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Spirit Of Speyside Whisky Awards - Finalists Announced
The Glenlivet triumphed in the first round of judging of the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Awards 2012, featuring in each of the three categories of the prestigious awards.
The judging panel for the first round of the awards, including industry representatives, whisky writers and specialist retailers, gathered recently at the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh for a blind tasting of 52 of Speyside’s finest malts hosted by Richard Lochhead MSP.
The judges selected two finalists in each of three categories resulting in a good representation of sherry influenced whiskies, a new release from Tomintoul Distillery and another fine representation from Chivas Brothers.
The shortlisted finalists are:
12 Years and Under:
- Tomintoul 12 Years Old (Oloroso Finish)
- The Glenlivet 12 Years Old
13 to 20 Years Old:
- Aberlour 18 Years Old
- The Glenlivet 15 Years Old (French Oak)
21 Years and Over:
- The Glenlivet 21 Years Old (Archive)
- Knockando 25 Years Old (2011 Special Release)
Jim Royan, Chairman of the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival said: “Many of the world’s most popular whiskies come from Speyside, so these shortlisted spirits are expressions of some of the highest quality malts to be found in the region. We look forward to the next round of judging when visitors to the Festival will be the final decision-makers of the winning whiskies.”
Susan Young, editor of Dram magazine was attending as a judge for the first time. She said she had been pleasantly surprised by the high quality of entries which she felt demonstrated the depth of whiskies available in Speyside. “When you’re tasting blind, you’re not influenced by packaging or presentation but judge purely on the taste. The selection of whiskies entered for the awards was excellent which made it more difficult, particularly in the 12 years old and under category. There were a few good whiskies I tasted on the day which I would definitely like to have in my drinks cabinet at home!”
The six finalists will now to on to a public vote at the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival on Thursday, 3rd May, a unique judging process which has helped the Awards gain international recognition since their inception in 2005.
Visitors to the Festival can book tickets for the exclusive final judging of the best of Speyside malts, and the winners will be announced shortly afterwards at the Opening Dinner to be held at The Macallan.
Tickets to take part in the judging of the Awards finals at this year’s Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival and to view all 300 events in the Festival programme are available at www.spiritofspeyside.com. Whisky lovers can keep up-to-date with the Festival programme on www.facebook.com/WhiskyFestival or www.twitter.com/spirit_speyside.
Whisky Festival Organisers In High Spirits - Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival - 26th January, 2012
Organisers of the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival are in high spirits after witnessing the busiest 24 hour period after launching the programme of events since the Festival began thirteen years ago.
Whisky enthusiasts worldwide wasted no time accessing the Festival’s website when it went live at 19.00 on Saturday, 21st January and within 12 hours, 33 of the 300 events were sold out, including the exclusive Opening Dinner which is being held at The Macallan Distillery this year.
The Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival, running from 3rd-7th May, has grown in stature year on year to become one of the most important whisky festivals in the world and one of the key festivals on the Scottish events calendar.
Mary Hemsworth, Festival Manager said that everyone was thrilled with the response to this year’s line up of events, but that there were still plenty of outstanding and quality events for visitors to book.
She commented: “Ticket sales for the first day were in excess of £50,000 with three months still to go until the Festival itself. It’s also encouraging to see that thousands of our whisky fans are keeping up-to-date with the Festival via Facebook and Twitter – they’ll be the first to know of any new events that are added to the programme, and any key announcements we may make over the coming months.”
The most popular events included exclusive tours of distilleries not normally open to the public, ‘ultimate’ tours of some of the finest whisky distilleries in the world, whisky and food pairing workshops, the intriguing Mystery Bus Tour of Speyside, a tour around the five distilleries of Elgin and the popular Seven Stills Bus Tour.
Visitors to the Festival will be coming from as far afield as Japan, Australia, Russia, South Africa, Canada and the USA with the majority making the journey from closer shores such as Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Netherlands, Germany and the UK.
Mary continued: “Speyside and the wider area benefit greatly from the Whisky Festival each year, both in terms of reputation and financially. So it’s important that we offer a strong line up of events to encourage visitors to return year after year to share their passion for the world’s finest whiskies, and to appeal to new visitors to come and experience Malt Whisky country and the Whisky Festival for themselves.
“From the response we’ve seen in these first few days we will be welcoming the usual big crowds, but hopefully this may be the best attended and finest Festival yet.”
Spirt of Speyside Whisky Festival, 2012 - Whisky Festival showing its spirited colours to defy downturn - 20th January, 2012
While industries across the world remain concerned about the effects of austerity, Scotland’s national drink is showing its spirit and defying the downturn to gather a greater share of the global market – news that comes as no surprise to those behind the upcoming Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival as they prepare to launch the programme of events for the 2012 Festival tomorrow (Saturday, 21st January).
Figures for the first half of 2011 from the Scotch Whisky Association show that exports of the traditional tipple continued to grow in both established markets and in emerging markets such as Asia and South America in spite of an unsettled economic climate, which is leading Festival organisers to predict a bumper year for the event and promise visitors an even bigger and better Festival than ever.
The Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival (3rd-7th May), one of the most anticipated in the whisky world and a highlight of Scotland’s events calendar, also provides a major boost to the Scottish economy with last year’s event attracting 47,000 visits from whisky lovers who injected almost £3/4 million into the national economy during their visits.
The five-day Festival attracts whisky drinkers from all over the world as connoisseurs and newcomers alike gather to share their passion for some of the world’s favourite whiskies and enjoy a packed programme activities and attractions in the spectacular setting of Speyside’s whisky country. And this year’s events programme offers visitors the biggest choice yet, with over 270 events already lined up.
Tourism bosses welcomed the news of the Festival programme launch and acknowledged the important contribution the event makes to the industry, with the so-called “distillery effect” having a positive impact on visitor spending during their time in Speyside.
Paul Bush OBE, Chief Operating Officer for EventScotland said: “Scotland is the perfect stage for events, and whisky is one of Scotland’s great products, which is why the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival attracts large numbers of connoisseurs from around the country and overseas. The 2012 festival programme includes a wide range of events, which will cater for both whisky aficionados and newcomers to Scotland’s national drink.”
Devotees of the dram will be poised by their browsers at 7pm on Saturday, 21st January to bag places on an exciting selection of tours, tastings and tutorials at the area’s 50+ distinguished distilleries and a host of other venues as the 2012 Festival programme goes live and the internet booking system finally opens.
Exclusive events such as the Speyside Whisky School have already sold out in advance and other established and newly added events are expected to tempt enthusiasts to travel to Speyside from across the whisky-drinking world. At least half of the Festival’s visitors are expected to travel from overseas as the festival regularly proves popular with tourists from the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Germany and France and further afield.
Festival goers from across the globe come for the authentic whisky experience in Malt Whisky Country where they are treated to a selection of events that showcase the true spirit of Speyside, with workshops, tutorials, tours, instruction, nosings and tastings on offer from some of the industry’s top experts – from blenders to coopers and mashmen to managers. And there are opportunities to delight in the dram in superlative surroundings – at the top of a mountain or on a train, straight from the cask or in the shadow of a historic castle.
Exclusive tours can be booked at distilleries usually closed to the public – including Glen Elgin, Glenlossie and Mannochmore, Glen Spey, Speyburn and Glenrothes - and visitors can enjoy a dram alongside some of the region’s award-winning produce at whisky and food pairing workshops and on the popular Whisky and Food Tours. This year sees the introduction of a Ceilidh Trail, and the Festival atmosphere will be buzzing with the sound of local bands playing in many of the area’s hotels, bars and traditional pubs.
The Festival’s Company Secretary, James MacPherson explained that the event would offer more than ever before for both returning visitors and new initiates with a new Information Hub supplying up-to-date information on Festival events, more music and entertainment, and a host of new creative events to tempt people to return year after year.
He said: “The Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival is a wonderful celebration of our region’s culture, heritage and unique identity. We are delighted to be able to inspire visitors with an authentic insight into such a thrilling whisky festival experience, and we’re excited to be able to announce a number of new additions to the 2012 Festival programme in the coming weeks.”
VisitScotland Regional Director Scott Armstrong added: “Whisky is undoubtedly one of our most valuable icons when marketing Scotland abroad and a huge draw for visitors. Not only is whisky so well known and instantly synonymous with Scotland it is an extremely high quality product that positions the country very well in the minds of potential visitors from the UK and across the world.
“Figures show that £1 in every £5 spent by a visitor in Scotland is on food and drink-related activity, equating to more than £500 million for UK visitors alone, and events such as the ever popular Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival make an invaluable contribution to this. Supported by EventScotland, the Sprit of Speyside festival provides a fantastic opportunity to showcase Scotland and celebrate one of its most iconic products to a wide range of local people and holiday makers from Scotland itself, the UK and abroad.”
The programme of events for the 2012 Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival and online booking system will go live at 7pm on Saturday, 21st January at www.spiritofspeyside.com, with up-to-date content on www.facebook.com/WhiskyFestival or www.twitter.com/spirit_speyside
Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival Is a Mecca For Whisky Lovers Worlwide - 11th October, 2011
With a higher concentration of whisky distilleries than any other part of the world, the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival continues to provide a major economic boost to the region, attracting a significant loyal audience and a large number who attended the celebrated Festival for the first time, according to a survey published today (11th October).
The Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival Market Research and Festival Evaluation 2011 report found that the five-day event, which ran from 28th April to 2nd May, attracted over 47,000 visits to its packed programme of whisky-themed events, generating £613,000 towards the Speyside economy and £722,000 towards Scotland as a whole.
Showcasing the very best of the area’s culture, history, landscape and people and with well over 200 events running throughout the five days, the festival has grown in importance over the past 12 years to become one of the leading whisky events in the world.
Almost half of this year’s Festival visitors were from overseas, with whisky aficionados travelling from as far afield as Israel, Columbia, New Zealand, Australia and Russia to sample the spirit of Speyside. Scandinavian visitors continue to represent the keenest Speyside whisky fans who enjoyed a exceptional choice of whisky based events and activities, ceilidhs, food tours and family friendly events with other connoisseurs from countries such as Germany, US, Netherlands, Canada, Italy and Japan.
Festival Chairman, Jim Royan said: “Year after year the Festival continues to attract visitors from around the globe, with many already having attended twice or even up to six times before. And encouragingly a large percentage of new visitors this year were experiencing the Festival for the first time. Hopefully they will find the Festival as compelling as our many loyal and regular visitors, and come back to join in the festivities with us time and time again.
“We certainly know they enjoyed themselves, because almost 100% of our visitors said they were “very happy” or “happy” with their Festival experience, enjoying the atmosphere, hospitality, friendliness, expert knowledge and, this year in particular, the weather!”
Popular events on this year’s Festival programme included the Whisky Awards Finals and the Opening Dinner, the many whisky dinners running throughout the Festival as well as the highly regarded and exclusive three-day Whisky School where enthusiasts learned about the science, art and folklore of the whisky industry at the historic Knockando distillery.
The Whisky and Food Tours, which were new for this year, are to be repeated again next year, introducing visitors to the rich culinary and agricultural heritage of the area.
Paul Bush OBE, Chief Operating Officer for EventScotland commented: “It is wonderful to see the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival continuing to attract large numbers of Scottish and overseas visitors to the event.
“The economic impact generated for the local area shows the importance of events in Scotland and its continued success shows the appetite for Scottish produce, culture and heritage in an iconic setting.”
Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival 2010 - April 29th - May 3rd 2010
The Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival is all about whisky in Speyside. There you will find out all about Whisky, Food, Music and the Heritage & Culture of Speyside. The 2010 Festival will as usual have a wide range of events for everyone. Starting on 29th April and finishing on the 3rd of may this festival is one of the best whisky events around.
On the first evening of this event is the opening dinner where you will hear from whisky experts, writer and distilleries. This is a great opening night and with over 300 people attending this dinner the atmosphere around the hall is amazing. This year the dinner will be held at the Benromach Distillery and you will be welcome with a Spirit of Speyside Malt Cocktail.
The guest speaker will be Sir Robin Knox-Johnston. Once the dinner has got on the way there will be award of the Spirit of Speyside. If you are wanting to buy a ticket for this dinner please click the below link and remember the dress code for this dinner is you must be smart with a hint of Tartan. At the time of writing there was only 73 tickets left, so book now if you want a evening to remember.
To book tickets for this dinner click here.
If you want to see the full list of events at this Speyside festival please go to www.spiritofspeyside.com/events.php