The Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival has unveiled its event programme for 2024, the year it celebrates its 25th anniversary, with help from Scottish celebrity chef Tony Singh.
More than 85 venues across 19 towns and villages, including many of Speyside's 51 operational distilleries, are opening their doors for this year's event, which runs from 1–6 May. This year's programme of events includes tastings, tours, quizzes, dinners, and the chance to get outdoors and enjoy Speyside's dramatic scenery.
Highlights include a ceilidh at the Macallan Distillery, an 'ultimate whisky flight' with Glenfarclas which includes a helicopter tour, after-hours tours at Speyburn Distillery (which recently launched a visitor tour programme after opening to the public for the first time at last year's festival), and a house party at the Dowans Hotel hosted by OurWhisky Foundation.
Spirit of Speyside is one of the world's largest whisky festivals, attracting thousands of visitors each year, 40 per cent of whom come from overseas. The 2023 festival boasted a programme of more than 500 events with some 7,000 tickets sold.
It's not just the festival that is marking a milestone in 2024. Five Speyside distilleries – The Glenlivet, Macallan, Miltonduff, Cardhu, and Balmenach – will be celebrating their 200th anniversaries this year. At the other end of the age spectrum, brand-new distillery Dunphail – which began production in October 2023 – will welcome festival goers for the first time this year.
Following the launch of the festival programme today, to coincide with Burns Night, tickets sales will open at 12pm on Wednesday, 31 January. For more information can be found at spiritofspeyside.com.
Celebrity chef, restaurateur, and whisky fan Tony Singh helped launch the 2024 festival, taking a trip to The Glenlivet and celebrating with a dram. “This is one of the best whisky festivals globally and I’m looking forward to coming back with my family in May to go to some of the events,” he said. “I'm head over heels for a good malt or blend, especially when it's a delightful addition to my culinary creations. So, what better day than Burns' birthday to toast the festival launch.”
George McNeil, co-chair of the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival, said: “It’s incredible to think this is the 25th year of the festival and it continues to grow in size and stature. The distilleries in Speyside that take part make it a truly unique festival. It’s a chance for visitors to immerse themselves in the whisky world with world-class experiences [and] behind-the-scenes tours, visit distilleries that don’t normally open their doors to the public, and enjoy a few days in this beautiful part of the world.
“I think this year will be our biggest and best yet so would encourage people to book early to avoid disappointment.”
