For the first time in its history, the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival has announced over £500k of sales.
Spirit of Speyside has grown to be one of the world’s largest showcases of whisky, centred on the region widely regarded as the spiritual home of Scotch as it is home to a third of the country’s distilleries.
The festival is traditionally a time when a number of those distilleries, that normally don’t open their doors, invite visitors to come in and explore, creating a unique experience unavailable at any other time, and contributing millions to the local tourist economy.
This year, celebrating the festival’s 27th anniversary, partner members helped promote no less than 600 events across six days, starting from 29th April, with 12 distilleries, including Tormore, Craigellachie and Dalmunach, welcoming guests behind closed doors.
But away from reverent viewings of stills and warehouses, there was a diversity of imaginative events, including a falconry display with Tormore, a canoe trip down the River Spey, and Glenlivet hosting a silent disco to complement expressions of their 12-year-old single malt.
With all this on offer, nearly 7000 tickets were sold on the festival’s launch day back in February, with overseas visitors contributing to over 60% of sales, with the whisky fans of Mexico, Scandinavia, the Netherlands and Canada showing particular enthusiasm.
Chairman of the festival Henry Angus said: “There has never been a more important year for us to support the whisky sector.
“With whisky sales declining, but festival sales increasing, our ability to draw thousands of visitors to Speyside is vital to the local economy.
“We’re extremely proud to have broken all records again this year and to prove that we are creating a world-class calendar of events with wide appeal.
“The festival has become an old friend to so many year after year. There are some incredible opportunities, some of which are unique, leaving visitors to feel like they’ve been part of something truly magical. There’s nothing quite like it.”
Spirit of Speyside has a competitive element, with awards handed out to both bottlings and peiople.
This year’s Ambassador award winner was David Craig, while the top International Ambassador was Matthew Cordiner, of Bacardi Global Brands.
2026’s Unsung Heroes were Raymond Davidson, of Glencairn Glass, and Angela McOwan, of Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival, while the Spirit of Speyside Award went to David Stewart, of William Grant & Sons.
In the whisky awards, the gold winners were, in the 12 years old and under category, Aberlour’s 12 year old; in 13–17 years, Craigellachie’s 17 year old – Spirit of Speyside Single Cask Limited Edition; in 18 years and over, Tamdhu’s 21 year old; and in non-age statement, Tamdhu’s Distinction III Speyside Single Malt.
The overall winner of the 2026 Spirit of Speyside Whisky Awards was that Tamdhu 21 year old.
On the back of this spring success, the Spirit of Speyside organisers have now announced that Distilled, the food and drink festival normally held annually is back this September after a hiatus.
Distilled will bring together top whisky, gin, beer, and food producers from Speyside region for a showcase event, offering tastings, masterclasses, and experiences, being held at UHI Moray in Elgin on Friday 11th & Saturday 12th September, 2026.
