The Spirit of Speyside in pictures

Whisky-lovers flocked from no fewer than 31 countries from all around the world to celebrate the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival over the long bank holiday weekend.

The River Spey, the second longest and fastest-flowing river in Scotland, featured in the festival’s James FLeming Trail walk

Now in its 15th year, the festival provides the opportunity for whisky fans to emerge themselves in the rich whisky heritage of Speyside, as well as further their knowledge of the industry.

Blessed with glorious sunshine scarcely seen in the Scottish highlands, visitors were spoilt for choice with a vast range of activities to participate in, from distillery tours and highland hikes to masterclass tastings and blending sessions.

Revered industry experts were on hand throughout the festival, providing insightful workshops suited for both the learned whisky enthusiast and the novice drinker alike.

In addition, a collection of celebratory dinners, which saw specially created dishes paired with rare and exclusive Speyside whiskies, enabled the festival celebrations to continue well into the night.

Were you at the Spirit of Speyside festival? Let us know your highlights by leaving a comment below.

Upon arrival in the picturesque Scottish town of Keith, the first point of call was a trip to Strathisla distillery, the oldest operating distillery in the highlands and home of Chivas Regal.

An in-depth guided tour of the distillery introduced the basic process of distillation and Scotch whisky production, from mash tuns and washbacks to the traditional bonded warehouse.

Founded in 1786 by Alexander Milne and George Taylor, much of the building remains the same from the cobbled courtyard to the iconic pagodas pictured above.

Once the tour was complete, it was time to taste some drams, which included Chivas Regal 12 Year Old, Chivas Regal 18 Year Old and Strathisla 12 Year Old.

To mark the official opening of the Spirit of Speyside festival, visitors gathered for the Opening Dinner at the Glen Grant Distillery.

Greeted with a red carpet and walk through of the bottling factory, guests took in the surroundings while enjoying a selection of drams, specially chosen to accompany each course, from one of the whisky awards finalists in the 12 Year Old and under.

Chairman and director of the Spirit of Speyside festival James Campbell opened the dinner, which was rounded off by a highly entertaining keynote speech by renowned whisky expert and writer, Charles MacLean.

Ann Miller, international brand ambassador for Chivas Regal, led an insightful tour of Aberlour distillery and the history behind it.

Founded in 1879 by James Fleming, the distillery’s history goes back much further – more than 1,500 years – to a Celtic settlement founded by St Drostan.

Venturing through the distillery, Miller explained the distillation process from the grinding of malted barley to the hundreds of casks housed in the Aberlour warehouse until they are perfectly aged.

Following on from the distillery, Miller then proceeded to lead guests on a guided walk along the James Fleming Trail, exploring the heritage of the founder of Aberlour distillery.

Passing the idyllic Linn Falls and River Spey, before finishing at Fleming’s grave and the old pack horse bridge, the walk revealed Fleming’s contribution not only to whisky, but also to the village of Aberlour through the building of the community hall and local hospital, which are both still used today.

It was also the premiere unveiling of Aberlour’s collaboration with nature photographer, David Maitland, who was enlisted to capture how Aberlour whisky is made by taking microscopic pictures of the rock, water and wood involved in the whisky creation process.

The pictures have been installed at various stages along the James Fleming Trail and include malted barley, Sherry cask and spring water.

With her passion for Aberlour single malt whisky evident, it was fitting for Ann Miller to host the Secrets of Aberlour Double Cast Maturation session.

Held in the recently renovated Fleming Rooms, Miller talked guests through nosing and tasting of three exclusive 18 Year Old Aberlour whiskies; one aged in a single American barrel; another that began maturation in an American barrel and finished in an ex-Oloroso sherry butt; and a final blend of the two.

The Cask Strength Dinner at Strathisla Distillery, specially commissioned from La Faisanderie Restaurant in Dufftown, Scotland, paired every course with the perfect Cask Strength Edition single malt, each of which is available exclusively from Chivas Brothers’ Speyside distillery visitor centres.

Drams on the evening included The Glenlivet Cask Strength Edition 17 Year Old, Aberlour Bourbon Cask Strength 16 Year Old, Glenugie Cask Strength Edition 30 Year Old, Longmorn Cask Strength Edition 18 Year Old and Strathisla Cask Strength Edition 19 Year Old.

The Glenlivet master distiller Alan Winchester revealed the story of “the single malt that started it all” with a Live the Legacy guided tour of The Glenlivet distillery.

Founded by George Smith in 1824, the walk kicked off with a dram of unique new spirit from the sma’ still, while Winchester recounted tales of smugglers’ illicit distilling activities, evidence of which is visible on the Glenlivet hillsides today.

Retiring to the manager’s office, the tour culminated in a final dram of The Glenlivet Guardian’s Chapter, in honour of the founder.

Recently expanded, distillery manager Trevor Buckley led a guided tour round The Glenlivet distillery, including tastings of the spirit after each stage of the distillation process.

Founded by George Smith in 1824, the distillery has grown to become one of the largest distilleries in Scotland.

Pernod Ricard recently revealed the latest limited edition bottling in The Glenlivet Single Cask Editions, The Glenlivet Kymah. 

Revered whisky expert and writer, Charles MacLean, hosted a tasting session at The Glenlivet distillery, where guests were given the chance to try a selection of some extremely rare or cask strength drams, many of which are unavailable for purchase.

Among the tastings were The Glenlivet Auchbreck – only available from the distillery visitor centre shop from May – and two rare casks dating back to 1969 and 1959.

Tailored to accommodate for both experts and beginners, the session allowed for visitors to pose their questions to MacLean and expand their own knowledge of the category from his vast experience in the industry.

Rounding off Saturday’s events was the Spirit of Speyside Sessions Concert held in the historic Aberlour Fleming Hall.

A room-full of guests delighted in a performance by Charlie McKerron, former member of Gaelic group Capercaillie who have notched up more than 1 million album sales to date.

Joined by guitarist Tim Edey and melodeon Ross Ainslie, a selection of traditional Gaelic tunes kept the crowd entertained for the evening.