The Spirit of Speyside festival has confirmed that it is going to bring together some of the region’s most loved distilleries and Whisky makers online instead of in person in April.
A full program is set to be announced in the coming weeks, but confirmed events so far include a tour of one of Scotland’s newest and most contemporary distilleries, Dalmunach Distillery, from Master Distiller, Alan Winchester; an exploration of Benriach’s World of Flavour and new portfolio with Global Brand Ambassador Stewart Buchanan; and a whistle stop virtual tasting tour of Malt Whisky Country with The Malt Whisky Trail.
Festival organisers are hopeful that the event, which would have been celebrating its 21st year in April, will be able to go ahead in person on November 3 – 8, 2021 providing it is safe for everyone to travel to Speyside at that time, based on Scottish Government advice.
The decision to postpone original plans for the 2021 Whisky Festival reflects the quickly-evolving situation as a result of the new variant of the Covid-19 virus and current recommendations from the Scottish Government to restrict public gatherings and travel as a preventative measure.
“Given whisky lovers won’t be able to come to Speyside for our annual festival this April, we have decided to take the festival to them until it is safe for visitors to return to Malt Whisky Country hopefully later in the year,” said James Campbell, Chairman at The Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival. We can’t wait to welcome new and returning visitors from the UK and further afield to this beautiful part of the world. In the meantime, we hope that our online programme of events in April will lift everyone’s spirits and give people a taste of what to expect from the festival in November. We will then revert back to our traditional date in 2022.”
The full program of virtual events will be listed on www.spiritofspeyside.com and will be available for preview on March 11, 2021. Tickets will go on sale online on March 16, 2021.