Spirit of Speyside whisky festival breaks ticket records - and looks to further growth in 2026
Celebrating its 26th anniversary, the festival has grown in stature, establishing itself as one of the world's largest and is a major contributor to the local economy. It is supported by 74 members and 43 partners, including EventScotland, part of VisitScotland - and there are over 600 events across the six days.
In 2024 the festival announced a 23 per cent increase in sales from the year before. However, this year will be the first time the festival will come close to a record-breaking £450,000 of sales, including its Whisky School which takes place over four days.
Visitors from 37 countries descend on Speyside, contributing to over 50 per cent of overseas ticket sales with Germany, the US, Netherlands and Canada purchasing the most, outside of the UK.
Billed as one of the largest international events of its kind anywhere in the world, organisers said the festival relies on the Speyside businesses and community to create a programme of unique experiences for visitors who are not just whisky aficionados.
The festival is packed with a range of diverse events, from coopering masterclasses and BBQs to wildlife walks, the Dram Train, music events and canoeing down the river whilst stopping for a Speyside malt.
New chairman Henry Angus
New chairman Henry Angus said: 'We can't do this festival without the support of the local community. It's vital not just for the businesses but also it's there for the locals to enjoy the buzz for six days. With visitors coming from all over the world, it's an opportunity to meet new people, have some fun, enjoy the stunning scenery along with a brilliant week of events.'
The festival kicked off in style on Wednesday April 30 with 91 events taking place, and concluding in the evening with the renowned Touch of Tartan opening event, co-hosted by Speyside Distillers. This year it was held at the Macdonald Highlands Hotels in Aviemore.
Over 300 guests gathered for an evening of celebration, where the winners of the prestigious annual whisky awards were also announced.
Rob Dickson, director of industry and events at VisitScotland, said: 'The Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival shows the vital role events play in Scotland's visitor economy - supporting communities, creating jobs, and showcasing our culture to the world.
"It is part of an exciting portfolio of events taking place across the country that we are supporting to deliver a wide range of economic and social benefits and strengthen Scotland's position as a world-leading tourism and events destination.'
The opening dinner heralded the whisky and festival award winners, and it was a big night for Aberlour distillery.
The whisky winners for 2025 were: the Gold winner of the 12-year-old and under category was The Glen Grant 12-year-old; the Gold winner of the 13-17 category was Aberlour 15-year-old; the Gold winner of the 18 years old over category was Aberlour 18-year-old Double Sherry Cask and the Gold winner of the non-age statement category was Aberlour Triple Cask Matured.
The overall winner of the 2025 Spirit of Speyside Whisky Award was Aberlour 18-year-old Double Sherry Cask.
The festival winners were: Ambassador – Karen McGillivray; International Ambassador – Stuart Baxter; Unsung Heroes – The Whisky Awards Team: Linda Mellis, Carol Inch, Helen Mellis and Pat Brazil; and Spirit of Speyside Award – James Campbell (previous Chairman of Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival).
At the opening dinner, outgoing chairman George McNeil explained that former co-chair, Sarah Burgess was due to take over the role of chairperson but now could not due to a change in circumstances. However, a new chairperson had been found in Henry Angus.
Mr McNeil said: 'We were delighted when Henry Angus accepted the role as your Spirit of Speyside chairman.' Mr McNeil thanked the current and past executive team members as he handed over the reins to Mr Angus.
Mr Angus was attracted to the role of chairman given his history with the area and love of whisky. He said: 'Whisky has been a passion for life since my early school days in Aberlour and smelling malted barley in the air. I have worked in Moray for the past 25 years and made positive connections in the business and local community.
"I really want to give something back and my work and career has given me a lot of engagement with the whisky industry who are all of course, very supportive of the festival. I am keen to try and help the festival grow nationally and internationally with my export experience in various roles.'
When asked what his plans for the festival were going forward, Mr Angus said: 'The vision is to get more eyes on the festival UK-wide and globally and to engage with more businesses but with over 500 events already lined up, it's about quality of events over quantity.
"We want to showcase the very best of what's in Speyside – not just from the distilleries, but also from the hotels, restaurants, cafes and venues in the area.
'We already know that last year, visitors came from 39 countries and the biggest numbers were from the US, Canada and Europe but not so much Japan. We are certainly recognised as an international whisky festival and we are the first festival to kick off World Whisky Month.
"Since we launched the festival, Event Scotland and Visit Scotland have supported us, helping to grow our international market and that's why we are in such a good position with roughly 50% of visitors from overseas each year.'
Find out more about the Spirit of Speyside whisky festival, including events for next year as they are announced, at spiritofspeyside.com
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