The Milroys Insider
Patricks Picks. Vol.3

SPRINGBANK 25
(Only 2 available)

Springbank 25 Year old 2017 release Campbeltown single malt Scotch whisky. Matured in sherry, bourbon & then married in refill Port casks. Just 900 bottles available worldwide.

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Tasting Note by The Producer

Nose: Lots of fruit with a mixture of grapefruit peel, dried tropical fruits, wine gums and a touch of cassis.

Palate: Orange peel, honeycomb, brandy snaps, black pepper and tobacco leaf.

Finish: Mineral notes combining with fennel, tea leaf and leather against a background of soft burning embers.

Springbank distillery is one of the last surviving producers of Campbelltown Single Malts. The distillery, located on the Kintyre peninsular, produces three distinct types of Single Malt Whisky. Their story spans centuries of whisky history and five generations of one family; the Mitchells. Now the oldest independent family-owned distillery in the country, they’re proud to share the story of Scotland’s most handmade whisky with enthusiasts across the world.

Bruichladdich Laddie 10

Just in time for our Bruichladdich tasting on the 13th of February we have the Laddie 10 year old in stock.

“The gorgeous light honey colour of this unpeated Islay dram draws you in to this delectable malt whisky. Creamy floral notes that we know from the classic laddie are followed up by unexpected sweet fruit flavours. A winning combination.”

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Ralfy analyses the prices in the U.K. of malts and has a very good experience with Ralfy Review 623 – Glenlivet 18yo @ 43%vol

Eight dram-tastic finalists are revealed in the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival Whisky Awards

Single malts from the stable of whisky giants Chivas Brothers have taken the lion’s share of nominations in this year’s expanded Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival Whisky Awards. A panel of industry experts shortlisted the firm’s drams in three out of four categories following a blind taste test.

The distiller’s Aberlour a’bunadh, Aberlour 12-year-old and Glenlivet 18-year-old have all been shortlisted for the accolades. The number of categories in the awards has been expanded from three to four this year in order to reflect the huge range of Speyside whiskies in circulation.

The eight finalists will now be put through the taste test by members of the public at a series of roving judging sessions taking place during the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival, which runs from April 27 to May 1.

In the non-age statement category Aberlour a’bunadh is up against Tamdhu Batch Strength 002 – a malt produced by Ian MacLeod Distillers.

In the category for malt 12-year-old and under, the Aberlour dram will battle it out with Cragganmore 2004 Distiller’s Edition, produced by Diageo which also has another finalist in the 20 and over category.

In the 13-20-year-old section it is a head to head between two of the world’s biggest brands: The Glenlivet 18-year-old will go up against Glenfiddich 15-year-old from William Grant and Sons.

The two shortlisted whiskies in the 20 years and over category are Mannochmore 25-year-old Special Release and The Macallan 30-year-old Sherry Cask, produced by The Edrington Group.

The judging panel was made up of expert noses from the spirits industry, including retailers, writers and hoteliers. Among them were renowned French food and drink writer Martine Nouet, Mike Lord from drinks emporium The Whisky Shop Dufftown and Dave Broom, editor-in-chief of industry bible scotchwhisky.com and the current holder of the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival International Ambassador Award.

Festival director Julie Fraser, who manages the awards programme, says the panel of nine judges had a very difficult time whittling down the 48 entries across the four categories.

“I don’t envy them their task. Although it sounds like the perfect way to spend a wintry afternoon on Speyside, it is actually a really difficult role to perform and it is not one that I, even as a whisky fan, would relish,” she says.

“As with any other awards scheme, the judging is always performed in a blind taste test to ensure that the results are completely neutral.  Although the panel may sometimes have an idea about what is in the glass they have no way of knowing for sure and I think it is quite fair to say that a few of them were rather surprised when the identities of the whiskies were finally revealed.

“The judges felt that all of the entries were of a very high standard this year, and it made their job of selecting just two finalists in each category particularly difficult.“

Festival chairman James Campbell adds, “From the discussion that took place afterwards I think that we were able to dispel the myth – once again – that such a thing as a typical Speyside whisky exists.

“Over the many years that these awards have been running we have been able to shake off the perception that Speyside always equals light and fruity: the reality is that Speyside whiskies offer something for all palates from the rich and fruity to the spicy and peated and to the light and floral.

“But the judges have now had their say and the final decision rests in the hands of the public who attend the roving judging sessions. Last year hundreds of votes were cast, and every year we see more and more people wanting to participate, place their vote and help influence the eventual winners.

“I think our distillers would agree that the fact that these awards are voted for by the whisky-drinking public – the people who actually go out and buy their product – makes winning all the more of a special achievement.”

The Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival Whisky Awards made its international debut last year when one of the judging sessions was held overseas. The event was hosted in Scotia Spirit – a luxury Scottish food and drink store based in Cologne, Germany.

The success of that event has led the organising committee to consider holding judging sessions in other international locations this year. Plans are still being finalised, but it is anticipated that five overseas panels will be held before the start of the Festival.

The awards are sponsored by Forsyths of Rothes – the coppersmiths responsible for building many of the pot stills in which the shortlisted single malts were distilled. The judging took place at the luxurious Knockomie Hotel in Forres, which sponsors the tasting session.

The awards prize-giving will take place at the Festival closing ceilidh on Sunday, April 30 at Knockando Distillery.

Based in the heart of Scotland’s malt whisky country, the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival takes place over five fun-filled days from April 27 to May 1, 2017. It comprises over 500 events, taking place from Kingussie in the south to Forres in the west and Buckie in the east.

Visitors, who come from all over the world to celebrate Scotland’s national drink, can enjoy exclusive distillery tours, whisky nosing and tastings, food pairing events, music, outdoor activities and other cultural attractions.

More information about the Festival is available at http://www.spiritofspeyside.com/ Tickets are available to buy for all events – including the awards judging sessions – from the website from February 7. The Festival is active on social media – facebook.com/WhiskyFestival and @spirit_speyside on Twitter and Instagram. Use the hashtag #dram17

Picture captions: Judges in the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival Whisky Awards – including director of Keepers of the Quaich Annabel Miekle and whisky writer and consultant Blair Bowman – carried out a blind taste of malts to draw up their shortlist of finalists.

Eight malts have made it through to the final of the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival Whisky Awards.

Notes

The Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival is committed to promoting responsible drinking. Visitors travelling to and from Festival events can take advantage of a range of transport options. Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival has received funding from Event Scotland and is also financially supported by many other private and public partners.

The Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival is part financed by the European Regional Development Fund Programme 2014 to 2020. The Scottish Government is the managing authority for the European Regional Development Fund Programme.

The whisky devoted bar, Scotch, at the historic Balmoral Hotel in the heart of Edinburgh has created a zingy, Valentine’s cocktail using R&B Distillers’ single malt – Raasay While We Wait. This whisky cocktail would make the perfect pre-dinner drink or an amorous nightcap on Valentine’s Day (14th February).

Scotch Bar Manager, Fraser Robson, has conceived this bespoke cocktail showcasing the fruitiness and versatility of Raasay While We Wait in an elegant blend with Grand Marnier, dry Vermouth and a refreshing twist of orange. The cocktail will be available to order at Scotch on Valentine’s Day and drinkers will also be invited to try a dram of this new and complex scotch.

Cosy tweed sofa, plush velvet armchairs and an atmospherically lit whisky library of over 500 whiskies makes Scotch a highly romantic setting for a Valentine’s date. Access to the stunning private roof top of the Balmoral Hotel can be also be pre-booked for a scenic proposal spot and a beautiful backdrop for a wedding photo shoot.

Proud to pioneer handcrafted whiskies of uncommon provenance, R&B Distillers, an exciting new whisky brand, launched their new premium whiskies in November 2015. Firmly ingrained in family history whilst simultaneously being a taste of the brand’s evolving future, Raasay While We Wait and Borders, two distinct and characterful whiskies, mark a new chapter for R&B Distillers.

R&B stands for Raasay and Borders, two unique landscapes brought together through one whisky company. Co-founder Alasdair Day embodies this coupling. His great grandfather, Allan MacDonald, hailed from the Hebrides while his other great grandfather, Richard Day was a master blender in the Borders in the early 19th Century. It is this history that has prompted R&B’s ongoing project to build distilleries at these twin roots in the Isle of Raasay and in the Scottish Borders.

R&B have been granted permission by the Highland Council to bring the first legal distillery to Raasay in the Inner Hebrides, an island where illicit distilling was once rife. While the distillery is being built, R&B have released the aptly named Raasay While We Wait whisky, a preview of the calibre and flavour of whisky yet to come with every sip certain to transport the drinker to the rugged island of Raasay.

With Raasay While We Wait, R&B Distillers have crafted a single malt whisky by bringing together two expressions from one distillery: one peated, one un-peated. This precise combination is a tantalising prediction of the flavours that will be produced at the new distillery on the Isle of Rasaay, off the remote west coast of Skye. The smoky peat aroma is softened in the finishing process which occurs in French oak Tuscan red wine casks and results in a unique, lightly fruity aroma and a heather hue. Raasay While We Wait has now been awarded three prestigious international awards: In May 2016, the whisky received a bronze medal in the International Spirits Challenge (ISC), in August this was followed with a Silver Medal at the International Wine & Spirits Competition (IWSC) and in November a bronze from the Hong Kong International Wine & Spirit Competition (HKIWSC). The awards are tremendous accolades for such a young whisky.

Meanwhile, Borders echoes the soft rolling landscape of its future location in the South of Scotland. This single grain whisky is lighter and softer in flavour than the smoky peat dram of Raasay While We Wait. Matured in Bourbon casks and finished in Oloroso sherry casks, Borders has been produced to reflect a lowland style. Alasdair Day’s great-grandfather blended whisky in the Coldstream and now, over 150 years since the last distillery in the Scottish Borders, Alasdair is returning to his roots and planning to reinstate whisky in this forgotten region. In 2015, Peebles was selected by the Scottish public as the preferred location for the new distillery. In November 2016 Borders was awards its first international award – a bronze medal in the HKIWSC.

As a precursor to the new distilleries being built, R&B Distillers offers membership to the Na Tùsairean club (Scots Gaelic for ‘The Pioneers’) – an exclusive offering for whisky aficionados. The inaugural 100 casks of Raasay whisky will be bottled exclusively for Na Tùsairean members who will receive one bottle each year for ten years, gradually acquiring a rare collection of R&B Whisky. Members will also receive miniatures so they can experience a dram of the whisky without breaking into their collector’s bottle and are entitled to the equivalent of one night’s stay per year for the duration of their membership in the luxury members accommodation.

Raasay While We Wait, priced at £56.95 and Borders priced at £49.95 are available to buy directly from the R&B Distillers website: www.rbdistillers.com

T: 0131 564 0761 E: sales@rbdistillers.com

NOTES

RETAILERS UK:

• Master of Malt (online)

• Whiski Rooms (Edinburgh shop)

• Oban Whisky & Fine Wines (Oban)

• Shop4Whisky (online)

• JL Gill (Crieff)

• Royal Mile Whiskies (Edinburgh & online)

• Raasay Community Store (Raasay)

• Jeffrey Street Whisky & Tobacco (Edinburgh)

• The Whisky Shop (Dufftown)

• Mainstreet Trading Co. (St Boswells, Scottish Borders)

• Oblo Bar (Eyemouth, Scottish Borders)

BARS/RESTAURANTS

• Whiski Rooms (Edinburgh bar)

• Teuchters Landing (Edinburgh Leith)

• Teuchters West End (Edinburgh West End)

• Drysbrugh Abbey Hotel (Drysbrugh)

• Raasay House Hotel (Raasay)

• Sconser Lodge (Skye)

TASTING NOTES:

‘While We Wait’

Aroma: Surprisingly very little smoke on the nose but instead light fruity notes come through.

Colour: Natural colour, heather tinted imparted from Tuscan red wine oak casks.

Taste: Instantly there is peat smoke and spice (a distant campfire, black pepper, liquorice, oak and then the sea breeze) slowly this is balanced with the dry fruit from the Tuscan red wine casks (black currant, blackberry, raspberry and cherries).

Finish: A long lingering finish.

Food Pairings: Pairs well with Sconser Scallops, Smoked Salmon, game, grouse, woodcock, venison, creamy blue cheese, bacon, haggis.

ABV: 46% Non-Chill Filtered

Year released: November 2015 – 1st Release Limited Edition

‘Borders’

Aroma: Prominent sherry notes on the nose, hints of sugar-coated nuts.

Colour: Natural colour, lightly golden taken from sherry finishing casks.

Taste: Surprisingly dry on the palate with the sherry influences dominating. Walnuts balanced with vanilla, herbaceous and floral notes coming through towards the end, and just a touch of warm spice.

Finish: Lingering, dry and complex.

Food Pairings: Pairs well with Cocoa Black dark praline chocolates.

ABV: 51.7% Non-Chill Filtered

Year released: November 2015 – 1st Release Limited Edition

We all love Islay!

Whilst the weather is still cold and the nights are still dark, what better style of whisky to keep you cosy and warm, but the rugged, smoky tones of an Islay malt?

We Heart Islay Tasting Series

To celebrate our return to the island later in the year (see below), we have decided to run a limited series in just four venues in the UK for a very limited number of lucky people…

The tasting will feature whiskies hand-selected by Eddie and the team, drawn (and liberated) from the TWL archive library. Feis bottlings from this year and previous years have already been mentioned as well as some other trinkets. If you know Eddie, you will understand being an only child means he doesn’t share well, so this is an awesome opportunity, never to be repeated!

Just to note that the Newcastle leg takes place at the Newcastle Whisky Festival on Saturday 11th March. You MUST have a valid Whisky Festival ticket to take part in this, so don’t forget to buy one of these too if you haven’t already!

We Heart Islay Dates & Venues

Good News for Members!

We are offering 10 spots on each of these tastings free for members. To book in, please email Vicky on vicky@thewhiskylounge.com. This is strictly first come, first served, so get your skates on!

Wanna come to the Fèis Ìle?

For the first time in a couple of years we are releasing a handful of places on our annual pilgrimage to Islay for the Fèis Ìle! Now it ain’t cheap, but we recognise it isn’t for everyone, but for those it is for, you are going to love it! Only 4 places are available on each half of the week. We are also offering 2 full week places for those with a bit more time and money to spare!

If you like life-altering experiences, good company and great whisky, then this is the trip for you! The island is fully geared up during the week for visitors and it really is great fun. Allow us to take the stress of travelling whilst you concentrate on the tastings…

Click HERE to find out more!

That’s all for now, but have a great week and we look forward to seeing you soon!

Sláinte!
Eddie, Amanda, Rupert, Georgina, Vicky and Guy

Our second year of release is upon us! 2016 was a truly remarkable year – Wolfburn is available in 21 countries around the world and, with a lot of help from our friends and colleagues, we managed to smash our Year 1 forecast. Our whisky was warmly received by, well, pretty much everyone! Northland, Aurora and the first of our Kylver series all received excellent reviews. We love making it, and seems people everywhere love drinking it. So now it’s onwards and upwards into 2017.

In this edition of the Laydown:

• Success! Wolfburn’s Northland expression cleans up in two prestigious competitions.

• Kylver explained – the history and background of the collectible Wolfburn series.

• Win! We were deluged with entries to the last competition – so we’re repeating it. Here’s your chance to test your knowledge of Wolfburn and win a box of delicious Aurora-infused Caithness chocolates.

The early part of the year is always a busy time. Here’s where you’ll find us out and about:

Viking Line Whisky Cruise and Festival – 16-20th February

WhiskyLive New York – 1st March

WhiskyLive Washington DC – 11th March

Whisky Festival Noord Nederland (Groningen) – 24/25/26th March

WhiskyLive London – 31st March

Slàinte

The Wolfburn Team

Morning all! Right, Littlemill, not a common place distillery in anyway at all. Triple distillation up until the 1970’s, three different spirits being produced again until the 1970’s and then a very sad end, being shut down in 1997 and later burn down in the early part of the naughties. A good friend of the channel has donated this sample to me and I’m more than happy to get my teeth around it, this is the first Littlemill that I’ve ever tried and I can’t wait to share the results of it with you. Enjoy! 

THE REVIEW

Pioneering craft brewery evolves into whisky distillery 

ONE of Australia’s early craft breweries has grown up to become a premium whisky distillery.

The Steam Exchange brewery in Goolwa, South Australia, has been rebadged Fleurieu Distillery, realising a lifelong dream for head distiller Gareth Andrews.

The distillery, on the edge of the River Murray about and hour’s drive south of Adelaide, released its first single malt whisky just before Christmas and has almost sold out despite its $260 a bottle price tag.

The next release is due in April while a new 36-hectolitre still is expected to be delivered before the end of the year.

Andrews has resumed distilling after a hectic tourism season at his waterside cellar door, which sits between the Goolwa Steam Ranger train station and the wharf where river cruises on vintage paddle steamers regularly depart.

The unpeated first release was matured in 100-litre ex-Seppeltsfield port barrels for about “three summers” resulting in a “big thick, oily, punchy, gutsy whisky”.

Whisky from the five barrels was selectively blended to produce 600 bottles, allowing Andrews to maintain consistency and produce something he felt reflected the “whisky terroir” of the Fleurieu Peninsula.

While 350 bottles of the first release were pre-sold as whisky bonds before bottling, the remaining 250 bottles are being sold at the cellar door, through the distillery’s website and by the nip at specialty bars such as Hains & Co in Adelaide. Only about 70 bottles remain.

“They’re first-use barrels so they are at their maximum strength and we’ve had them cut down to 100-litre barrels,” Andrews said.

“We are looking at the premium end so we released at 52 per cent.

“The next one will still be port barrel but it will be what I call a medium peat and we are looking to produce that one at full-on cask strength – around 62 per cent straight out the barrel with no watering down.”

The distillery also produces G-Town Gin and still brews beer but both are only sold at the cellar door along with a selection of boutique Langhorne Creek wines.

“We also have whisky sitting in sherry barrels from McWilliams both peated and unpeated but our sherry barrel whiskies won’t be out until next year,” Andrews said.

“At the moment we’re using first-use barrels so it’s big thick, oily, punchy, gutsy whiskies.

“The customers we’re looking for are obviously not people who want to mix it with Coke, we’re looking for adventurers who don’t mind paying that extra for a very high-quality product that stands out.

“We’re looking for people who want to travel that winding road and live a life less ordinary.”

Andrews said he was trying to source bourbon barrels to mature his next batch in.

He said the “maritime” conditions at Goolwa, less than 3km from where Australia’s longest river meets the Southern Ocean, were ideal for maturing whisky because of its fresh sea breezes, fluctuating temperatures range and mild summers.

Goolwa is at the southern end of the Fleurieu Peninsula, which is also home to the McLaren Vale wine region and the McLaren Vale Distillery.

Andrews began the brewery in 2004 and was one of only three craft breweries in South Australia at the time.

The success of the business allowed him to eventually become a distillery, which had been a long-term goal. The businesses focus is now 90 per cent whisky, 5 per cent gin and five per cent beer.

“As the craft beer game evolved people became really fixated with the IPA style whereas I am a big fan of the more traditional style English ales,” Andrews said.

“We decided that was not the style we were interested in and we wanted to go off and do other things.

“There comes a point where you have to ask ‘what am I most passionate about’ and focus on that.

“For us down here our passion for whisky has grown and grown and the beer side has become less important – we’ll always have our Steam Exchange brand but it’s in the background now.”

The similarities between making beer and whisky have helped Andrews reach his distilling goal, which he said was simply not an option when he opened the brewery 15 years ago.

“Even in 2004, just to find brewing equipment was really hard so back then the concept of setting up a distillery was unheard of because you just couldn’t access the equipment,” he said.

“Effectively from a distiller’s perspective, making whisky wash is very close to making beer without hops in it. There’s a few things you’ve got to change like mashing temperatures and a few chemistry issues you’ve got to deal with but effectively it’s the same process.”

The distillery’s 12-hectolitre still, custom made by Knapp Lewer in Tasmania, is a small version of the still at Islay distillery Caol Ila – one of Andrews’ favourites.

Andrews has engaged Knapp Lewer to make him a larger 36-hectolitre version of the still, which he hopes to have before the end of the year.

His wife Angela – who has worked for more than 20 years as a librarian/teacher is becoming more involved in the business from next week by taking a year off from her job to learn the distilling ropes.

“Basically by October/November she will be able to walk in and do her own cuts – heads and tails – and create her own whisky,” Andrews said.

“We are going to train her to become South Australia’s first female whisky distiller.”

“The promotion of women into whisky is fairly important so Angela is going to set up a blog and every week go through what it’s like going from being a librarian to being a whisky distiller.”

On your marks, get set, go – scramble expected as exclusive tickets for Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival go on sale 

Tickets for the 2017 Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival will go on sale next week – and organisers expect a scramble for a handful of exclusive tickets that will allow visitors to enter the doors of distilleries which have never before opened to the public.

It is anticipated that tickets for tours of Speyburn, Knockdu and Balmenach distilleries – all taking part in the Festival for the very first time – will sell out within a matter of hours when the event website opens for business on February 7.

In previous years, whisky connoisseurs from the UK and overseas have jumped at the chance to step inside distilleries which are only open during the Festival and tick another visit off their ‘bucket list’.

Speyside is the most prolific whisky producing region in Scotland. With more than 50 distilleries to its name – including world leading brands like The Glenlivet, Aberlour, Cardhu, Glenfiddich and The Macallan – it is home to more than half of all Scotland’s distilleries.

Speyburn, Knockdu and Balmenach will be joined by a range of other venues which have previously featured in the Festival line-up but do not host visitors at any other time of the year.

Other distilleries which are only opening to the public during the Festival from April 26 to May 1 include Tamnavulin, Speyside, Dalmunach, Tormore, Glenallachie, Glen Keith and Longmorn. Boormalt Maltings at Buckie will also be inviting festival goers inside: it took part last year and its tours were among the first events to sell out.

Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival manager Pery Zakeri says she expects many hot tickets to disappear within hours of going on sale on Tuesday.

She adds, “If you are a real whisky enthusiast then you will understand and appreciate just how special it is to be able to access these distilleries, and it is why tickets for these events sell out so quickly.

“It is almost like belonging to a small and exclusive club because so few people can say that they have stepped across the threshold. For those who are truly passionate about Speyside whisky, being able to say they have visited somewhere only a handful of other people have been is like wearing a badge of honour.

“There are many distilleries in the region with facilities that allow visitors to turn up at any time and take a tour, but only during the Festival can people get inside virtually all our 50-plus local distilleries.

“Our ability to get venues that do not usually host visitors to run exclusive tours over the five days of the Festival is what makes the difference between our event and other festivals. We have been running for almost 20 years and connoisseurs – as well as those who are just getting a taste for Scotch whisky – know that this is where they need to come if they want an authentic whisky experience.”

Visitors will have the opportunity to plan their visit and draw up a hit list of events they want to attend today (Thursday, February 2) when the programme for the Festival is revealed at www.spiritofspeyside.com

Tickets will go on sale a few days later at 12 noon on February 7. The time has been selected so that people across different time zones have an equal chance to get their hands on the most popular tickets.

However, the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival offers more than just distillery tours that will appeal to die-hard whisky fans. The programme has been designed to appeal for everyone from connoisseurs to those with a curious interest in Speyside whisky – and it’s possible to visit without touching a drop of the region’s most famous export.

During the five-day event, visitors will have the opportunity to go take part in whisky tastings and nosings, learn how to match the amber nectar with food, enjoy Scottish traditional and contemporary music, take tours of whisky country on foot, by road, by rail and even by canoe, and enjoy fun activities like glass blowing and whisky tumbler carving.

Festival chairman James Campbell says, “For years Speyside has been a bit of a hidden gem, but we now welcome visitors from all over the world and a huge number travel to the event from outside Scotland.

“We’ve previously welcomed visitors from Australia, North America, South America, Africa and Asia as well as Europe and we are standing by to see yet another increase in international guests when the tickets go on sale on Tuesday.”

Paul Bush OBE, VisitScotland’s director of events, says, “The Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival is a fantastic event, attracting people from all over the world. Whether you’re a connoisseur or just discovering the delights of Scotland’s national drink, the Festival offers everyone an exciting and innovative programme of events to enjoy.

“EventScotland is delighted to again be supporting the Festival, which is the perfect stage for celebrating whisky and the cultural heritage of Speyside.”

Based in the heart of Scotland’s malt whisky country, the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival takes place over five fun-filled days from April 27 to May 1, 2017. It comprises over 500 events, taking place from Kingussie in the south to Forres in the west and Buckie in the east.

More information about the event is available at www.spiritofspeyside.com and tickets are also available to buy on the website. The Festival is active on social media – facebook.com/WhiskyFestival and @spirit_speyside on Twitter and Instagram. Use the hashtag #dram17

Tickets for the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival – celebrating Scotland’s most prolific whisky producing region and home to a host of internationally renowned brands – will go live at 12 noon on Tuesday, February 7.

Notes

The Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival is committed to promoting responsible drinking. Visitors travelling to and from Festival events can take advantage of a range of transport options. Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival has received funding from Event Scotland and is also financially supported by many other private and public partners.

The Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival is part financed by the European Regional Development Fund Programme 2014 to 2020. The Scottish Government is the managing authority for the European Regional Development Fund Programme.

EventScotland  

EventScotland is working to make Scotland the perfect stage for events. 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. Follow EventScotland on Twitter @EventScotNews. 

EventScotland is a team within VisitScotland’s Events Directorate, the national tourism organisation which markets Scotland as a tourism destination across the world, gives support to the tourism industry and brings sustainable tourism growth to Scotland. For more information about VisitScotland see www.visitscotland.org or for consumer information on Scotland as a visitor destination see www.visitscotland.com.