Autumn Speyside Whisky Festival

Having hiked 55 miles with the goal of ending up in Dufftown in time for the Autumn Speyside Whisky Festival, we were excited to find ourselves arriving in a festive little town bubbling with character.

The festival consists of an extensive list of exclusive activities for Scotch lovers from all walks of life to attend. From a tour of Glenfarclas featuring 7 whiskies from 7 decades to behind the scenes tours of the Speyside Cooperage, attendees are spoiled for choice (provided they can cough up the dough).

The Whisky Shop got the festivities rolling with a whisky tasting event to get the palate warmed up and the nose tuned to perfection. The Big Dram, aptly named for the 700ml dram poured right at the start, was lead by the owner of the Whisky Shop himself, whisky connoisseur Mike Lord. Lord is not only funny and intriguing but an absolute genius when it comes to Malt Whisky. Myself not the biggest whisky drinker in the world, I was expecting to get a bit of an education but I was so drawn in by the history and delicacies of each whisky it surprised me.

A huge success to start off the festival, we left warm and buzzing with excitement. Heading straight to the Stuart Arms with a new friend we had met at The Big Dram, we devoured some scrumptious fish & chips and called it a night.

Having slept like a dream at our quaint B&B Fournet House, we woke up to a mouthwatering breakfast to prepare us for our second and (sadly for us) last day of the festival. Having tasted a delicious dram of Mortlach at The Big Dram the night before our excitement to visit the Mortlach distillery was palpable. Mortlach Distillery is generally closed to the public, however for the lucky few that manage to make their way to Dufftown for the Autumn festival, there is an opportunity to have a guided tour complete with an uncommon dram to finish it off.

This exclusive tour of Mortlach was by far the best of all the tours on our trip. Each distillery has its own unique quirks and nuances but Mortlach had several features that made it unlike any other. One of the key tools required for making whisky is a still. Each batch of wort goes first through a wash still and then a spirit still before it can be put into casks to transform into whisky. A key reason why each distillery's whisky tastes so differently is because they all have specifically shaped stills. The wash stills are all identical and the spirit stills are all identical creating a consistent and unique base to their whisky. Mortlach however, has three wash stills and three spirit stills all of which are a different shape and size that work together to make their whisky, giving their new spirit an incredible depth of body and flavor.

Visiting a distillery and touring the grounds, warehouses, and production facilities introduces you to the soul of their whisky and helps you to understand the personality of the dram. Touring Mortlach was like getting to meet a celebrity and finally understanding what makes them who they are. This is the real charm of the Autumn Speyside Whisky Festival. It is about being introduced both to the whiskies that you love and the whiskies you have never met before in order to understand what makes them who they are and appreciate the flavors as they roll across your tongue.