The second day of the Dornoch Whisky Festival 2016 includes our main tasting event, The Gala Tasting, at the Dornoch Castle Hotel, a Ceilidh, BBQ, tastings, tours and amazing menus throughout the town.

You can book online now here: www.dornochwhiskyfestival.com. All events outside of Dornoch include return transport.

Independant Bottling Masterclass, Carnegie Whisky Cellars: 11am, £50pp The Carnegie Whisky Cellars opened in May this year. Not only do they run fantastic tasting sessions, but they also have a whisky shop selling a wide range of whiskys from around the world. Join them for a preview of 6 of the showcased northern distilleries at the festival. We’ll be opening some very special independent bottles for your enjoyment.

The Dalmore Discovery Distillery Tour: 11am, £30pp The Dalmore Distillery sits on the banks of the Cromarty Firth overlooking the Black Isle.  This award winning Highland Single Malt is renowned for its rich sherry cask finishes and rare expressions. The Dalmore Discovery Distillery tour gives a rare insight into the skill, expertise and craft that goes into each precious drop of The Dalmore.

Signet Tour of Glenmorangie: 11am, £30pp Glenmorangie Distillery sits on the shores of The Dornoch Firth, just south of Dornoch. To complement your Distillery Tour a visit to our Signet Room is included, where you can sample Glenmorangie Original and Glenmorangie Signet which is one of our rarest expressions and undoubtedly the richest whisky in our range. A complex vatting of our oldest whisky stocks combined with whiskies matured in the world’s most expensive designer casks we bring alive Glenmorangie Signet’s rich dark layers of flavour with a very unusual and alluring sonic tasting experience.

The Gala Tasting: 12pm, £25pp Come along and sample a wide range of malt whisky from local distillers including Balblair, Clynelish, The Dalmore, Glenmorangie, Glen Ord, Old Pulteney & Wolfburn, as well as Gordon & Macphail, Benromach, Glen Scotia, Glenturret, Annandale and Douglas Laing. And we are very excited to announce that our very own Dornoch Distillery will have gin to sample in this year! There will be a FREE cheese and bread table, chocolates, cakes and even a Chocolate and Whisky pairing Masterclass run by Whisky Corner (only available to people attending the Gala Tasting, £15 per person) There will also be food available ranging from Tapas to Burgers! Tickets are £25 each for which you will receive a Goody Bag with pen, bottle of water, Gala Tasting brochure,  voucher card to be exchanged for drams (with option to purchase more) and a Glencairn tasting glass.

A Taste of the Highlands Tour: 3pm, £150pp Charles Maclean was trained in ‘the sensory evaluation of potable spirits’ by the Scotch Whisky Research Institute in 1992 and has presented numerous tastings and talks in the U.K. and abroad for whisky companies, corporations, universities and clubs, and on radio and TV. He is a member of the Judging Panel (Spirits) of the International Wines & Spirits Competition, and was runner-up as ‘Communicator of the Year’ in the 2003 IWSC Awards. We are delighted to welcome Charles to the Dornoch Whisky Festival and you can be assured of an entertaining and informative “Taste of the Highlands”. The venue is newly opened Carnegie Whisky Cellars in the old Courthouse building. The atmospheric tasting room is housed in the 200 year old original court record vault – complete with steel security door and Caithness slab flooring. 16 places are available at this exclusive event, at £150 per person

Dinner Service at Links House: 6.30pm, £55 You can always expect wonderful food and wine when you visit the award winning Links House.  Their head chef’s focus is on seasonal delicacies, locally sourced from a selection of specialty suppliers. We offer a small choice menu constructed daily dependent on our chef’s network of specialty suppliers. Whether fresh Dornoch mussels, Langoustines from nearby Scrabster or game from Bonar Bridge, you will find it delightful. Complimentary dram/ Prosecco and canapés upon arrival.

BBQ and Ceilidh at the Dornoch Castle Hotel: from 7pm After an afternoon of whisky tasting, sit back, relax and enjoy a Barbeque to recharge your batteries and get ready for a traditional Ceilidh! The Barbeque runs from 7pm and is £8 per person. The Ceilidh starts at 9pm so stick around and finish off the evening in true Highland style- Get your dancing shoes on and dance to the music of the Red Reel Ceilidh Band – with Magnus Orr on the pipes.

Start planning your weekend now!