The poplar Spirit of Speyside festivals will be returning to the Scottish region for 2020.
In 2019 the Spirit of Speyside whisky, gin and food and drink celebrations welcomed several thousand local, national and international visitors and the team behind it hope to build on that success this year.
The Whisky Festival will take place from 29 April to 4 May at venues across the region, with more than 700 ticketed whisky-themed activities taking place.
The full six-day programme, including behind-the-scenes whisky tours, food pairing masterclasses and live music, is set to be announced next month. It is designed to appeal to all whisky drinkers, from the novice to the devotee to the budding master blender.
It will be followed by the Gin Experience, which is returning for its second outing from 10 to 12 July, and Spirit of Speyside: Distilled on 28 and 29 August, which will bring together leading drinks producers at Elgin Town Hall.
Whisky tourism is currently at an all-time high – figures from the Scotch Whisky Association show that Scotland's distilleries welcomed more than two million visitors for the first time last year and that three in five visitors to Speyside are drawn there by its whisky provenance.
Lauren Mustard, events coordinator at the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival, said: "Spirit of Speyside’s trio of drinks festivals will return this year in what will be our most significant celebrations yet, letting visitors experience first-hand why Speyside is the global epicentre of distilling.
“The majority of Speyside’s tourists are drawn here by its whisky, but with the increase in gin production and Speyside’s larder becoming widely celebrated, our revered food and drink offering is becoming a major draw."
Tickets for the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival go on sale at 12pm on Wednesday, 12 February.
In 2019 the Spirit of Speyside whisky, gin and food and drink celebrations welcomed several thousand local, national and international visitors and the team behind it hope to build on that success this year.
The Whisky Festival will take place from 29 April to 4 May at venues across the region, with more than 700 ticketed whisky-themed activities taking place.
The full six-day programme, including behind-the-scenes whisky tours, food pairing masterclasses and live music, is set to be announced next month. It is designed to appeal to all whisky drinkers, from the novice to the devotee to the budding master blender.
It will be followed by the Gin Experience, which is returning for its second outing from 10 to 12 July, and Spirit of Speyside: Distilled on 28 and 29 August, which will bring together leading drinks producers at Elgin Town Hall.
Whisky tourism is currently at an all-time high – figures from the Scotch Whisky Association show that Scotland's distilleries welcomed more than two million visitors for the first time last year and that three in five visitors to Speyside are drawn there by its whisky provenance.
Lauren Mustard, events coordinator at the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival, said: "Spirit of Speyside’s trio of drinks festivals will return this year in what will be our most significant celebrations yet, letting visitors experience first-hand why Speyside is the global epicentre of distilling.
“The majority of Speyside’s tourists are drawn here by its whisky, but with the increase in gin production and Speyside’s larder becoming widely celebrated, our revered food and drink offering is becoming a major draw."
Tickets for the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival go on sale at 12pm on Wednesday, 12 February.
