VisitScotland Business Events Travel Trade Corporate Media Toolkit

We use cookies

We use Cookies to improve your experience on this site.

You can accept our cookies policy or customise your choices.

Please refer to our Cookies Policy for more information.

Manage cookies settings

Raise a dram to Scotland on World Whisky Day

Proxy

To celebrate World Whisky Day on Saturday, 16 May VisitScotland invites future visitors to raise a dram and discover more about whisky, Scotland’s national drink and biggest export, from home.

The practice of distilling whisky has been lovingly perfected throughout Scotland for centuries and began as a way of turning rain-soaked barley into a drinkable spirit, using the fresh water from Scotland’s crystal-clear springs and streams.  

Today, there are some 133 operating Scotch Whisky distilleries across Scotland, each producing wonderfully distinct whisky whose character is determined by each stage of the process, from the source of the water to the wood of the cask.  

As many people across Scotland, and around world, continue to adapt to these challenging times, distilleries too are embracing a new normal. Whisky and gin distilleries from across Scotland have halted or diversified production, using centuries’ old traditions and techniques for a new, shared goal: the production of hand sanitiser. In light of hand sanitiser shortages, many of Scotland’s distilleries have stepped up to produce much-needed sanitiser for key workers and vulnerable residents to protect and help the local communities they call home. 

At this time, whisky fans should use the wonders of technology to indulge responsibly in a virtual whisky tasting or tour and let the taste of a good dram transport them from their homes to Scotland.

Interested in whisky but don’t know where to start? Take a look VisitScotland’s Scotch Whisky: Explained and a Scotch Whisky Q&A with expert Richard Patterson.

From Scotland to the World… Virtual FestivalsTomatin Distillery

While whisky and music fans cannot travel to Islay for the world-renowned Feis Isle: The Islay Festival of Music and Malt this May, the organisers are set to take the event online. The Virtual Feis Ile will run from 22 May to 31 May and will take the iconic festival to all corners of the world via online distillery days, music, dancing, and virtual tours and tastings. More information is set to be released in the coming weeks with updates on the festival’s Facebook page.

From our home to yours… Virtual Tastings

Luxury experience providers, Away from the Ordinary are helping to keep potential travellers safe and entertained at home, by offering individualised digital whisky tastings. The tastings are led by Away From The Ordinary founder, and whisky expert, Aeneas O’Hara, who talks through a selection of malts via Zoom. In advance of the tasting, participants will receive a link to a website where they can order the five carefully curated malt whiskies which will be discussed over a one to two-hour online tasting session.  Participants can either arrange an individual tasting for themselves and their friends and colleagues or choose to join one of the pre-arranged tastings which are inspired by regional themes. The next two sessions are scheduled for 14 and 28 May.   To find out more, or arrange a tasting, all contact details are on the Away From The Ordinary website

A 360⁰ view… Virtual Tours

World Whisky Day is the perfect opportunity to explore the home of a favourite malt, albeit virtually.  With distilleries across Scotland closed to visitors, many are offering virtual tours showcasing production and some behind-the-scenes insights. Virtual visitors can start the day exploring the new Macallan Distillery which opened in June 2018, before heading to Perthshire to visit The Glenturret Distillery, the oldest working distillery in Scotland, and rounding off the day with a hop across to the Scotland’s whisky isle, Islay to discover the peaty home of Laphroaig.

Listen Up!

For those looking to take a step back from the screen, there are a variety of whisky podcasts available. Direct from Speyside, the region home to the world’s largest concentration of Scotch malt whisky distilleries, The Malt Whisky Trailpodcast showcases the world’s only Malt Whisky Trail. The podcast invites listeners to discover the secrets of the region and the nine locations that make up the iconic trail whilst introducing the craftspeople behind some of the world’s most-loved whisky brands.

Independent Scotch whisky distillery website, Distillerytours.scot usually assists visitors in finding distillery tours and experiences across the country. In these changing times when distillery tours are paused, they have launched a new podcast offering deeper insights into Scotland’s vast array of whisky distilleries.

Old PulteneyShake it up!

World Whisky Day is a celebration of all things whisky, making it fun, enjoyable and accessible. Whisky can be enjoyed in many different ways and for a whisky novice, a cocktail is a good place to start! World Whisky Day serves up seven recipes to tingle the taste buds and inspire cocktail lovers and whisky fans alike to find the perfect blend to showcase the spirit’s versatility and complexity in a new or different way.

Iconic whisky brand, Glenmorangie also offers up a variety of perfect serves to enjoy in its online cocktail library.  Using whiskies from across the Glenmorangie range, there are options to  rustle up a traditional Old Fashioned or discover a new favourite like the Ruban Resplendent.

Pay it forward

With travel plans on pause, now is a great time to pay it forward with many distilleries offering gift vouchers to use at a later date. Vouchers are a great purchase for those who have Scotland on their bucket-list, those who will be heading back to their favourite distillery once the world reopens or for a recently-converted whisky enthusiasts looking to visit the home of a new favourite dram discovered through a virtual tour or tasting. 

Save Download

Raise a dram to Scotland on World Whisky Day

To celebrate World Whisky Day on Saturday, 16 May VisitScotland invites future visitors to raise a dram and discover more about whisky, Scotland’s national drink and biggest export, from home.

Asset type post
ID 111438
Word count 1205 words

Licence

Licence Rights Managed - VS Editorial A Licence to use assets for editorial purposes, which is, to illustrate an event or story in an article but not commercially such as marketing a product or print ad. An Editorial asset may show a brand, a trademarked logo or product, a public personality, or recognisable people, without a signed release or with limited releases. When you use VisitScotland Editorial content you do so to illustrate Scottish tourism in a positive way.
Expiry No expiry date
Released
Usage Editorial content can be published in a variety of formats ranging from print or digital to online. In print content can be featured in *newspapers *magazines *brochures. Online content can be published in a *blog *website *article or *social media. Regardless of the format this content should always promote Scotland’s tourism in a positive way.

Tags