THE FINISHING TOUCHES to Spirit of Speyside: Distilled have been made, with just days to go until the launch of this brand new celebration of one of Scotland’s most famous food and drink regions.
The new festival which takes a good splash of whisky, gin, beer and cocktails and adds a generous side order of food steams into Elgin from Friday to Sunday this week with a fantastic range of flavours being served up over four sessions.
Visitors can expect a busy timetable that includes exclusive masterclasses and mini-mixology sessions, food and drink pairings and opportunities to sample new and as yet unreleased single malts and local gins and craft beers.
As it reaches its final destination, there are limited places which are rapidly filling up – but those who are quick still have time to reserve tickets and be part of a unique event toasting Speyside’s finest flavours, delivered by organisers of the renowned Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival.
Spirit of Speyside: Distilled festival manager Pery Zakeri says, “After months of planning we’re almost there, and we can’t wait to raise our glasses and get things underway.
“We’re all set for a buzzing weekend serving up the tastes and flavours of Speyside to audiences at our different sessions in a single venue. It’s not all about whisky – we’re delighted to bring in gin, beer, food, cocktail making and much more.
“Tickets are limited for both sessions and masterclasses, and we strongly recommend booking online in advance to guarantee admission. There may be tickets available at the door, too, for any sessions that haven’t sold out.
“We’re looking forward to welcoming visitors from all over Scotland and closer to home too; those living near the Aberdeen-Inverness railway line for example can make a day of it on the train and they should book tickets, catch their connection and make their destination Distilled.
“We’ve got it all covered – for people who want to come along with their friends and be part of a new event offering a range of different tastes and flavours, and for those with a thirst to learn about the region’s drinks from the experts.”
Spirit of Speyside: Distilled kicks off at Elgin Town Hall on Friday, September 9 with an evening session from 7–11pm. There are two sessions on the Saturday – from 1-5pm and again from 7-11pm – with the final session on the Sunday from 12-4pm.
Tickets, priced £20, are on sale now and the entry fee includes vouchers for five 10ml tasting samples of gin or whisky, a voucher for a tasting measure of a beer, a Glencairn crystal nosing and tasting glass plus a lanyard to hold it, and a tasty snack featuring the best of local produce, prepared by event caterers Good Highland Food.
In addition there is an opportunity to taste an extensive range of additional drams in exchange for tokens available to buy at the event, each costing £1. There is also an on-site retail outlet being run by The Whisky Shop Dufftown.
There are discounts for group bookings of 10 or more with a reduced ticket price of £18 per person, so savings can be made for friends and family planning to attend the festival together: for details see http://distilled.scot/blog/distilled-best-enjoyed-friends-discount-offered-group-bookings/.
There are limited places for masterclasses, full details of which are available on the Spirit of Speyside: Distilled website – www.distilled.scot – where tickets can also be bought.
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