Leeds Whisky Fest is NEXT Saturday 9th April!

Rolling Social Events are pleased to announce the next wave of brands who will be joining in the festivities at the inaugural Leeds Whisky Festival, which will welcome guests for an afternoon or evening of tasting, learning and entertainment, taking place at Leeds’ historic Corn Exchange next month.

Joining previously announced sponsors Nikka, Starward, Woodford Reserve, Slane and Port Askaig will be Rolling Social Events’ new mixer sponsor, Three Cents. Inspired by bartenders for bartenders, their range of premium mixers will be providing the ultimate accompaniment for your whisky on the day. As well as bringing their quality mixers to Leeds Whisky Fest, Three Cents will also be partnering with Rolling Social for all of their future events including Leeds Rum Festival and their popular sipalong evenings. Other brands visiting Leeds on Saturday 9th April include Kavalan, Amrut, Benriach and Arbikie who will be bringing the world’s only rye scotch whisky to the festival.

Also joining the festival will be an array of international household names such as Jack Daniels, as well as homegrown brands including Filey Bay, which is brewed in Yorkshire, and The English Whisky Co.

New names join a packed line up of over 100 whiskies

A ticket to Leeds Whisky Festival will not only get you access to the festival but it will also cover attendees’ samples, talks, masterclasses and tastings – not to mention an exclusive Leeds Whisky Fest branded tasting glass and guide. In addition to over 100 different whiskies that will be on show at the festival, a fully stocked bar will be available for anyone keen to opt for a local craft beer, as well as an excellent range of highball cocktails.

Previously announced sponsors Starward have confirmed that they will be bringing a number of limited edition spirits to the festival.

We are really looking forward to coming to Leeds Whisky Festival and sharing our Australian single malts. We will also be bringing several of our limited ‘Projects’ releases, including a Ginger Beer Cask finished whisky so be sure to swing by our stand if you are interested to learn more about whisky done different!
– Claire Morrow: Marketing Manager, Starward

Starward will also be hosting a masterclass entitled ‘Starward Whisky: Whisky done different’. Attendees will learn that Starward whiskies are, like their hometown of Melbourne in Australia; versatile, and…different. Join the UK Brand Ambassador for a tasting through their single malts and learn more about the impact of wine casks on their expressions and how they are not bound by the rules of the old-world whisky club.

Other masterclasses will come in the form of Speciality Brands’ ‘A History of Japanese Whisky’ and Edrington UK’s Naked Malt blending session. Distributor Speciality, who are bringing their brands Nikka, Kavalan and Amrut to the festival, will take whisky fans on a crash course tasting into the world of Japanese whisky with ambassador Nathan Shearer.

Attendees will learn the history and production methods whilst tasting incredible samples from the Nikka distillery. And anyone who has ever wanted to try their hand at blending their own whisky will be in luck as Edrington UK’s Senior Whisky Specialist Mike Green will be hosting a hands-on session of whisky blending- participants will also be able to take their very own blended whisky away with them.

Here at Speciality Brands we’re absolutely thrilled to be taking part in the inaugural Leeds Whisky Fest, we’ve always worked very closely with bars, restaurants and retailers here and it’s great that there is now an event for us to come and talk to more people about our wonderful products.

We’ll be bringing a host of whiskies from all over the world and introducing people to some of the fantastic producers that we’re lucky enough to work with including Nikka, Michter’s, Elixir Distillers, Amrut, Kavalan and Waterford.
– Nathan Shearer: Whisky Ambassador, Speciality Brands

Food vendors on the day include Ooey Gooey Bakes and Mans Market. Ooey Gooey will be whipping up a host of sweet treats including bourbon brownies in collaboration with Woodford Reserve, which you won’t be able to try anywhere else. Mans Market will be bringing their unique dining experience to the festival, a combination of theatre and authentic Chinese food.

Punters can choose to head down to either the afternoon session (12-4pm) or the evening session (5-9pm) of Leeds Whisky Fest, with tickets available for £40

We’re thrilled to be part of the Leeds Whisky Festival and excited to bring our home grown brand of Chinese Street Food to the Whisky enthusiasts of Yorkshire. Mans Markets’ fun, street food vibe will let the drinkers feast in style whilst enjoying the quality brands on offer at the festival.
– Sophia Austen-Meek: Mans Market

We are delighted to be welcoming Leeds Whisky Festival to Leeds Corn Exchange. Following our popular Christmas Market with Rolling Social last year, we know that the festival will be a huge success. The Rum Festival is a firm favourite of Leeds, so we can’t wait to see how this new event is received from local whisky lovers.
: The Operational Team at Leeds Corn Exchange

Leeds Whisky Festival will take place on Saturday 9th April at Leeds Corn Exchange. Punters can choose to head down to either the afternoon session (12-4pm) or the evening session (5-9pm) of Leeds Whisky Fest, with tickets available for £40 at eventbrite.co.uk

Edrington UK – ‘Naked Malt Blending Session’
Heaven Hill – ‘Evolution of Bourbon’
Slane – ‘Deconstructed Irish Whisky’
Cask – ‘Starward Whisky: Whisky done different’
Woodford Reserve – ‘The Flavour of Bourbon’
English Whisky Co. – ‘Pioneers of English Whisky – Quarter Cask Festival Exclusives & more’
Ten Locks – ‘The Story of West Cork Distillers’
Nikka, Speciality Brands – ‘A History of Japanese Whisky’
Elixir Distillers – ‘An Introduction to Islay Whisky’

Leeds Whisky Fest – a brand new Whisky festival – Saturday 9th. April 2022!

A vibrant selection of global and homegrown brands is set to take over Leeds Corn Exchange this Saturday 9th. April when Leeds Whisky Fest – a brand new Whisky festival – says its inaugural “Hello!”

Brought to you by Rolling Social Events and hot off the back of the very successful Leeds Rum Fest, the event brings an impressive line-up of whiskies from all over the world and will welcome guests for an afternoon or evening of tasting, learning and entertainment.

Leeds Whisky Fest will be hosted by one of Leeds’ most iconic buildings and will be packed full of ambassadors, makers and creators from renowned distilleries – brands include Woodford Reserve, Starward, Nikka, Slane, Port Askaig, Single Malts of Scotland, Highland Nectar and Elements of Islay – to name just a few!

Tickets will not only get you access to the festival, where there will be over 100 different whiskies on show, they also cover all your samples, talks, masterclasses and tastings – not to mention an exclusive Leeds Whisky Fest branded tasting glass and guide.

A fully stocked bar will be available for anyone keen to opt for a local craft beer, as well as an excellent range of highball cocktails.

There will be several masterclasses taking place on the day including The Flavour of Bourbon from our sponsors Woodford Reserve. There are over 200 detectable flavours in their Bourbon.

Nikka Whisky one of the many brands at Leeds Whisky Fest!

A variety of food samples will be tasted in this session. By comparing the flavour notes of the samples with the Woodford Reserve flavour wheel, the subtle flavour cues in Woodford Reserve can be experienced. Slane will also be educating people on the Resurgence of Irish Whiskey and showcasing their efforts towards sustainability and their unique blending process.

Further masterclasses will be announced very soon.

Making sure foodies are not left out of the fun, outlets such as Leeds’ very own Chinese eatery Mans Market and Ooey Gooey will be serving up meals and snacks throughout the day. Mans Market, based a stone’s throw away from Leeds City Centre, offers a unique dining experience through a combination of theatre and authentic Chinese cuisine.

Ooey Gooey will also be whipping up bourbon brownies in collaboration with Woodford Reserve exclusively for the festival.

Live music will come in the form of Leeds’ own mysterious Hot-Foot Hall. Rumour has it that on a family trip to the zoo as a child, young Hot-Foot Hall became separated from his family.

Finding himself in the tapir enclosure, Hot-Foot was raised by a friendly family of Brazilian tapirs.
As well as foraging for roots and tubers, the young man learned a primitive and high energy style of hoof stomping, loud hollering, down home and low down blues – attendees are in for a treat!

After a day of discovery and being re-acquainted with familiar names, Leeds Whisky Fest attendees will also be able to buy and take home their favourites with the help of Latitude Wine & Spirit Merchant who will be operating a bottle shop on the day.

It feels amazing to be able to plan our 2022 line up of events and we’re always wanted to put on a whisky festival, so we’re dead excited to add Leeds Whisky Festival into the calendar.

The events are always designed around drinking better quality, and we’re very lucky to be working with some incredible brands throughout the course of the year, including many sustainable and environmentally friendly distilleries.
– Lee Jones: Rolling Social Events

“It feels amazing to be able to plan our 2022 line up of events and we’re always wanted to put on a whisky festival”

We are delighted to be headlining the Leeds Whisky Festival with our brands this year (Port Askaig, Singles Malts of Scotland, Highland Nectar and Elements of Islay) and being involved from the inaugural event!

We’re looking forward to sharing a dram or two with some familiar faces as well as some new festival inductees! It is set to be a cracking day. See you all there!
– Julie Hamilton: Global Whisky Ambassador, Elixir Distillers

Punters can choose to head down to either the afternoon session (12-4pm) or the evening session (5-9pm) of Leeds Whisky Fest, with tickets available for £40 at eventbrite.co.uk