A third of the way through 2021 the COVID-19 pandemic is still the dominant news item on the global scene. And for the big three whisky festivals in Scotland—Feis Ile, Spirit of Speyside, and Campbeltown Malts—that means moving the celebration to the virtual sphere, like so many other events on the world calendar.
What, exactly, do this year’s online whisky festivals entail?
To some extent, that remains to be determined. Here’s what we know about plans for the major Scottish festivals so far:
Feis Ile: Not much information has been released since the formal cancelation of the in-person festival on January 20, other than that a virtual festival will be held on the original dates. Distilleries are still expected to their festival-special bottlings, orderable online.
Spirit of Speyside: Spirit of Speyside remains optimistic, scheduling both a virtual event on the festival’s dates and (hopefully) an in-person event later in the year (November 3-8). The Virtual Festival Pass costs £15 and includes live events, virtual distillery booths, and a social lounge. In addition, numerous tasting kits can also be ordered (UK only) for sampling as part of live sessions during the festival, and there is a virtual running and walking challenge to boot.
Campbeltown Malts: Not even the dates for an online Campbeltown Malts Festival have been released, although Glen Scotia has announced that there will be a virtual event and that the distillery is releasing a Festival Edition bottling. (It should be noted that Springbank’s last statement did not include mention of an online event.)
Stay tuned!
For more info:
| FESTIVAL | DATES | MORE INFO |
|---|---|---|
| Feis Ile | May 28 – June 5 | https://www.islayfestival.com |
| Spirit of Speyside | April 29 – May 2 | https://www.spiritofspeyside.com |
| Campbeltown Malts | TBD | https://www.glenscotia.com/pages/whisky-festival |
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