Whisky
At Spirit of the West, you have the unrivalled opportunity to get up close and personal with the distilleries that make up ‘The Whisky Coast’. One of the event's star attractions is the 'Dram Room' marquee, where we welcome all ages, with competitions, quizzes, storytelling and demonstrations. The 'Whisky Theatre' next door will feature bookable seats at 12 whisky masterclasses (for over 18s) from key industry figures, where exclusive nosings and tastings of peaty and smoky golds will take place.
The Dram Room
The Dram Room marquee will include 16 world famous whisky distillers, from Arran in the south all the way up to Talisker on the Isle of Skye. In our 2nd whisky marquee, ‘The Dram Room’ Our 16 Whisky distilleries are:
- Springbank
- Glengyle
- Arran
- Ardbeg
- Lagavulin
- Laphroaig
- Bowmore
- Bruichladdich
- Kilchoman
- Bunnahabhain
- Caol Ila
- Jura
- Oban
- Tobermory
- Ben Nevis
-
Talisker
Additionally, we are delighted to welcome Ian Broombank of Broombank Photography who will be taking a stand in the Dram Room to promote is book Bottled History, A pictorial portrayal of the Whisky Coast distilleries among others in Scotland. Ian will be displaying and selling his book and offering book signings.
Broombank Photography. T: 01224 735765. E: [email protected] www.broombank.co.uk
We are also delighted to welcome Charles MacLean, a writer whose special subject is Scotch whisky, about which he has published eight books to date, including the standard work on whisky brands, Scotch Whisky and the leading book on its subject, Malt Whisky, both of which were short-listed for Glenfiddich Awards. Charles will be talking whisky and signing his latest book!
www.whiskymax.co.uk. Maximising your enjoyment of Scotch Whisky...
Whisky Coast Masterclasses - Sponsored by Glencairn Crystal www.thewhiskyglass.com
If you are a Whisky buff and have a passion for the smoky, peaty malts of the Whisky Coast, then our masterclasses are an unmissable opportunity to meet with and learn from the masters of the industry and experience a selection of the classics from each of the distilleries.
The following masterclass programme highlights the time slot for each of our distilleries. Each masterclass caters for a maximum of 60 people and seats are offered on a first come first served basis. Masterclass sessions are charged in addition to the festival ticket price. Please note that bookings can only be made on the day, however register your interest here on our website and you will be entered into a prize draw to win a bottle of the limited edition Whisky Coast - a blend of all 16 whiskies along the trail. The draw takes place at Spirit of the West on Sunday 16th May.
The programme will be continually updated over the next few weeks - please remember to check back or register your details on the contact page and we will send you regular updates!
| Saturday | ||||||
| Start Time | Distillery | Speaker | Title | Whiskies | Duration | Cost |
| 11.30 | Talisker/Caol Ila/Lagavulin | Peter Campbell | "Smoke!" | Caol Ila 8 year old, Caol Ila 12 year old, Talisker 10 year old, Talisker 57North, Lagavulin 16 year old & Port Ellen | 1 hour | £15 |
| 13.00 | Ben Nevis | Colin Ross and John A. Carmichael | "The treasures of Ben Nevis" | To be Confirmed, but be assured of a few special surprises. | 40 minutes | £10 |
| 14.00 | Arran Distillery | Louisa Young | "The Arran Malt Coming of Age" | Arran 10 year old Single Malt Arran 12 year old Single Malt Arran 'Peated' Single Malt, Arran 'Cask Finish' Single Malt |
40 minutes | £10 |
| 15.00 | Springbank/Glengyle | Frank McHardy, Production Director | 'Golden Jewels of Campbeltown' | Kilkerran (A work in progress) Sprinbank 18 year old Longrow 14 year old
Hazelburn 8 year old |
1 hour | £15 |
|
16.20 |
Kilchoman |
Anthony Wills- founder and managing director | 'The New Kid on the Block' |
Fresh New Spirit 1 year old spirit (matured in Bourbon cask)2 Year old spirit (matured in a sherry cask)3 year old spirit (matured in a Bourbon cask) |
40 minutes |
£10 |
| 17.20 | Ardbeg | Mickey Heads | "The World According to Ardbeg" | Ardbeg 10 years old, Blasda, Uigeadail plus Special Guests | 40 minutes | £10 |
| Sunday | ||||||
| 11.30 | Bunnahabhain /Tobermory |
John MacLellan | "Enjoy the Island Experience - Bunnahabhain and Tobermory Malt Whiskies" | Bunnahabhain 12, 18 and 25 year olds, Tobermory 10 and 15 year olds, Ledaig 10 year old | 1 hour | £15 |
| 13.00 | Bruichladdich | Jim McEwan | "Organics, Provenance, Location, Maturation - Does it really matter?" | 2003 Organic Bruichladdich, Bruichladdich x 4 and Octomore Full Strength | 40 minutes | £10 |
| 14.00 | Bowmore | Iain McCallum | "Island Exclusives" | Bowmore's 'Island Exclusives' are being made available for you to enjoy on the mainland for the first time | 40 minutes | £10 |
| 15.00 | Oban/Talisker/Caol Ila/Lagavulin | Michelle Pizzi | "The Flavour of the West meets the Spirit of the West" | Oban x 2 Expressions, Talisker x 1, Caol Ila x 1 & Lagavulin x 1 (Expressions to be confirmied) | 1 hour | £15 |
| 16.20 | Jura | Willie Tait, Master Distiller, Brand Ambassador, Isle of Jura Willie Cochrane, Distillery Site Manager | Isle of Jura Single Malts | Jura 1 yold, 16 year old and Superstition | 40 minutes | £10 |
| 17.20 | Laphroaig | John Campbell | "Laphroaig - Ready When You Are" | Laphroaig 10 year old, Quarter Cask, Cairdeas 12 year old (bottled especially for the 2009 Feis Ila and available exclusively from www.laphroaig.com | 40 minutes | £10 |
