The Spirit Endures

This month, the Spirit of Speyside Festival goes virtual for an exclusive all-access celebration of the country’s national drink

Celebrate Scotland’s national drink with the Spirit Of Speyside Whisky Festival

THE organisers of Scotland’s biggest whisky festival were not about to let a global pandemic dampen their spirits. This year, the Spring Spirit of Speyside Festival is going virtual, allowing whisky fans everywhere to discover the secrets of the country’s biggest whisky-producing region.

From April 28 to May 3, the world is invited to virtually tour this north east corner of Scotland. You can glimpse inside some of Speyside’s 50 distilleries, and get insider-tips and guidance from distilling experts.

“Whisky-lovers worldwide can join us here in beautiful Speyside from the comfort of their own homes,” says James Campbell, chairman of the festival. “We’re busy creating one of the most engaging and interactive virtual festivals ever.”

The five-day programme of digital celebration has been designed to encourage greater inclusion, with events for every level of expertise.

Online attendees can expect virtual tours of some of Speyside’s state-of-the-art distilleries, including one of Scotland’s newest, Dalmunach Distillery with its resident master distiller, Alan Winchester.

For those looking to expand their palate, try a virtual tour of Malt Whisky Country with the Malt Whisky Trail. Just pick up a bottle with your supermarket shop, and sip along while using the experts’ guided tasting notes. Take the opportunity to join the jury for the Spirit of Speyside Roving Whisky Awards, and cast vote for your favourite whisky of the year. Judges create a shortlist of Speyside’s finest malts after a blind tasting, then it’s over to online attendees to cast the final votes. Many more enticing and exclusive events are also in the planning as organisers are pulling out all the stops to ensure Scotland’s national drink is celebrated properly.

“We want to give people a taste of what to expect from the full Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival,” James says, “which we hope to hold in-person in November, should it be safe to do so.”

This year’s virtual Spring Spirit of Speyside Festival is offering more than 700 online events. For the full schedule of virtual talks, tastings and tours visit www.spiritofspeyside.com