Proposal of marriage was highlight of a great party
The Isle of Arran Distillery came of age last weekend ... and what a party they had to celebrate.
The 21st anniversary of the distillery was celebrated in style at the 7th annual Arran Malt and Music Festival with the very best of music, malt and masterclasses – and there was even a marriage proposal!
Of course, the back drop to the weekend is the single malt, with the White Stag Whisky dinner in the marquee on the Friday evening which has become a much sought after ticket with waiting lists for those who want to join in.
The White Stags come from all over Europe, and even farther afield, for the event which began with the official opening of the dis- tillery’s new VIP building which has its own very special tasting room. At the opening ceremony chairman Dr Mike Peirce praised managing director Euan Mitchelll and the whole distillery team and predicted a bright future for the company in the coming years.
At the dinner Robin Russell from Robbies Drams in Ayr became the first UK market appointed Arran Ambassador, an award which recognises the hard work and dedication of individual retailers from around the globe.
But the biggest surprise came at the end of the raffle and auction which raised more than £4,500 for the Arran Trust, when David Vermassen is from Belgium came on stage and proposed to Claudia Vielheuber, who is from Germany, but now resides in Belgium with David. They met at the festival two years ago and plan to marry on Arran next year.
Music during the dinner was provided by regular visitors to the festival from Edinburgh, 14-year-old Kyle Rowan on the accordion and brother Alan, 16, on the keyboard, whose traditional music was enjoyed by all – especially their proud mum Mairi who was in the audience. Arran’s own Emily Divine also performed.
On the Saturday, the festival featured fantastic whisky masterclasses where participants had the opportunity to get really involved with the people who make the whisky and hear about their experiences in the industry.
The annual special festival release was available to purchase on the day – a small batch bottling which is chosen each year by the participants of the Ultimate Masterclass, which this year was held in the new tasting room for the first time.
The event is also a family friendly affair with activities for younger visitors, including a bouncy castle, face painting and craft activities. The festivities continued long into the evening with a celebratory ceilidh led by the band Whisky Kiss and, for those still standing, there was the survivors’ lunch to round off proceedings on Sunday.
Visitor centre manager Faye Waterlow said: ‘I am very well proud of the hard work, dedication, passion and pride of all the whole Arran Distillery Team to create the 7th Arran Malt and Music Festival celebrating the 21st Anniversary of our Distillery. The weekend has been full of fun, music, whisky, love and friendship and I look forward to welcoming our old and new friends to our next festival from June 30 to July 2, 2017.’