Whisky Week: New Scottish whisky festival launched to celebrate nation’s drink

Running from September 5-15, 2024, this groundbreaking inaugural event will celebrate the water of life while putting Aberdeen’s vibrant bar scene and whisky distilleries across Scotland in the spotlight.

Whisky Week will toast the eclectic industry while educating consumers about well-established and new brands.

It will also form part of Scotland’s cultural and event calendar going forward with organisers eager to grow the festival year-on-year.

Whisky Week has been organised by Charlie Bain of whisky merchandising firm Slanjj and Gregor Sey of Cocktail Events UK, the mastermind behind the successful Aberdeen Cocktail Week. Charlie is a renowned whisky specialist who provides exporting and importing services, and both entrepreneurs bring a wealth of knowledge in the drinks and festivals sectors.

The vision of Whisky Week is to deliver a unique and immersive experience for attendees creating a walkable city-wide distillery tour. Each participating venue will partner with a distillery to share its story and liquid, and attendees can walk to the next ‘distillery’ to experience brands in a new way without having to travel to visit the distillery premises itself.

More than 20 venues have signed up already including local favourites The Grill, CASC, St Machar Bar, Under the Hammer and The Howff as well as Orchid, The Firepit by Smoke and Soul to name a few.

Scottish distilleries paired with participating venues will be announced later.

Julie Marples, general manager of The Grill, a Union Street pub which boasts more than 500 whiskies on its shelves, is looking forward to the event. She said: “Aberdeen Whisky Week is a welcome addition to the city’s events calendar. Whisky lovers adore The Grill and we are equally excited to showcase some new additions to our 500 plus strong whisky collection.

"We've got a few things up our sleeve and Whisky Week will be an ideal opportunity to reveal some exciting plans.”

Festivalgoers will use a specially designed guidebook, enriched with information about each distillery’s heritage and the provenance of their whisky, to navigate their way through Aberdeen's finest bars.

To take part, attendees must purchase a wristband that grants access to exclusive events and special whisky menus at participating venues.

Each venue will be teamed with a distillery, offering at least one dram for £3, along with the option to include up to three additional drams, whisky flights, cocktails, or signature serves crafted with whiskies from their partner distillery.

The aim is to offer drinks not typically available to the public, providing a truly exclusive experience.

Whisky Week is designed to cater to everyone from seasoned whisky aficionados looking to expand their palates, to curious locals and tourists eager to take their first sips and learn about Scotland’s rich whisky heritage.

Charlie Bain, Whisky Week organiser, added: “I’ve been fortunate to attend dozens of whisky festivals, but none I’ve visited have this format that encourages attendees to explore a city. I think Aberdeen really punches above its weight when it comes to the range of bars and pubs on offer, and I hope that Whisky Week can showcase that to locals and tourists alike.”

 

Wristbands will be priced from £9.50 per person and can be used throughout the 11-day event.

For more information or to purchase tickets visit whiskyweek.co.uk