Malts festival showcases the best of Kintyre whisky
Glen Scotia lovers from across the world will travel to Kintyre in May for the 2022 edition of the Campbeltown Malts Festival.
This year’s festival takes place from Tuesday May 24 - Thursday May 26 and there will be a range of events to display Glen Scotia’s variety of whiskies. The events start with the Annual Festival Dinner on Tuesday, this year hosted at The Officers Mess in Machrihanish. The distillery’s open day will happen on Wednesday from 10am, with a celebration in the distillery courtyard on Wednesday evening. Further tours, tastings and experiences will take place on Thursday May 26th. As ever there will be music, entertainment, stalls, and many a dram. The distillery team are delighted to welcome back whisky writer and friend, Charlie Maclean to help host the festival. They will also be joined by spirits writer and OurWhisky Founder, Becky Paskin, for a very special whisky experiment. Glen Scotia’s artist in residence, Alice Angus will also be unveiling an incredible series of work undertaken in Campbeltown and at the distillery over recent months. And as per tradition, Distillery Manager and Master Distiller, Iain McAlister, has been carefully selecting single casks for bottling, available only via the Glen Scotia Distillery shop during the Festival. Those wishing to will be able to have their bottle engraved on the day to mark the occasion. Glen Scotia hails from Scotland’s smallest whisky-producing region. Once known as the “Victorian Whisky Capital of the World” in its heyday, Campbeltown was home to over 30 distilleries. Today, Glen Scotia is one of just three surviving distilleries but through a programme of continued investment and local effort, Glen Scotia is growing its presence in the UK and international markets, allowing the potential of Campbeltown to once again be realised. In 2021 Glen Scotia’s 25 year old expression was awarded ‘Best in Show’ at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, beating 3,800 entrants from across the globe and thus making it winner of best whisky in the world 2021. Just seven months later, the distillery team were delighted to see Glen Scotia further crowned ‘Scottish Distillery of the Year 2021’ at the Scottish Whisky Awards – the first time the same distillery has won both awards, and in the same year no less.
Rest assured, there will be celebrations at this year’s festival to mark such a momentous year for the town.
Iain McAlister said: “From the Victorian era until the present day, whisky has always been at the heart of this community. The techniques and craftsmanship that make our whisky so unique have been passed through generations, and I am thankful that we have managed to do our part to celebrate and revive the whisky-making heritage of Campbeltown long after many of its distilleries fell away. Our distillery is small, but this allows us to focus on quality, and it is so humbling to once again be recognised for our craft. More importantly though, what we are is a resurgence of interest in our region’s whisky, and being part of that renaissance is truly wonderful”
“The Campbeltown Malts Festival is our favourite moment in the year. It is the time when we allow ourselves to step away from our work posts, open the doors wide and welcome friends, old and new to our distillery and home. As ever we’re thrilled to have a number of very special guests joining us for the celebrations this year. We can’t wait to raise a dram with you all”.The benefits of the event are enjoyed throughout Kintyre as accommodation restaurants and bars will all be packed for the duration, contributing hundreds of thousands of pounds to the Kintyre economy.
Further details, ticket purchases and how to get involved will be announced in the coming weeks.
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