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SPRING IS ON THE WAY and with that comes the annual Moray and Speyside festival with a growing reputation year by year.
Event tickets for the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival went on sale last week – and once again new sales records are being set as people from around the world snap them up.
Almost 5000 tickets have been sold valued at in excess of £154,000 – all in the opening 24 hours of sales commencing. That included 116 events that completely sold out.
The phenomenal demand has been driven from both home and abroad, with whisky lovers in the UK, USA and Germany the top three early-booking nations. The festival continues to attract global interest, with website browsers from across Europe and North America – and also Vietnam, Tanzania, Trinidad and Tobago, Kazakhstan, El Salvador and the Falkland Islands.
Eager whisky lovers went into overdrive snapping up 1,058 tickets worth £46,000 in the first 10minutes of them going live last week.
However, with 520 events making up the 2018 festival, there are still plenty of tickets available and the chance to savour a range of themes, from nosing and tastings, to a ceilidh on board a train, whisky caching, craft events, quizzes and valuations.
Festival chairman James Campbell said: “The level of interest has astounded us – we did wonder if we could match the success of last year’s sales, but here we are again having surpassed it.
“Whisky lovers from all around the world have shown a real thirst for the 2018 offering, and in line with previous years the exclusive distillery tours have sold out first. Real whisky aficionados are always looking for very special experiences that are only available at the time of the Festival, so tours of distilleries not normally open to the public sold out very quickly.
“Festival fans realise they must get in early to get tickets for the activities they really want, and they’ve wasted no time this year. We’re fortunate to have partners who develop a rich and diverse programme of events that captures the imagination of the whisky-loving public. This is a great start for us and a reminder that our Festival is viewed as a must-attend event by whisky lovers all over the world.”
This year’s Festival runs from May 3 to May 7 at venues across Moray and Speyside, home to half of all Scotland’s distilleries and is the base for many high-profile international brands.
The Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival is supported by EventScotland, part of VisitScotland’s Events Directorate.
Paul Bush OBE, VisitScotland’s Director of Events, said: “The popularity of the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival has once again been confirmed by yet another record breaking opening 24 hours of ticket sales. With so many events, including behind-the-scenes tour of distilleries not normally open to the public, it is understandable why it is so popular all over the world.
“EventScotland is delighted to be continuing its support of the Festival, with Speyside providing the perfect to stage to discover Scotland’s national drink.”
For further information and tickets visit www.spiritofspeyside.com.