This week we feature the long awaited Campbeltown Malts Festival.
Since the pandemic, Campbeltown, like many other Whisky events had been postponed.... but this year it is raring to go!
Campbeltown Malts & Music Festival normally runs over four days prior to Islay's week-long Feis Ile. Geographically, this makes perfect sense for whisky lovers and aficionados who want to experience both festivals in Scotland's condensed Whisky meccas without making the trip around the A83 more than necessary.
May 24th is Distillery Open Day for Gin Distillers Beinn An Turc home of Kintyre Gin with free transport from Campbeltown out to the Torrisdale Estate. with organised walks on during the festival week also.
Wednesday is Glen Scotia's official day,hosted whisky tastings with master distiller Iain McAllister and exclusive tours, tastings and celebrations including talks and experiments with whisky writers, Charles Maclean and Becky Paskin. Details of Glen Scotia's Festival bottling can be found here - This year’s release is no exception: a heavy peated spirit distilled in 2013 and matured for seven and a half years in 100% first fill bourbon barrels, before a twelve-month finish in the finest first fill Pedro Ximenez hogsheads.
The weather that has become expected of Campbeltown during this week the sun will hopefully not disappoint.
The Thursday is a day not for the faint-hearted or the weak. Springbank's open day is rammed with tasting events, from mass whisky tastings held in the maltings and vast empty spaces to small warehouse tastings where unbottled single casks are poured. Details of all tastings can be found here
and Finally! Friday a more relaxed day was in order and with Cadenheads Independent Bottlers and Glen Gyle taking its turns, it was evident that many festival goers were looking for a slower pace, especially those who still had a full week of Whisky events lined up in front of them at Islay's Feis Ile.
The week also consists of many satellite tasting opportunities, including festival tastings hosted by the Scotch Malt Whisky Society most of these at The Ardshiel hotel.
Whisky is the staple ingredient of the four days. Campbeltown as the smallest whisky region in Scotland really does pack a punch during its festival period, with only three distilleries the program is full and attracts many attendees from far-flung areas, including the USA, the Netherlands, Germany and Sweden to name just a few.
If you haven't yet visited this whisky region then all of us at Angels' Share Glass highly recommend making the three and half hour drive from Glasgow to enjoy some of Scotland's oldest traditional whisky distilleries. You will also find some of our bespoke glassware on sale in Cadenhead's shop on Longrow,