Whisky School

The Whisky School was a new event introduced to the festival events progamme in 2009.  The school is based in the atmospheric heart of the Speyside Malt Whisky region.

Spread over a 3-day period, the school examines all aspects of whisky making including malting, mashing, brewing, distilling and maturation.

There will be eight lectures presented by speakers of international standard, all from within the Whisky Distilling Industry and the Institute of Brewing and Distilling.  In addition to the formal lectures the school makes a number of site visits to distilleries on Speyside to illustrate the various stages of production.

The school is limited to a small and exclusive group and the programme is designed so that questions can be asked at any time, during and after the lectures and at the site visits.  The School concludes with a certificate presentation and dinner in one of Speyside's most famous whisky hotels, the Highlander Inn.

Whisky School 2010

The Whisky School will be held from 28 to 30 April 2010.  There are only 16 places available. For further information or to register your interest, please contact Ed Dodson, School Director, at whiskyschool@spiritofspeyside.com.

For pricing details and to book click here.

Dr Stephen Lunn attended the school in May 2009 "I approached the school with a degree of trepidation, since I had little real idea of what it would involve. I soon found that my fears were without foundation. The four members of the Organising Committee had over 160 years in the whisky industry between them and they were present throughout the duration of the School, available to respond to questions raised by those attending. The venue and hospitality extended by those at Knockando Distillery, which was central to the formal lectures and one of the field trips, was first class.The balance between lectures and field trips, to reinforce the facts was truly excellent, and the selection of the speakers by the Organising Committee was near faultless. The catering throughout, and the final dinner, were served with style and humour and allowed both speakers and members of the Whisky School to come together for discussion. I had come to the School thinking that I knew a little about the making of Scotch Whisky, and went away realising just how little I had known when I arrived, leaving with an enthusiasm and determination to learn more. I would thoroughly recommend that anyone interested in the production of Scotch whisky attend this course".