Now in its 27th year, the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival has become one of the largest events of its kind anywhere in the world, annually attracting thousands of visitors to Scotland’s whisky heartlands.
This year, the festival is kicking off on Wednesday, 29th April, then running for six days – featuring no less than 600 events – through the first May bank holiday weekend.
For whisky enthusiasts travelling from all over the world, Speyside’s unique concentration of 51 working distilleries already offers a practical opportunity to cram in a whole lot of whisky tourism.
By coordinating those distilleries to offer special events, the Speyside Festival aims to make itself, and the regional towns of Elgin, Forres, Keith, Aberlour, Dufftown and Rothes, an irresistible draw for whisky buffs this spring.
Festival chairman Henry Angus said: “The festival is the perfect way to launch World Whisky Month and is all about showcasing the very best of what’s in this area.
“Whilst we have an amazing quantity of events, the quality of them is what really shines through. It’s wonderful to see the whole of the Speyside community getting behind it as a highlight on the calendar,” said Angus.
“We’ve seen a great increase in visitor numbers and ticket sales in the last couple of years, which tells us that we are continuing to build on how successful this international festival has become to the area.”
This year’s attendees can expect immersive tours and tastings as well as coopering masterclasses and chefs creating whisky-paired dinners.
There’ll be chances to meet Master Blenders and get tours behind the closed doors of dunnage warehouses, where festival goers can draw samples from the casks themselves.
Visitors can enjoy fireside drams or sipping whisky on Findhorn , or ride on the ‘Dram Tram’, where passengers can soak in the scenery from Dufftown to Keith whilst savouring a special whisky enroute.
The festival will launch with almost 80 events lined up for Wednesday 29th April, including an industry dinner, co-hosted for the first time by Craigellachie Distillery, as part of its 135th anniversary celebrations. Craigellachie will also host the festival’s popular Friday night ceilidh.
For those not staying in the region’s excellent boutique hotels or B&Bs, Stagecoach is extending its local bus services from Aberdeen and Inverness to allow day trips to festival events.
