First Brighton Whisky Weekend set for June
The seaside city of Brighton will host its inaugural Whisky Weekend in June, bringing three days of drams and discovery to England’s southeast coast.
Curated by whisky enthusiasts Richard Foster, founder of Croydon Whisky Festival, English Whisky Festival and Exploring Whisky Bristol; Seb Woolf, founder of independent whisky bar Cut Your Woolf Loose in Brighton; and Rosie Lees, co-founder of N94 agency and Lecce Cocktail Week, Brighton Whisky Weekend will take place from 16-18 June.
Promising to be ‘so much more than your typical whisky event’, Brighton Whisky Weekend will bring ‘a bucket-full of events’ to the city, from Highballs in Hove to Bourbon on the beach.
Paired dinners and bar takeovers are also planned, alongside masterclasses and whisky experiences unique to the three-day festival.
On 27 June, more than 30 producers will come together for a central expo tasting event at The Old Market, where guests will have the opportunity to meet the people behind the liquid, explore a wide range of styles and regions, and discover established names, emerging producers and independent bottlers.
“I wanted to do so much more than just an expo and something that felt distinctively Brighton,” Lees said. “There are so many great independent bars and restaurants in the city that we’ll be highlighting throughout the weekend, I can’t wait to bring this to life.”
Each attendee at the expo will receive a free tasting glass to use throughout the session and keep as a memento, and all producers exhibiting will be sampling their spirits as part of the ticket price.
In addition, there will be food on site, opportunities to purchase bottles from the show, and an exclusive festival bottling available.
Foster said: “The opportunity to host a whisky festival in Brighton was too good to miss – it’s hard to believe this thriving, culturally mature city didn’t already have one.
“To do so with the owner of a local whisky bar, shop and community, plus a highly regarded drinks industry PR agency owner, are both the icing and the cherry on the cake.
“This isn’t going to be just another whisky event, it’s going to become the whisky event, and I for one am going to have a whole lot of fun bringing this to life with the team.”
Woolf added: “Since moving to Brighton, I envisaged creating an amazing hub for the awesome whisky community. Brighton is a vibrant city full of independent businesses and adding a whisky event backed by whisky and bar enthusiasts made complete sense.
“Bringing together independent whisky businesses, excellent Brighton bars, legendary brands and amazing whisky people to create a unique whisky experience – Brighton Whisky Weekend was born.”
Tickets will be available to buy from www.brightonwhiskyweekend.com.
Interested attendees are advised to follow @brightonwhiskyweekend for the full event schedule, which will be announced soon.
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