Spirit of Speyside previews 2026 agenda
Returning for its 27th year, whisky festival Spirit of Speyside will host more than 600 events from 29 April to 4 May 2026.
Since its launch in 1999, the festival has attracted thousands of visitors each year and now reportedly contributes more than £2.2 million (US$3m) annually to the local economy.
This year’s Spirit of Speyside will kick off with nearly 80 events on Wednesday 29 April, including an industry dinner. It will be co-hosted for the first time by Craigellachie Distillery as part of its 135th anniversary celebrations this year.
The 2026 festival expects to welcome visitors from more than 40 countries. The event will offer immersive tours and tastings, along with coopering masterclasses and chefs creating whisky-paired dinners.
Festival-goers have the opportunity to meet master blenders and enjoy behind-the-scenes tours of dunnage warehouses, where they can sample whisky straight from the casks.
Visitors can also indulge in fireside drams or sip whisky on Findhorn Beach.
The Dram Tram is set to return in 2026, allowing passengers to take a ride from Dufftown to Keith in a gold carriage while savouring whisky along the way.
For those interested in exploring whisky making, the four-day Whisky School is returning for its 10th year.
The highlight of the six-day event, the cèilidh, will also take place at Bacardi-owned Craigellachie Distillery on the evening of Friday 1 May.
The traditional Scottish social gathering will be hosted by Henry Angus, chairman of the Spirit of Speyside festival, and Steven Dalgarno, distillery manager at Craigellachie Distillery.
Angus commented: “The festival is the perfect way to launch World Whisky Month and is all about showcasing the very best of what’s in this area. While we have an amazing quantity of events, the quality of them is what really shines through.
“It’s wonderful to see the whole of the Speyside community getting behind it as a highlight on the calendar. We’ve seen a great increase in visitor numbers and ticket sales in the last couple of years, which tells us that we are continuing to build on how successful this international festival has become in the area.”
The Speyside region is home to 51 working distilleries, which account for more than one-third of all distilleries in Scotland. These distilleries are located in towns including Elgin, Forres, Keith, Aberlour, Dufftown, and Rothes.
The 2026 festival’s schedule of events will go live at 12pm GMT on 18 February on the Spirit of Speyside website, followed by the official ticket launch at noon on 24 February.
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