Spirit of Speyside whisky festival

The 2008 Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival being held next month is to be opened by Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond.

Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) has pledged to provide around a quarter of the costs of the prestigious five day festival, scheduled to take place from Thursday, May 1 to Monday, May 5.

Area manager for Moray, Martin Johnson, said HIE was delighted to be able to back such a quality event: "The Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival is a unique event that has grown year on year and attracts whisky enthusiasts from all over the world. It has really helped to put Speyside on the map and this year it is set to achieve even greater prominence with the presence of the First Minister."

Mr Johnson added: "The festival is seen as an integral part of Moray's new tourism strategy which is for Moray to become internationally renowned as the 'Home of Malt Whisky'. "

Over half of Scotland's malt whisky distilleries are located in the Speyside area. Another whisky trail - The Whisky Coast on the west coast of Scotland also bring together distilleries from Campbelltown to the Isle of Skye.

First Minister Alex Salmond said: "Whisky is an ambassador for the quality and distinction of Scotland's produce. With whisky now exported to over 200 countries and whisky tourism on the rise – we have a lot to celebrate this year at the 2008 Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival. This is a great opportunity to put Speyside on the map, as the industry goes from strength to strength. With its wealth of distilleries and its scenic majesty I hope that thousands more will join us for a dram next year and enjoy the spirit of Scotland in our year of Homecoming 2009."

HIE has supported the evolution of the festival from a relatively small affair to last year's event which was the first to be organised by a newly established, not-for-profit-company, Spirit of Speyside Whisky Ltd. The 2007 festival attracted over 16,000 visitors – up 7,500 on the previous year from as far afield as Canada and Japan and generated around £600,000 for the local economy.

Chairman of the festival, Richard Ruane, said organisers were very grateful for HIE's consistent support.

He said: "HIE has been involved with the festival in varying roles since 1999 when it was started as a small local event by a group of tourism operators. It has grown since then to become the biggest malt whisky celebration in Britain."

First Minister Alex Salmond will launch this year's festival with a keynote speech at a special Gala opening dinner on the Monday evening at Glen Grant Distillery, Rothes.  Also attending the dinner will be the chief executives of VisitScotland,  EventScotland and the Scotch Whisky Association, Philip Riddle, Paul Bush and Gavin Hewitt as well as HIE chief executive, Sandy Cumming.

Even more visitors than last year are expected to take part in a packed programme with over 200 diverse events under four broad headings- whisky, music, food and fun.  Activities include whisky dinners, lunches, master-classes and distillery tours as well as general events such as community fun days, golf competitions and the exploration of old smugglers' trails. The festival also incorporates the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Awards, now in its fourth year and internationally recognised. Also run as part of the festival is the Spirit of Speyside Chef of the Year which is open to both professional chefs and students.

Part of the HIE funding will be used to provide a dedicated, 'hop-on, hop off' festival bus to allow visitors to access the various events which take place throughout the area.

Organisers say they are keen to encourage even more visitors to come to Speyside and enjoy the world's premier spirit drink. They are working hard to ensure the festival continues its steady growth.