Spirit of Speyside six days of whisky celebration
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FRIENDSHIPS and new beginnings were to the fore at the opening dinner of the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival at the historic Dallas Dhu Distillery on Wednesday night.
More than 300 guests enjoyed hospitality at the “Touch of Tartan” opening dinner – friends and colleagues brought together through their passion for whisky.
Hosted by Aceo Ltd, cask whisky brokers and suppliers of distillery services to the Scotch whisky industry, the event launched six days of celebration of the best Speyside has to offer in terms of its whisky, tourism, good food and the warmth of is welcome.
George McNeil, chairman of the whisky festival, welcomed guests to the mothballed distillery, which produced whisky from 1899 to 1983 and is currently run as a visitor attraction by Historic Environment Scotland.
He said: “There is something romantic about this location and you can feel it in the air when you are here.
“There is hopefully a possibility that it could be producing whisky again. If we can get a working distillery back into the family of distilleries up here that would be wonderful.”
With over 600 whisky-themed events over the six days, the festival, which was launched in 1999, ends on Monday, May 1 and has attracted thousands of visitors from across Scotland, the UK and worldwide.
The opening dinner saw whisky and ambassador awards presented to senior figures in the whisky industry locally, and guests enjoyed a sumptuous meal prepared by Good Highland Food.
With around 6800 tickets sold for events, that has generated more than £320,000 in ticket revenue alone, and tens of thousands more will be spent by visitors with local accommodation providers, shops, cafés and restaurants over the six days of the festival.
Summing up the festival, Mr McNeil added: “An event like the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival isn't something that just happens on its own.
"It is a showcase of everything that Speyside is, from the sea to the mountains, from the landscape to the whisky and to the people.
"It's a passion and a teamwork, an unwavering dedication to make this festival the great success that I am sure it will be.
"Thank you once again to the executive team and the board, and the vast numbers of volunteers."
New beginnings for Dallas Dhu were revealed when Edward Odim, managing director of Aceo Ltd, revealed that the distillery – mothballed since 1983 and preserved as a visitor attraction – could soon be brought back into production.
"Historic Environment Scotland have maintained the site for the last 40 years and have kept it in pristine condition and it is a jewel in the crown of whisky distilleries.
"We are very much on the brink of a plan to reopen it and bring it back into production.
"Lots of exciting things are planned for this site."
The evening also included a whisky-themed auction in support of the Spey Catchment Initiative, a charity tasked with improving the tributaries and rivers of the region, in support of Atlantic Salmon.
Paul Hughes, of the SCI, told the audience: "As we gather to celebrate the world's finest whiskies, let us not forget that the quality of this amber liquid is intrinsically linked to the environment in which it is produced.
"Whisky, after all, is a product of the land and water from which it is made.
"The River Spey and its tributaries are vital for the Speyside whisky industry but they are also the lifeblood of the Atlantic Salmon."
