One of the famous festivals in Scotland is Speyside Whiskey Festival (Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival).
But in 2020, due to the coronavirus pandemic, festival events were canceled.
Each country has its own national product, its own national pride. Scots are proud of their whiskey.
With the onset of spring in Scotland, the time for festivals and celebrations dedicated to whiskey begins. The first starts The Spirit of Speyside Whiskey Festival, which lasts 6 days. It is followed by Feis Ile – a festival of Malt and Music. And so on until September, when the last one begins – Autumn Speyside Whiskey Festival.
Speyside is home to the highest density of distilleries in the world. There are more than 100 factories that produce the famous drink. There are the most famous distilleries – Glenfiddich, Glen Grant, Strathisla …
Once a year, ordinary people can visit the factories of the most prestigious whiskey producers. In normal times, factories do not allow outsiders to enter their workshops. The main and most attractive part of the festival is the tasting of numerous varieties and varieties of the aromatic drink., including under the guidance of experts. During the festival, you can taste the rarest and most mature whiskey varieties.
During the festival, meetings are held with collectors who can share their experiences, dance programs with a national bias. There are historical excursions that tell about technological processes, the evolution of bottle and label design. Visits are organized to museum garages of factories, where all samples of the original trucks that delivered the desired product to consumers are collected. Those participants in whom whiskey begins to awaken the bubbling blood of their ancestors are invited to take part in Scottish sports: throwing a log or a hammer.
The program of the festival honoring the local elixir of life includes fun contests, receptions and dinners in distilleries, Scottish parties with music and dancing, special menus in restaurants, various contests and competitions, a fashion show of kilts (Scottish skirts), a visit to the Whiskey Museum and a competition for the most quick barrel construction, exhibitions and Scottish folk music evenings.
There are many varieties of whiskey in the world: they drink American , Irish pure pot still, but it is generally accepted that the true whiskey is Scotch malt whiskey malt.
The history of the drink can be traced back to the 12th century. The authorship of all the whiskeys in the world is attributed to Saint Patrick, an Irish monk of Scots origin. In the scrolls of the Treasury of Scotland, dating back to 1494, the following entry was found: “Give eight balls of malt to Brother John Carr to make aquavit.” – this amount of malt would be enough to make about 1500 bottles of modern whiskey! This date is considered to be almost the official date of birth of Scotch whiskey, for the Latin “aqua vitae” – “water of life” – was written in Celtic as uisge beatha (in Ireland – uisce beatha). It was clearly lazy to pronounce the two-syllable word. Gradually, only uisge remained of two words, which transformed into uiskie, and then into whiskey.
The quality of whiskey is made up of dozens of factors. The malt is dried in smoke, for this purpose peat charcoal is burned. The place of peat extraction is of great importance. Aberdeen charcoal tastes very different from Isle of Skye charcoal.
The malt is mixed with water to produce wort. The wort is fermented, the mash is distilled, and an alcoholic solution is obtained. The solution is aged in oak barrels. The quality of whiskey depends on the type of oak, the area of its growth. The finest varieties are poured into sherry barrels brought from the Iberian Peninsula.
The UK government has taken care of defining this drink. In 1988, the Scotch Whiskey Act was passed. Scotch whiskey accounts for about a quarter of Albion’s exports.
While everyone is free to drink their favorite whiskey as they please, there are certain rules to be followed when choosing a glass and tasting whiskey in order to properly appreciate the drink and enhance the tasting experience.