Falconry, sound baths and a silent disco - what it was like being a judge at Spirit of Speyside
As this year’s Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival draws to a close, Rosalind Erskine reflects on her time as judge of the best new event.
Within the last four days I’ve held a bald eagle; experienced my first sound bath; danced in a distillery; walked 8 miles and filled a cask with new make spirit. These are just some of the hundreds of events that took place at this year’s Spirit of Speyside Festival and I had the task of deciding which was the best new event at the long-standing, and biggest, celebration of Scotch whisky which takes place in the most prolific whisky region.
Celebrating its 27th anniversary, Speyside is widely regarded as the spiritual home of whisky, with a third of the distilleries. Established as one of the world’s largest showcases of whisky, this year’s festival had 600 events across six days, from 29 April to 4 May.
The festival is a time when a number of distilleries, that normally don’t open their doors, invite visitors to explore their facilities, making it a unique experience for festival goers.
Twelve distilleries including Tormore, Craigellachie and Dalmunach welcomed visitors behind closed doors and proved to be some of the most popular events. Highlights also included diverse events, including a falconry display with Tormore, a canoe trip down the River Spey and Glenlivet hosting a silent disco where guests could also enjoy expressions of their 12-year-old single malt.
Of the many new events, six were whittled down by the festival committee and I, as this year’s best new event judge, attended these in order to crown the winner in a fun and whisky-fuelled few days.
From dawn drams in a charming coffee and book shop and challenges to taste and flavour (which included the immersive sound bath) to a silent disco and long walk along the Speyside Way, what was obvious was the care, attention and passion put into the events that are held across the region.
Not to mention the whisky - from a yet-to-be-released core range to old and rare drams and new make spirit enjoyed overlooking the barley field from which it came from - these were all pretty special moments shared in good company.
All of the events, how different they were, and how each was a celebration of whisky and, for many, the area, made the final decision extremely difficult. But it was From Land To Dram: The Wild Spirit of The Cabrach which was this year’s winner.
The Cabrach’s history is stepped in whisky and illicit distillation and is at the heart of a community and nature regeneration programme, which we learned about in a walk through the newly created discovery trail.
Drams were shared in the riverside bothy, nature hut, picnic spot and at the new on-site distillery (one of the smallest and most charming that I’ve seen) where we also took part in filling a cask to celebrate the festival
The mix of history, nature, whisky, storytelling and unique sense of place at the Cabrach added to the enjoyment of the experience and I’m looking forward to going back next year to find out more, and try some of the spirit we helped put into cask.
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