The Campbeltown Malts Festival 2018 is taking place between Tuesday 22nd and Friday 25th May 2018. Please allow this email to serve as a reminder for you of any details, times and dates associated with the festival and be aware that details and descriptions of some events have been updated.

In the coming weeks and months there will continue to be communication from us to you that will provide further information that we can only share nearer the time of the event.

Below you will find all relevant information regarding the events and tastings that are being provided during the festival by Springbank, Glengyle and Cadenhead’s. However, for your immediate attention here is a summary of the new information that has been added:

• The Springbank Society Tasting is Fully Booked
• Details of dinners taking place throughout Campbeltown on the evening of Wednesday 23rd May.
• Further instructions on how to order tickets from Eventbrite and what to do once your order has been confirmed.
• Time that Festival Bottles will go on sale during the Springbank Open Day + Glengyle/Cadenhead Open Day
• There will be the traditional Open Day Ceilidh taking place in the Malt Barns
• A full and updated description of the format of the Cadenhead Masterclass (the Big Cadenhead Tasting)

Please familiarise yourself with this full email so that you are aware of all the new details at this stage.

The festival will take place from Tuesday 22nd – Friday 25th May. Torrisdale Gin Distillers Beinn an Tuirc will be hosting events on the Tuesday with Wednesday onwards being dedicated, as usual, to the celebration of the whiskies produced here in Campbeltown.

Last year proved to be our most successful Malts Festival ever and, since you shouldn’t try to fix something that isn’t broken, we’ll be following a very similar formula in 2018.

However, to reflect each of our companies’ significance, we feel it is important to emphasise that in 2018 the Cadenhead’s/Kilkerran event on the Friday is just as much fun as the Springbank one the day before.

With that in mind the Glengyle and Cadenhead celebrations on Friday 25th May are going to be bigger than ever. Not only is the Cadenhead Masterclass that is traditionally held on the Thursday moving to the Friday but also this year’s Kilkerran Festival Bottle will be exclusively available on Friday 25th May.

To emphasise, there won’t be a main Cadenhead’s or Kilkerran masterclass on the Thursday as both will now take place on the Friday. Similarly, there will be an exclusive bottling of Kilkerran only available on the Friday, not on the Thursday.

Before we move on to the main part of this email there is one more thing to tell you. We have decided to adopt a new way for you to order tickets for the tastings and masterclasses. We will be using a website called Eventbrite – https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/

How to Order Tickets

Over the last few years it has become obvious to us that we cannot continue using the same old methods when it comes to the purchasing of tickets for the Campbeltown Malts Festival. The Festival has become so popular that many more people are attending it than ever before. This meant that we had to rethink things.

As mentioned above, we are going to be using Eventbrite and, when the time comes, that is where you will be able to buy tickets from.

Tickets will be available on Eventbrite from: Thursday 15th February at 2pm GMT (UK time). 

You can register on Eventbrite now to save time entering your details when you order your tickets but you don’t have to should you not wish to. You will still be able to order tickets even if you do not register in advance, though it might save you time to do so. Details of the Festival will be displayed on Eventbrite prior to the ticket launch, including descriptions of each tasting. Please search for “Campbeltown Malts Festival 2018” over the next few days – the page will appear within the next 7 days. We will also provide you with a link to the page in a future “reminder” email.

It will be a maximum of 2 tickets per person for each tasting and, please note (and this is important!), that some tastings do overlap in time so it might not be possible to do all of them.

Please remember to print off your order confirmation as you will need to bring this with you to the festival.

Available Now

Tickets for the Cadenhead Club Members Tasting and the Springbank Distillery Dinner can be ordered now but they are not on Eventbrite – details on how to do this can be found below.

Fully Booked

The Springbank Society Tasting fully booked.

Tuesday 22nd May

7pm: Cadenhead Club Tasting

On the evening of Tuesday 22nd May the Sales Team from Cadenhead’s will be hosting a tasting exclusive to Cadenhead Club Members.

This tasting will be free to attend but places are very limited. Please contact club@cadenhead.scot to book a place at this tasting – this can be done immediately upon receipt of this email.

Details regarding what this tasting will entail will be released in a future email, although you should expect a diverse collection of whisky from the Cadenhead range and Mark Watt telling a few stories.

Wednesday 23rd May 2018 

On Wednesday, festival staples return as we host the Springbank Society Tasting and our special dinner at Springbank Distillery.

Springbank Society Tasting – FULLY BOOKED

To kick off events at Springbank we will be holding an exclusive tasting for our lovely Springbank Society Members. The tasting will take place on Wednesday 23rd May at 11:30am in the Malt Barns at Springbank Distillery.

Further details regarding this tasting will be released in due course.

The Springbank Distillery Dinner

Once again we will be hosting an exclusive dinner at the distillery on the eve of our Open Day. This year, guests will be treated to dinner in the surroundings of our wonderful Malt Barns. This will take place on Wednesday 23rd May 2018 at 7pm.

On arrival to Springbank Distillery, you will be greeted with a champagne reception in our marquee which will also feature a range of locally sourced canapés.

Following this, you will sample a selection of whiskies, hand drawn from the cask by a member of our senior production team.

You will then be led to your table to enjoy a four course meal with a specially selected wine to accompany each course. To end your unique experience, each attendee will be presented with their own exclusive 70cl hand drawn bottle, chosen by public vote from the casks sampled earlier in the evening.

Throughout the evening, staff from J. & A. Mitchell & Co. Ltd. will be present to chat to and share some drams with. The cost of the dinner is £250.00 per person and payment is required upon booking to secure your place.

There will be a set menu so please advise us of any dietary requirements you have when booking. Also, please note that the meal will take place on the middle malt floor so guests will have to climb stairs to get to their table.

Tickets for this event go on sale today, Thursday 8th February, at 2pm GMT (UK Time) and are not available on Eventbrite.

To book your place, please email donald@cadenhead.scot or call +44 (0) 1586 554761.

Dinners Taking Place in Campbeltown

A number of places in the town will be hosting dinners on the evening of Wednesday 23rd May should you wish to attend. There will be a dinner taking place at each of the below establishments and every event will feature an appearance by a Sales Team member.

• Ardshiel Hotel (01586 552133)
• Craigard Hotel (01586 554242)
• Royal Hotel (0800 151 3701)
• Food for Thought (01586 553865)

In addition to the telephone numbers in brackets, you can also find further contact details by visiting: http://www.explorecampbeltown.com/

A Sales Team Member will be on hand to serve all the guests at each dinner with the three drams that will also be sampled by attendees of the official distillery dinner that night. Guests at the official dinner will vote for their favourite from the three. Raffle tickets will be handed to each person at the above dinners and one lucky person from each will win a bottle of the whisky favoured by those in attendance at the official distillery dinner.

This bottle shall be collected at the Cadenhead’s Whisky Shop the following day.

Thursday 24th May 2018 

Springbank Open Day

The Springbank Open Day will take place on what is now the third day of the Campbeltown Malts Festival. The day will start at 11am and will include a wide variety of activities such as free distillery tours, a range of tastings and masterclasses, local craft and food stalls, exclusive bottlings, the famous warehouse whisky bar and more.

Festival Bottles

Springbank Open Day Festival Bottles will go on sale at Springbank Distillery from 10.30am. Please be aware that there will likely be a queue so it would be best to plan ahead if you are booked to attend one of the earlier masterclasses.

The tastings and masterclasses taking place during the Springbank Open Day will be available to book on Eventbrite from 2pm (UK time) on February 15th, excluding events that are only bookable on the day, and details of each can be found below:

11.30am – Getting to know Longrow and Hazelburn Masterclass – £30

Explore Springbank Distillery’s Longrow and Hazelburn expressions to experience the range that Springbank has to offer. Whether it’s the smoky and mysterious Longrow bottlings or the lighter, sweeter Hazelburn, there will be something here for every fan of the Springbank range.

11.30am – The How It’s Made Masterclass – £30

Your chance to get deeper into our production methods and the reasons behind we do things they way we do, with some great drams to enjoy while you learn. All production-related questions are welcome, especially if you want to submit them in advance…

12.30pm: Springbank Warehouse Tasting – £30

Sample a selection of the finest whiskies from Springbank, hand drawn from the cask in one of our traditional warehouses.

1pm: Springbank Distillers Single Cask Tasting – £30

As the title suggests, this is an opportunity to try some of the stunning drams which have been released around the world as single cask bottlings.

1.30pm: The Directors’ Cut (or The Good, The Bad and the Ugly) Tasting – £50

Join Director of Production Findlay Ross, Springbank Sales and Marketing Director Ranald Watson and Director of Sales for W.M. Cadenhead’s Mark Watt for a very special tasting that will take you through a wide range of drams and topics covering every corner of J&A Mitchell.

2.30pm: Springbank Warehouse Tasting – £30

Sample a selection of the finest whiskies from Springbank, hand drawn from the cask in one of our traditional warehouses.

2.30pm: Springbank Masterclass – £30

This is your opportunity to join one of the Springbank Sales Team in enjoying a selection of drams from across the Springbank selection. Whether you are new to Springbank or you are looking to enjoy some old favourites, this could be the tasting for you. This event is bookable on the day only.

3.30pm: Springbank; New and Forthcoming Releases – £30

A chance to try some of the most recent limited release bottlings from Springbank Distillers. February, March and April will see a number of new whiskies appearing and this may be your best chance to try them in one place.

4pm: Springbank Warehouse Tasting – £30

Sample a selection of the finest whiskies from Springbank, hand drawn from the cask in one of our traditional warehouses.

6.30pm: An Introduction to J&A Mitchell Tasting – £30

Get to know our company and our core products a bit better – these are the drams that provide the foundation to our business. Perfect for those just getting into whisky or who want to go back to basics with Springbank, Glengyle and Wm Cadenhead. This event is bookable on the day only.

The Springbank Warehouse tastings will be 45 mins long.

All other tastings during the Springbank Open Day are scheduled for strictly 1 hour.

Tickets for tastings that are only bookable on the day are not available on Eventbrite and must be purchased at Springbank Distillery.

Ceilidh

The traditional Open Day Ceilidh will once again be happening in the Malt Barns and you are all welcome to come along, of course. Things will get underway around 7.30pm and will feature live music throughout the night.

Friday 25th May 2018 

Cadenhead and Mitchell’s Glengyle Open Day

The final day of the Campbeltown Malts Festival 2018 will be dedicated to Mitchell’s Glengyle Distillery and W.M. Cadenhead’s.

Our Friday events will take place at Mitchell’s Glengyle Distillery where there will be hourly free tours of the distillery, local stalls and the very popular Cadenhead Lucky Dip Bar will be joined by the Fyne Ales bar and a Cocktail Bar.

Please note: The Kilkerran Festival Bottle will be available at 10.30am.

The tastings and masterclasses for Friday 25th May can be found below:

10am: Cadenhead Warehouse Tasting – £30

Sample a selection of the finest Cadenhead whiskies with a member of the Cadenhead Sales Team. Each dram will be hand drawn from the cask inside one of the warehouses at Springbank.

10.15am: Cadenhead Warehouse Tasting – £30

Sample a selection of the finest Cadenhead whiskies with a member of the Cadenhead Sales Team. Each dram will be hand drawn from the cask inside one of the warehouses at Springbank.

10.15am: Cadenhead Alternative Tasting – £30

Throughout its 176 year history Cadenhead’s has been about more than just excellent whisky – this is a chance to try some of our alternative spirits. The tasting will include a selection of Gin, Rum and Cognac from current bottlings and possibly some surprises.

11.30am: Kilkerran Masterclass – £30

Familiarise yourself with the house style of Kilkerran, our bottlings to date and perhaps one or two of the early experiments from Glengyle Distillery. Join us for a comprehensive Kilkerran experience.

1.15pm: Cadenhead Masterclass – £30

Traditionally taking place on the Thursday of the festival, the “Big Cadenhead Tasting” looks like it fits in well on Friday. This year’s tasting will take on a special format as Sales Team members Cameron Mcgeachy and Jenna McIntosh go head to head in competition as they each present to you a selection of drams from the International Small Batch range and the Authentic Collection respectively. Mark Watt will serve as your special guest referee for this contest.

In past years we have also rolled a cask into the Malt Barns to be sampled by those in attendance but this time there will be two casks for people to taste and purchase bottles from. These bottles are only available at this tasting.

3pm: The Kilkerran Alternative Masterclass – £30

A chance to explore Kilkerran Single Malt further, with one or two twists on the usual style. Tickets for this tasting will not be on Eventbrite. They must be purchased at Glengyle Distillery.

3pm: Cadenhead Warehouse Tasting – £30

Sample a selection of the finest Cadenhead whiskies with a member of the Cadenhead Sales Team. Each dram will be hand drawn from the cask inside one of the warehouses at Springbank.

3.15pm: Cadenhead Warehouse Tasting – £30

Sample a selection of the finest Cadenhead whiskies with a member of the Cadenhead Sales Team. Each dram will be hand drawn from the cask inside one of the warehouses at Springbank.

As a Society member, you will receive several additional emails in the near future as more information on the Campbeltown Malts Festival will be released in due course.

Just over 3 months to go…