A brand new Scottish Whisky Festival is being launched in the seaside town of Dornoch in the Highlands. The festival runs between 27th and 29th November and it’s a huge celebration of Highlands whisky and the classical flavours they offer. Dornoch Whisky Festival brings together the town itself and its neighbours including Glenmorangie, Balblair, Dalmore, Pulteney and Clynelish, all of whom will be putting on some fantastic events including tastings and tours.
As well as a huge range of tastings and events the Dornoch Whisky Festival also has some exclusive whiskies to try from both the closed Brora Distillery and Balblair’s Distillery too. The whole event kicks off on 27th November in the evening with the Dornoch Pipe Band and a range of special events from Pyroceltica, an amazing Celtic Fire Show and plenty of live Scottish music.
There are both free and bookable events throughout the celebration with free events including traditional music and the chance to ‘Drop in for a Dram of the Dalmore’ at the Royal Golf Hotel and the closing toast to next year’s festival at the Royal Dornoch Golf Club.
Ticketed events are even more exciting with tours of everywhere from a Distillery Tour of Delmore to Sunday Lunch at the Links House Restaurant, with a tasty whisky-themed menu. There are also plenty of opportunities to enjoy exceptional whisky tastings and tours combined including the Balblair Distillery Tour which includes the opportunity to try four different whiskies including the 2003, 1990, 1983 and the Distillery hand bottling (2002). The premium even of the weekend is the Brora Experience where a private extended tour is offered around the Clynelish Distillery with four different tastings offered. Glenmorangie and Glen Ord too have their fair share of tours and tastings within the festival’s schedule so it really is a whisky lover’s delight up in Dornoch for the last weekend of November. Not all events are connected to single distilleries though with those pub lunches and special whisky-themed meals dotted throughout the programme and also specialise tasting events at the Dornoch Castle Hotel, the Dornoch Inn and The Eagle, amongst other venues welcoming whisky lovers throughout the celebration.
This new festival is attracting quite a bit of attention and it’s easy to see why, there are exclusive whiskies available to taste and it’s a wonderful location with atmospheric surrounds which is just perfect for a chilly winter weekend.
