Andy Mossack Previews the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival to see firsthand what’s in store for festival goers.
I’m holding a hoop driver in one hand and there’s a plucker, crum and caulker within easy reach. Another language to you and me. But for Nick Webster of Caledonian Cooper, they are the tools of his trade. Essential items that in the hands of a cooper like Nick, can craft the casks for storing Speyside’s precious nectar. In my hands however they might as well be a pile of scrap metal.
I’m trying out the coopering experience, just one of the copious number of activities you can take part in at this year’s Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival and I’m desperately attempting to wrap my first metal strap around the barrel slats. I suspect this cask will be leaking like a colander after 5 minutes let alone keep its contents sealed for twenty or so years.
But like a true professional, Nick digs into his bag of tools, grabs another weird and wonderful implement and bangs the band into place with a couple of mighty strikes that would smash the bell in any strongman fairground attraction. Then after a few words of encouragement from Nick, using a local patois of unrecognisable syllables, I’m right back on track.
Now celebrating its 26th year, the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival on Scotland’s rugged northeast coast, is an annual celebration of Scotland’s premier whisky region. Over 50 distilleries have plied their trade here for centuries. Mighty global names include Glenlivet, Glenfiddich, Macallan, Chivas, and Balvenie. Many of them join in with numerous lesser known but equally delicious names to rejoice in the historic fruits of their collective labours.
Perhaps it’s the water of the burns, or the beautiful rugged terroir, but whatever it is, it produces that something that makes Speyside whisky so very special. And as a whisky lover I’m extremely fortunate to have had an invitation to preview this year’s festival which runs from 30th May to 5th April 2025.
And its not just the distilleries who make the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival so special. Speyside’s hotels and restaurants also contribute with whisky themed gastronomy and specially curated activities to make this a community driven spectacle.
And remember, if you’re abstaining from drinking because you’re driving, just ask for a drivers dram to take home to drink instead.
From Illicit hooch to malted heaven.
Cardhu
Scotland’s love affair with whisky may seem as old as time, but many say it began in the 1500s. Cardhu’s own story began in 1824 when farmers and part-time whisky smugglers John and Helen Cummings started distilling their own unlicenced brew to passers-by out of their farmhouse window atop Mannoch Hill above the River Spey. They were so high up they could spot police coming from far away and used to fly a red flag to warn other local distilleries to temporarily shut up shop.
They called their whisky Carn Dubh in Gaelic (or Car Dhu) that translates as black rock and still lines the rolling hills around the area today. Eventually their whisky proved so popular they sold it to Johnnie Walker who used it as one of the main bases for his whisky blends and that’s still the case.
I joined the Cardhu Cask Experience Tour which includes a visit to one of the original Cummings’ warehouses. A place where countless barrels still lay sleeping while you extract your own drams from six selected casks and taste them in the Tasting Kitchen in the main distillery at Knockando. An atmospheric experience like no other I can tell you. You can also embark on a quirky ice cream pairing session entitled Cardhu Flavour Journey meets Ice Cream through a partnership with Sheila from Fochabers Handmade Ice Cream Shop exclusively for the Festival.
Speyburn
In 1897 Speyburn’s founder John Hopkins discovered the Granty Burn bubbling along in a hidden valley and the rest, as they say, is history. Hopkins’ original dunnage warehouse and kiln premises have been preserved exactly as they were when the lights were turned off for the last time in 1967. A special piece of history light years away from today’s computer driven distillery.
I was given a personal tour by Distillery Manager Euan Henderson. The tour is the Festival’s Speyburn Manager’s Cask Experience, a peek behind the scenes at Sepyburn, culminating in the old dunnage warehouse to taste some very specially selected casks including a first tasting of the Global Travel Retail range launched at the Festival.
Whisky Cocktail Mixing Anyone?
Another highlight resides over at the Chivas Brother’s Strathilsla Distillery. An opportunity to take a lesson on mixing two classic whisky cocktails by noted mixologist Freya Collie. And it’s not just the cocktails you’ll be making and tasting, there’ll be impressive grazing platters of delicious paired local food to enjoy too.
Under Freya’s patient tutelage, I managed to put together a mean Highball using a Strathisla 11 year old and an even meaner whisky sour with a belting Strathisla 18 year old. Mind you, we were already loosened up for the task with a delicious orange and honey Old Fashioned prepared by Freya as a welcome drink to kick things off.
Whisky influenced dining
Linn House Supper Series
While we’re on the subject of Chivas Brothers, Linn House is the company’s first guest house and whisky retreat. A splendid 1870 Victorian pile usually reserved for visiting VIPs is throwing open its doors for a series of chef’s table fine dining suppers curated by a team of renowned chefs.
It is a remarkable place with character seeping from every nook and cranny even including its own resident ghost! The whisky library is a destination in its own right, a place laden with rare Chivas whiskies. What a gorgeous place to eat great food, sample some fine whiskies and stay for a memorable night.
Craigellachie Prime Cuts at the Dowans Hotel
This is a fabulous five course dinner unusually paired with a Craigellachie whisky on each course rather than wine. It’s hosted at the Dowans Hotel in Aberlour, a lovely boutique luxury hotel owned and run by the Murray family with daughter Lauren at the helm who also happen to be a proud Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival Brand Ambassador..
The Dowans is a former Victorian mansion beautifully renovated by the family and transformed into a destination property with a reputation for outstanding gastronomy. The Dowans is also running other dining events during the festival so visit the full programme at Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival for more details and dates.
The Craigellachie Hotel and the Crystal Dram
The Craigellachie is, like the The Dowans, something of a Speyside staple as far as hospitality is concerned and MD Tom Jolly is never short of a few batty activities on offer before you dine there. The Crystal Dram is a whisky oriented take on The Crystal Maze where the quite bonkers Professor Deacon Mandrake PhD, will take you through a series of puzzles to solve before allowing you a few drams to taste afterwards.
Much less bonkers and much tastier is the locally sourced food fare on offer. My Copper Dog cured trout was a triumph, as was the Speyside beef fillet with pickled rhubarb and Blair Atholl jus.
The few last sips
Meanwhile back at Nick’s barrel workshop with one more hammer swipe the last band is fixed tightly around my barrel and I’ve tapped down the lid good and tight. It seems I’ve earned a reward. A northeast Scotland speciality called a buttery or rowie. To you and me it’s a soft roll made from flour yeast and salt and filled with whipped lard, but to the locals it’s a revered snack. After all that hard work I ignore the health warning and devour it. Well why not, I’m an honorary cooper now.
Images (C) Andy Mossack and Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival.
Tell me more about the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival
The Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival runs from 30th May to 5th April 2025. Tickets and prices for all the festival activities described above and many more can be found here.
Recommended Stay
The Dowans Hotel Dowans Road, Aberlour, Speyside, Moray AB38 9LS
T: +44 (0)1340 871488 E: enquiries@dowanshotel.com
Rooms for double occupancy start from £250 per room per night including full Scottish breakfast.
Getting to Speyside
Air
Inverness Airport is the main airport for the Highlands. Scheduled flights operate to and from Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, Belfast City, Dublin, London Heathrow, Gatwick and Luton, Amsterdam and more. A full destination list can be found here.
Aberdeen International Airport is the main airport for the North East of Scotland and connects to many UK and European cities. A full destination list can be found here.
Car hire is available at both airports – find information here for Inverness and here for Aberdeen International.
Speyside is also accessible from both Glasgow Airport and Edinburgh Airport which offer connections worldwide. A full destination list is available here for Glasgow and here for Edinburgh.
Airport Parking
Airport Parking and Hotels offers a wide range of parking and overnight hotel stays at all major UK airports. One week of Meet & Greet airport parking at London Luton costs from just £69.99. For the latest prices and to book, call 01342 859442
Rail
ScotRail, Scotland’s national railway service, connects Speyside to Inverness, Aberdeen and beyond. The nearest stations to Speyside are Forres, Elgin, Keith and Aviemore.
