Awaiting visitors of the Scotland’ distinguished whisky producing enclave is the exclusive journey around world-famous distilleries where they will meet people behind the creation. And they are in for a real treat.
27 April – 2 May
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Life-giving Elixir
Aqua Vitae, that’s what they called the drink, as it is supposed to have healing powers. And that is still continuing to heal the souls of the connoisseurs in every part of the world.
Since the first whiskey moved beyond monastery walls about six centuries ago, the “water of life” became a real symbol of Scotland. Production technology went throughout the whole country, which released over two thousand whisky brands in five regions for today. One of those is Speyside, famous for “highland” quality scotch.
Gourmet Mecca
Celebrations of national drink have taken place throughout Speyside for over twenty years. This foodies’ festival is one of the most global events of its kind. All-Star lineup of this year’s festivities in honor of the whiskey are gearing up to welcome hundreds of devotees and first-timers across the country and from further afield. A six-day program of over seven hundred activities will thrill in its scope, as the Speyside accommodates about fifty legendary and new distilleries with a gorgeous setting in the hills.
Learn and Taste
Event venues are as diverse as the collection of experiences on offer. And probably six days is not enough to see everything, but if you’re a fan of some specified brand, then you know exactly where to go first. Anyway, for the festival “veterans” or for curious beginners there is always something to get stuck into. It’s going to be an exciting trip through the beautiful Highland scenery with the chance to visit eminent houses and normally off-limits sites.
Enter the sacrament of malting and see the firsthand traditional process of distillation from start to finish. Connect with the art of blend. Delve into the background of creating premium spirits and discover the exciting luxury drinks collections represented by the supervisors with a colossal knowledge of whisky development.
Join an atmospheric rout accompanied by discussing embraced different aspects of the Scotland cultural heritage. Audience with those who uncover the lost history, whose research is carried out right now, shedding light on things long gone but shaped a culture of Scotland Whisky as we know it. Visit the whisky auction to acquire the liquids with centuries-old reputation.
Explore the town’s whisky shops and bars. Turn up at the beach aperitivo session whilst you take in the surroundings. And certainly head to see nearby castles, adorable village halls, and old steadings surrounded by magnificent forest.
And remember the common thing uniting all this entertainment is a never-ending interactive sampling whiskey experiment. From a new make to nearly thirty-years-old one, around the clock, far and wide here. Enjoy drams and drams of your most beloved drink.
What is dram?
The Scotlands are so unprecedentedly bossy over whisky they even have their own term for a single serving of. Speaking of which size we should just forget any precise definition in the customary system. No rules for testing a good scotch. But it is always more likely a teeny portion, or “wee dram” what it also called, enough to get the sides of your glass wet. A double-glug to set the mood. Or a quadruple-glug. Depends on the weather.
What good is Speyside’ Whisky?
Stretched in the Moray area between Aberdeen and Inverness this land with the moderate climate favorable for barley farms is a provider of 50 percent of all Scotland’s whisky.
It’s estimated that meltwater flowing down through the granite and quartz rocks of Cairngorm Mountains have the lowest minerals level around the country. All these qualities give the drinks a special mellow flavor. Water for diluting single barrel sorts is also coming from local springs.
As well, from the fifties of the last century, locals created a few now legendary strains of barley, whose nature saturates the taste with rich grassy and nutty scents.
And of course, one of the most important elements is heather which spirit fills the air around distilleries and grain storage. Earlier the Scottish have had a tradition to put tufts of this plant on the peat when it was burning in the oven for barley drying, to soak the smoke up with its smell. Though time has proved Speyside whiskey has a heather flavor, regardless of using a peat. The Scottish atmosphere probably just contains molecules of heather.
At the same time there are a lot of other herbs such as ferns, roses, tulips, geraniums, jasmine and eucalyptus, in the surroundings. Their fragrance is equally typical of malt whiskeys from here.
To sum up, most of the Speyside whisky has a fruity finish with the sweet notes of honey, caramel, vanilla, and spice.
Come and assess it in the heart of the native land.
