocktail Events UK, who previously pulled together the successful Aberdeen Cocktail Week.
Their vision for Whisky Week is to deliver a ‘unique and immersive experience for attendees creating a walkable city-wide distillery tour.’
Each participating venue will partner with a distillery to share its story and liquid, and attendees can walk to the next ‘distillery’ to experience brands in a new way without having to travel to visit the distillery premises itself.
Bain said: “I’ve been fortunate to attend dozens of whisky festivals, but none I’ve visited have this format that encourages attendees to explore a city.
“I think Aberdeen really punches above its weight when it comes to the range of bars and pubs on offer, and I hope that Whisky Week can showcase that to locals and tourists alike.”
More than 20 venues have already signed up, including The Grill, CASC, St Machar Bar, Under the Hammer and The Howff as well as Orchid, The Firepit by Smoke and Soul.
The Scottish distilleries to be paired with participating venues will be announced later.
General manager of The Grill, Julie Marples, commented: “Aberdeen Whisky Week is a welcome addition to the city’s events calendar. Whisky lovers adore The Grill and we are equally excited to showcase some new additions to our 500-plus-strong whisky collection.
“We’ve got a few things up our sleeve and Whisky Week will be an ideal opportunity to reveal some exciting plans.”
To take part, festival attendees must purchase a wristband that grants access to exclusive events and special whisky menus at participating venues. They will also receive a guidebook with information about each distillery’s heritage and the provenance of its whisky.
Each venue / distillery pairing will offer at least one dram for £3, along with the option to include up to three additional drams, whisky flights, cocktails, or signature serves.
Wristbands will be priced from £9.50 per person and can be used throughout the 11-day event.
