TICKETS GO ON SALE FOR THIRD FIFE WHISKY FESTIVAL

Whisky fans can enjoy a packed programme of events when Fife Whisky Festival returns to the Kingdom next March.

Tickets go on sale for the third Fife Whisky Festival on Saturday September 7 while the showcase event was launched with a Twitter Tasting session on Wednesday August 28.

The online session – under the hashtag #fifewhiskyfest – will give whisky lovers the chance to discover what a team of bloggers thought about four delicious drams which they tasted blind.

Fife Whisky Festival co-founders Justine Hazlehurst, of Kask Whisky, and Karen Somerville, of Angels’ Share Glass, will also joined the Twitter Tasting.

Mrs Somerville said: “We thought a blind tasting on Twitter would be a great way to kick off the 2020 event and we lined up four fantastic drams lined up for our testers to try.

“It was a fun way of giving whisky fans a taste of what’s to come next March when we’re excited to be hosting our third festival.”

The three-day 2020 event runs from March 6-8 and opens with a whisky-themed dinner at Lindores Abbey Distillery in Newburgh on the Friday evening.

The Festival, sponsored by legal firm MacRoberts LLP and global construction company ISG, continues on Saturday March 7 with two tasting sessions at the Corn Exchange in Cupar.
It closes on the Sunday with a special event at Kingsbarns Distillery near St Andrews.

Local MSP Willie Rennie welcomed the return of the Festival which has been credited with boosting’s Fife’s economy.

He said: “I’m delighted to see the Fife Whisky Festival return for its third year, becoming a fixture in the calendar.”

“I was fortunate enough to attend this year’s event which was superbly organised and a huge success – it was packed with people from across Scotland tasting some of the country’s best whisky.”

“It is great to see a growing number of Fife brands featuring too with the relatively new distilleries we have making their mark.”

“I can’t wait to see what next year’s festival brings but I am sure it will continue to reinforce Fife’s status as a whisky destination.”

The first Fife Whisky Festival took place in 2018 after Ms Hazlehurst and Mrs Somerville, an Ambassador for Women’s Enterprise Scotland (WES), joined forces to bring whisky back to the Kingdom of Fife.

It proved a major success and was followed by a bigger and better second event in March this year.

Ms Hazlehurst said: “We’re pleased with the way the Festival continues to go from strength to strength attracting visitors from across Scotland and further afield and really putting Fife on the map as a whisky destination.”

“We’ve got several new exhibitors for the 2020 event, including Edinburgh’s Holyrood Distillery and Tullibardine Distillery in Blackford, and will also be welcoming back our regulars from Fife and elsewhere.

“There will be something for everyone who loves whisky to enjoy and we’re looking forward to a great weekend.”

The Festival will feature two tasting sessions on the Saturday with drams on offer from more than 30 distilleries and independent bottlers including Springbank, Kingsbarns, Fraiser of Scotland, Ben Nevis and Paul John Whisky.

The famous Luvians Bottle Shop, the festival’s on-site official retailer, will be on hand for whisky purchases and there will be food stalls run by local businesses throughout the day.

Euan Duncan, Partner and Chair of sponsors MacRoberts, said: “MacRoberts are thrilled to be able to offer our support to the Fife Whisky Festival 2020 as part of our commitment to the wider Food & Drink market in Scotland.

“The sector is growing and the event marks an exciting opportunity for both established and emerging brands to not only showcase Fife Whisky, but also some of the best that Scotland has to offer.”

To buy tickets, from Saturday September 7, and for more details about Fife Whisky Festival, go to www.fifewhiskyfestival.com

The Whisky Exchange Whisky of the Year – nominations are open

It may be sweltering outside, but it’s time for us to start the process for an annual winter event – the unveiling of The Whisky Exchange Whisky of the Year!

Whisky of the Year

Every year since 2014, we have crowned one whisky with the illustrious title of our Whisky of the Year. Until now, the process has been quite simple: we asked the Whisky Exchange team and industry experts to nominate whiskies, whittled that list down to just eight, and then ran a tasting in London where the attendees voted for the winner.

We’ve had an excellent range of winners, from famed Scottish peaty drams to the suprise winner of last year’s competition – Michter’s Sour Mash, an American whiskey…

Previous winners: 2019 – Michter’s Sour Mash. 2018 – Bowmore 15 Year Old, 2017 – Kilchoman Machir Bay, 2016 – Talisker 2003 Distillers Edition, 2015 – Glendronach 15 Year Old Revival, 2014 – Glenfarclas 15 Year Old.

It’s worked rather well for the past six years, but this time we want to try something different and get more of you involved.

This year, we want you to nominate your favourite whiskies and vote on the final result.

How it works

We’ll be doing this in several stages. Firstly, nominations are now open – head to the nominations page and you can choose up to three whiskies that you think should be the winner. Once nominations close, the three most popular public nominations will be joined by three chosen by The Whisky Exchange team to make up our final six.

Then we move on to stage two: the blind tasting. While we’ll still be running a tasting here in London (details to come closer to the event), we will also be making up tasting packs so you can join in at home as well.

Coming soon – Whisky of the Year judging sets. We won’t know what they’ll actually look like until we close nominations, but it’ll be something like this.

Whisky of the Year judging sets will be on sale for one month, starting in mid-October, with online voting open for everyone who buys one. The votes will be combined with the ones from the London tasting and a winner will be declared.

Nominate early, nominate often!

So, get nominating! Any whisky (or whiskey) that meets the following criteria is eligible:

It must be less than £65
It must be 48% ABV or less
It must be an ongoing release – no special editions

Head over to the nominations page, choose your three favourite drams, and then await the shortlist and the judging sets. In the meantime you can sign up to receive an email when they go live on the Whisky of the Year tasting sets page.

We look forward to seeing what you choose…

Nominations close on 8 September 2019 and the judging sets will be on sale from mid-October. Voting closes in November (exact date TBC) and we’ll announce the results later in the month.

THE SCOTCH MALT WHISKY SOCIETY

CELEBRATES HERITAGE WITH WEEK-LONG FESTIVAL IN EDINBURGH  

‘The Gathering’ encourages SMWS members from all over the globe to make the pilgrimage to their spiritual home at The Vaults, Leith 

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS) is hosting ‘The Gathering’, a week-long celebration of its Leith origins that will bring members together to discover and share wonderful whisky experiences. The festival is taking place from Monday 2 to Sunday 8 September at The Vaults and other iconic Leith venues.

‘The Gathering’ encapsulates what it means to be a member of The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, with a jam-packed week of fun-filled whisky-themed events. Festivities include a fascinating walking tour of Leith’s illustrious whisky history, an exclusive whisky and Leith food pairing, tasting and film screenings at renowned Leith venues, as well as member events in the courtyard of the spiritual home of the Society, The Vaults.

BRINGING MEMBERS TOGETHER WHEREVER THEY ARE IN THE WORLD

The SMWS is now a truly global membership organisation, with members and partner bars across the world. For those who can’t make the journey to Leith, SMWS will share the spirit of The Vaults through an integrated online tasting experience. The Virtual Tasting, hosted by SMWS Master Ambassador John McCheyne, will be screened live from The Vaults to the world via Facebook on Saturday 7 September.

Branches across Europe including Munich, Paris and Stockholm will also be holding The Gathering events at their venues for local members from August 20 to September 21.

CELEBRATING LEITH’S HERITAGE  

The SMWS will celebrate the arts and film that support its unconventional nature with festivities going beyond The Vaults to other iconic Leith venues, with exclusive screenings at the beautiful Leith Theatre, as well as The Biscuit Factory.

The whisky experts have partnered with local producers, including a colourful food pairing with the much-loved Kilted Donuts, who will be pairing five of their sweet and savoury donuts with delicious SMWS whiskies.

Throughout the week, SMWS member and history enthusiast Justine Hazlehurst will be hosting regular walking tours of Leith, getting up close to the area’s intriguing history and whisky heritage.

Jan Damen, Operations Director at The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, said: “As a Society, we’re always striving to ensure that our global members feel connected to one another and are able to share their whisky experiences together.

“This is a rare opportunity for our members from all over the world to come together and congregate at The Vaults for a series of unique events. We look forward to welcoming whisky lovers from near and far.”

For details on all the events and to buy tickets, visit: http://bit.ly/2HaaTM6

Notes:

About The Scotch Malt Whisky Society 

• The Scotch Malt Whisky Society was established in Edinburgh in 1983 and now has more than 26,000 members and branches around the world
• The SMWS bottles rare single cask, single malt whisky, and a range of other spirits
• The Society bottles single malts, unique single casks and exclusive blends
• The Society has bottled whisky from more than 138 distilleries from Scotland and beyond
• The Society offers a new batch of around 20 single cask, single malt whiskies every month
• The Society offers a variety of membership packages which can be tailored. Please seehttps://bit.ly/2uqKanT
• For more information about the Society, visithttps://bit.ly/2HHiNyC
• Twitter: @SMWSUK Facebook: @thesmwsuk Instagram: @smws_uk

Friday September 6th 5-7PM: 

Local Spirits: 

Redwood Empire 

A true California spirit, Redwood Empire whiskies are crafted among the Northern California Redwoods that inspire them. Their portfolio of rye & bourbon whiskeys aim to reflect of the spirit and landscape of their Northern California home – rugged, pioneering, adventurous, and aesthetically beautiful.

Click Here to RSVP

The Whisky Shop is closed September 2nd in observance of Labor Day. Our online store remains open 24/7, at whiskyshopusa.com

Saturday, September 7th 2:30-5:30PM

Local Spirits: 10th St Single Malt 

Located in San Jose, California, 10th St Distillery combines time honored Scottish traditions and American ingenuity to create award winning single malt. Their signature expression is made with peated barley imported exclusively from Scotland and mineral rich water from the Sierras, hand-crafted in custom copper pot stills and aged in bourbon barrels. It received ‘Best in Class’ at the 2018 Whiskies of the World. Come by for a taste and learn more about this up-and-coming local distillery.

Did You Know…Mark Stewart Cassidy, Specialist at The Whisky Shop, is leaving our store. He and the crew behind  “Never A Dry Moment” tastings are relocating to the Pacific Northwest, where they will bring immeasurable whisky knowledge and presentation. While nothing is changing at the store (we will continue to sell scotch & whiskey!) those who would like personal single malt recommendations from Mark Stewart Cassidy are encouraged to come by in the next few weeks before he goes.

We will miss you, Mark!

Click Here to RSVP

Friday August 30th 4-6PM:

Scotch Tasting: GlenAllachie 

Join us for a traditional whisky tasting of GlenAllachie scotch! We’ll have a variety of rare and award-winning releases to try at this expert presented tasting. Established in Speyside in 1967, GlenAllachie produced blended whiskies under the Chivas Portfolio until 2018. Their single cask, aged releases, and peated blends, have since swept numerous international award competitions, including the 2019 World Whiskies Awards and San Francisco Spirits Challenge.

Click Here to RSVP

Saturday Tickets Now Sold Out!

But not to worry – the UK’s largest whisky festival is a two-day event and we still have both Sunday and weekend tickets available. You’ll find all the same great experiences at the show each day, including more than 800 whiskies from 100+ exhibitors, masterclasses, Dream Drams and lots more.

Book Now

Experience a truly ‘life-changing’ whisky experience in aid of a fantastic charity 

In aid of Spinal Injuries Association

London, UK: On Friday 30th August, an intimate tasting session is being hosted by the Scotch Malt Whisky Society at their tasting rooms in London, in collaboration with world-renowned whisky commentator Jim Murray. The event will support the Spinal Injuries Association, a national charity working with spinal cord injured people across the UK.

This exclusive event offers a very special chance for 20 guests to spend an evening sampling some of the finest and rarest whiskies in existence, with one of the greatest whisky writers of all time, whilst supporting a fantastic charity too.

Jim Murray is the world’s leading commentator on whiskies, having become the world’s first full time whisky writer in 1992. Author of the annual, bestselling ‘Whisky Bible’, which is currently in its 16th edition & heading to 1 million copies sold. Jim is also a consultant blender, travelling the world training the next generation of blenders. He will be leading this special tasting session, taking guests on a journey through eight specially selected ‘mystery drams’, giving his own personal insight into each selection, and offering expert tutelage to help guests have the ultimate in whisky tasting experiences.

As with any Jim Murray event, the evening will be entertaining and fun-filled, catering for all guests, no matter their level as a whisky enthusiast.

The evening will conclude with the chance to sample one of the Society’s own single cask malts, with each guest also receiving a hand-signed copy of the ‘Whisky Bible’ – the envy of any collector!

With only 20 tickets available, this event is a chance to spend an evening in the company of one of the real masters of malt, whilst also helping to change the lives of spinal cord injured people across the UK.

Tickets are £200 per guest and will be sold on a first come, first served basis. Buy your ticket today via SIA’s website here: www.spinal.co.uk/events/whisky-tasting.

50,000 people live with a spinal cord injury (SCI) in the UK, and 2,500 people are injured or diagnosed with an SCI every year. The Spinal Injuries Association supports SCI people as well as their families and friends, from the moment of injury, during rehabilitation and at any time afterward.

Find out more about Spinal Injuries Association visit www.spinal.co.uk. 

Notes:

About The Spinal Injuries Association 

Spinal Injuries Association (SIA) is the leading national user-led charity for spinal cord injured (SCI) people. Being a user-led organisation; SIA are well placed to understand the everyday needs of living with an injury. SIA are here to meet those needs, by providing key services to share information and experience, and to campaign for change, ensuring each person can lead a full and active life. SIA supports spinal cord injured people and their families with practical and emotional support, advice and information, empowering them to lead full and independent lives.

We aim to:

• Offer support and assistance from the time of injury and for the rest of a paralysed person’s life
• Provide services to increase an individual’s quality of life
• Support the families of newly injured people
• Increase knowledge and awareness of the causes and consequences of spinal cord injury
• Campaign for the best medical and social care for spinal cord injured people 

About SCI

Every year in the UK over 1,000 people experience a spinal cord injury and there are an estimated 40,000 spinal cord injured people in the UK alone. Spinal cord injury is life changing. It can happen to anyone, at any time. Spinal cord injury often causes paralysis and can also affect many other aspects of a person’s health.

Saturday August 24th 

11AM-6PM: 

Single Malt Tasting: Edradour, Signatory, & Kinahan’s 

Presented by single malt expert Tony Marino, this tasting features lesser-seen distilleries and independent bottlers. We’ll have with new and rare single malts from Edradour, Kinahan’s, and the Signatory Vintage portfolio to try from 11AM-6PM.

Click Here to RSVP

THE SCOTCH MALT WHISKY SOCIETY

CELEBRATES HERITAGE WITH WEEK-LONG FESTIVAL IN EDINBURGH  

‘The Gathering’ encourages SMWS members from all over the globe to make the pilgrimage to their spiritual home at The Vaults, Leith 

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS) is hosting ‘The Gathering’, a week-long celebration of its Leith origins that will bring members together to discover and share wonderful whisky experiences. The festival is taking place from Monday 2 to Sunday 8 September at The Vaults and other iconic Leith venues.

‘The Gathering’ encapsulates what it means to be a member of The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, with a jam-packed week of fun-filled whisky-themed events. Festivities include a fascinating walking tour of Leith’s illustrious whisky history, an exclusive whisky and Leith food pairing, tasting and film screenings at renowned Leith venues, as well as member events in the courtyard of the spiritual home of the Society, The Vaults.

BRINGING MEMBERS TOGETHER WHEREVER THEY ARE IN THE WORLD

The SMWS is now a truly global membership organisation, with members and partner bars across the world. For those who can’t make the journey to Leith, SMWS will share the spirit of The Vaults through an integrated online tasting experience. The Virtual Tasting, hosted by SMWS Master Ambassador John McCheyne, will be screened live from The Vaults to the world via Facebook on Saturday 7 September.

Branches across Europe including Munich, Paris and Stockholm will also be holding The Gathering events at their venues for local members from August 20 to September 21.

CELEBRATING LEITH’S HERITAGE  

The SMWS will celebrate the arts and film that support its unconventional nature with festivities going beyond The Vaults to other iconic Leith venues, with exclusive screenings at the beautiful Leith Theatre, as well as The Biscuit Factory.

The whisky experts have partnered with local producers, including a colourful food pairing with the much-loved Kilted Donuts, who will be pairing five of their sweet and savoury donuts with delicious SMWS whiskies.

Throughout the week, SMWS member and history enthusiast Justine Hazlehurst will be hosting regular walking tours of Leith, getting up close to the area’s intriguing history and whisky heritage.

Jan Damen, Operations Director at The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, said: “As a Society, we’re always striving to ensure that our global members feel connected to one another and are able to share their whisky experiences together.

“This is a rare opportunity for our members from all over the world to come together and congregate at The Vaults for a series of unique events. We look forward to welcoming whisky lovers from near and far.”

For details on all the events and to buy tickets, visit: http://bit.ly/2HaaTM6

Notes:

About The Scotch Malt Whisky Society 

• The Scotch Malt Whisky Society was established in Edinburgh in 1983 and now has more than 26,000 members and branches around the world
• The SMWS bottles rare single cask, single malt whisky, and a range of other spirits
• The Society bottles single malts, unique single casks and exclusive blends
• The Society has bottled whisky from more than 138 distilleries from Scotland and beyond
• The Society offers a new batch of around 20 single cask, single malt whiskies every month
• The Society offers a variety of membership packages which can be tailored. Please seehttps://bit.ly/2uqKanT
• For more information about the Society, visithttps://bit.ly/2HHiNyC
• Twitter: @SMWSUK Facebook: @thesmwsuk Instagram: @smws_uk