The Glenlivet to Host Whisky Festival Opening Dinner

With nearly 200 years of whisky making history behind it, The Glenlivet is unquestionably one of the most iconic distilleries in Speyside. This famous distillery has very kindly agreed to host the ‘Touch of Tartan’ opening dinner on Thursday, 2 May 2012 for the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival. This prestigious event will mark the start of the 14th festival and welcome visitors from around the globe to Speyside.

“This is an opportunity to showcase everything that makes Speyside special and in the year of Natural Scotland the Glen of Livet will provide a glorious backdrop for such a special event”, commented a delighted James Campbell, Festival Chairman.

‘We are extremely grateful to The Glenlivet for their generosity and know that our guests to the Opening dinner will be treated to the very best that Speyside and The Glenlivet has to offer”.

Alan Winchester, Master Distiller of The Glenlivet said: “We look forward to welcoming festival goers from all over the world to The Glenlivet Distillery which has been at the heart of Speyside whisky making since 1824. The festival is an amazing annual pilgrimage to this famous Scotch whisky homeland and there is no place better to start the experience than at The Glenlivet.”

Now in its 14th year the festival has gone from strength to strength, last year hosting over 28,500 visits to more than 320 events over the five days. The 2012 festival generated over £1.3 million to the local economy.

The dates for the 2013 festival are 2 – 6th May inclusive. For more information visit www.spiritofspeyside.com’

Notes

About The Glenlivet
The Glenlivet is the No 2 single malt Scotch whisky in the world. Crafted in the remote Livet Valley since 1824, it is the only whisky with the unchallengeable right to be called The Glenlivet. The Glenlivet is owned by Chivas Brothers, the Scotch whisky and premium gin business of Pernod Ricard, and the global leader in luxury Scotch whisky and premium gin.

About The Spirit of Speyside Festival
Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival runs from Thursday, 2 May – Monday, 6 May 2013. Check out www.spiritofspeyside.com’ target=’_blank’>www.spiritofspeyside.com for up-to-date news and follow the Festival at www.facebook.com/WhiskyFestival  or www.twitter.com/spirit_speyside

The Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival is committed to promoting responsible drinking. Visitors needing to travel to and from festival events can take advantage of a range of transport options including a taxi voucher scheme (sponsored by Diageo) providing festival goers with a 25% reduction on fares with participating operators, various pre-bookable dedicated bus shuttles and even a “Dram Line” off-road Argocat taxi for a day long distillery tour or Saturday night whisky-country-crawl.

The Festival also runs several competitions and awards including the prestigious Spirit of Speyside Whisky Awards as well as the Benromach Spirit of Speyside Whisky Photographic Competition

Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival has received funding from EventScotland, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and is also financially supported by many other private and public partners

About EventScotland
EventScotland is the national events agency. EventScotland is working to make Scotland one of the world’s leading event destinations. By developing an exciting portfolio of sporting and cultural events EventScotland is helping to raise Scotland’s international profile and boost the economy by attracting more visitors. For further information about EventScotland, its funding programmes and latest event news visit www.EventScotland.org.

About the Year of Natural Scotland 2013
Year of Natural Scotland 2013, the third of four focus years, is a chance to highlight Scotland’s great natural assets. It provides an opportunity to celebrate our reputation as a land of outstanding beauty, and encourage responsible tourism in Scotland. The aim of Year of Natural Scotland 2013 is to promote Scotland’s stunning natural beauty and biodiversity, and promote ways in which visitors can enjoy our beautiful landscapes, wildlife and heritage responsibly. More information about the programme can be found at: www.visitscotland.org.uk The Year of Natural Scotland is a Scottish Government initiative led in partnership by EventScotland, VisitScotland, Creative Scotland and VOCAL.

For more information please contact:
Mary Hemsworth
Festival Manager
07789 671635 or 07795632733