Spirit Of Speyside Whisky Festival

Glen Moray Distillery Wins Two Awards At The Spirit of Speyside Festival 2018!

May 10, 2018 by Gary Leave a Comment

The Glen Moray Distillery

At the end of this year’s successful Spirit of Speyside Festival Glen Moray was thrilled to be awarded two out of the five whisky awards. These awards are decided by members of the public who attend tasting sessions during the festival.

Glen Moray Chardonnay Cask finish won the No Age category and Glen Moray Elgin Heritage 18-Year-Old won the 13-20 year category.

The awards: No Age category & 13-20 year category

It was wonderful to share the success with my predecessor Ed Dodson, the 4th Master Distiller at Glen Moray. We are both delighted to see our whiskies gain worldwide recognition. (On being joined at the award ceremony by Ed Dodson.)
– Graham Coull: Glen Moray’s Master Distiller

Pictured left to right: Kevin Innes, Mark Thompson, Ed Dodson, Festival Chairman James Campbell, Richard Forsyth, Caroline Mitchell and Graham Coull

Glen Moray’s Chardonnay Cask Finish is part of the Elgin Classic Collection and offers a perfect balance of caramelised fruit, butterscotch and lingering notes of toasted oats.

Glen Moray Chardonnay Cask finish

On the nose, it is fresh and clean with hints of apple, pear drops, fresh key lime pie and bubblegum fading to a cinnamon sugar aroma. To taste this elegant whisky has a soft mouthfeel with a nutty vanilla finish which comes bursting out with a soft cinnamon spice culminating in a gentle floral finish.

RRP: £25 for a 70cl bottle. ABV: 40% Available online at glenmoray.com

Launched last year, Glen Moray Elgin Heritage 18-Year-Old is the jewel in The Heritage range’s crown. ‘First fill American cask – non-chill filtered’ the whisky is aged to perfection in American oak casks. It is beautifully balanced with rich fruit flavours and subtle oak.

Glen Moray 18 Year Old

It has a beautifully complex flavour of heather honey and a warming wood spiced combined with a thick velvety mouthfeel which allows this whisky to coat the palate with characters of cherry and hazelnut. The nose is full of creamy fruit: melon, apricot and peach soaked in a brandy butter sauce.

ABV: 47.2%. RRP £80 for 70cl. Available from Master of Malt, The Whisky Exchange, glenmoray.com,
Gordon & Macphail, Royal Mile Whiskies, Scotch Whisky Experience, and Whisky Shop (Dufftown).

Aberlour Takes The Art World Outdoors!

May 2, 2014 by Gary Leave a Comment

A super-macro image of barley grains used to create Aberlour Single Malt Whisky

Aberlour has opened the world’s first outdoor whisky art gallery!

It’s a unique photography exhibition set in the heart of the Scottish countryside, capturing the individual elements that together result in one of Scotland’s most famous exports.

Coinciding with the opening of Scotland’s ‘Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival’ today (1st to the 5th May), this permanent exhibition is free-of-charge to all visitors features the world-first series of stunning super-macro images, unveiled earlier this year by Aberlour.

These images were shot by David Maitland, a world renowned, specialist super-macro photographer.

Super-macro photography allows the subject to be captured closer than ever before and the result in this case was an eye-catching portfolio of intricate images.

Among these striking visuals are those which delve inside a grain of barley, bring to life the hidden pattern of the oak sherry cask and showcase the kaleidoscopic patterns of the crystalline structure of the spirit itself.

Nikki Burgess, Global Brand Director for Aberlour, said: “David’s photos have brilliantly captured the coming together of the natural elements and the expert craftsmanship of our distillers, while also maintaining the enigma behind the award-winning taste of Aberlour.”

The outdoor whisky gallery can be found at the Aberlour Distillery in the heart of Scotland’s Speyside region, halfway between Inverness and Aberdeen.

An outdoor exhibition at Aberlour Distillery, in Scotland, to coincide with the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival

Spirit Of Speyside Whisky Festival Now On

April 28, 2011 by Gary Leave a Comment

Spirit Of Speyside Whisky Festival

Devotees of the dram and non-whisky drinkers alike will be able to discover even more about the delights of Scotland’s Malt Whisky country this month as the 12th annual Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival starts.

The five-day festival’s packed programme of over 200 events starts today and runs until the 2nd. May. There is something to suit all levels of interest, from the exclusive three day intensive instruction on offer at the Spirit of Speyside Whisky School to a more light hearted look at the world of whisky with stand up comedian Vladimir McTavish.

Included in this year’s programme is the opportunity to become a Benromach warehouseman for the day, offering enthusiasts a unique opportunity to be initiated into the ultra exclusive whisky world with the chance to take part in the time honoured preparations of the iconic drink before hand-filling a bottle of Benromach as a souvenir of this unforgettable experience.

Whisky lovers can also take part in the Cask Strength Challenge Quiz at Strathisla Distillery, with the winning team taking away rare limited edition bottles of Deoch an Doras 36 Year Old whisky, produced by the now defunct Inverleven distillery.

For those who want to let their hair down while in Malt Whisky country there are a range of exciting daytime and evening entertainments showcasing the best of Speyside spirit including the Coleburn Distillery Fun Day and Ceilidh, an extravaganza added to this year’s programme offering whisky barrel buggy racing and some traditional craic at an evening ceilidh.

Other brand new musical highlights include a celebration of contemporary Scottish music at the Celtic Spirit evening at The Glenfiddich Distillery and the Whisky and Jazz event at the Craigellachie Hotel, where Dutch whisky author Hans Offringa will be on hand to sign copies of his book ‘The Road to Craigellachie – Revisited’ which will be officially re-launched as part of the festival programme offering enthusiasts the change to get their hands on a copy of this whisky themed travel book that quickly became a collector’s item after its first edition was released in 2004.

Over the course of the Festival visitors will have the opportunity take part in numerous long-standing favourite events such as guided tours of many of Speyside’s 50+ world renowned distilleries, including some not usually open to the public, as well uncovering the unique appeal of this amazing area of north east Scotland on a range of whisky themed walks and tours.

Outdoor events include the festival’s famed “Dramble” where walkers can sample the spirits on offer at the seven stills of Dufftown by foot, a selection of whisky and wildlife walks guided by local rangers, as well as exclusive motorised tours taking in the backcountry braes that used to conceal the smugglers stills by four wheel drive or even in an amphibious argocat.

Connoisseurs will have the chance to blend their own whisky at the Cardhu distillery as well as sampling some superb single malts and helping to select the winning whiskies at the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Awards prior to the annual opening dinner at Knockando Distillery.

Tastings will also be offered at a range of other events including the foodie friendly Sweet and Savoury Whisky Pairing workshops at Gordon and MacPhail where guests will receive guidance on how to select the top tipples to complement their favourite foods. Whisky and food will also be the subject of some new additions to the festival programme with tasting tours taking place on the Saturday and Sunday of the festival.

For more information: Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival 2011