Taking place from the 30th of April to the 4th of May, the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival continues to grow at a fair old pace.
Held annually during the first long weekend in May, the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival invites visitors to celebrate Scotland’s best known export.
The festival is now in its sixteenth year and tickets are selling fast. In fact, 52 events sold out within 24 hours of going on sale at the beginning of February.
Behind the scenes tours
As well as loads of tastings, there are plenty of behind the scenes distillery tours, whisky-themed dinners, cooperage tours and ceilidhs.
Among the more quirky events, we picked out the whisky tasting trail which is conducted in canoes and The Great Speyside Bake Off – a competition to find the best muffin or cupcake inspired by a Speyside whisky.
For the whisky purist, the idea of adding anything other than water to your whisky is an abomination.
For the rest of us, there are the delights of the whisky cocktail master class to look forward to.
Smuggling adventure
Adventurous types might want to book in for the Glenlivet Smugglers’ Peat Reek and Pot Still Tour.
As well as a visit to The Glenlivet Distillery, the tour includes a Highland bothy picnic; a walk with a whisky smuggler’s horse and an off road Smuggler’s Trail trip to the site of the original Glenlivet distillery.
The Smuggler’s Trail part of the day is in an eight wheel drive Argocat – the ideal way to work up a thirst.