The story behind the scenes

The Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival celebrated its tenth anniversary in 2009. Held each year during the first long weekend in May, it creates an opportunity for visitors to enjoy a visit to Speyside before the start of the main tourism season. The Festival invites visitors to celebrate Scotland’s national drink through an inventive and wide-ranging programme of whisky-inspired events – some educational, all of them fun.

Since its inception, the Festival has developed close links with many Speyside businesses and communities as everyone works together to provide an ever-improving range of events, facilities and services for local people and the increasing flow of international visitors.

The Festival plays an important part in helping people acquire a deeper knowledge and appreciation of their dram, and has introduced whisky to new audiences, including a growing female market.

The Company

In 2006 a new company, Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival Ltd. was incorporated, with a specific objective to make The Spirit of Speyside the best whisky festival in the world.

To achieve this goal, the Festival works to bring economic benefit to Moray and more particularly, Speyside, and to promote the contribution to the Moray economy of the whisky industry, its culture and heritage.

The company is limited by guarantee. It runs the Festival with a Board of Directors drawn from the membership to cover key areas of the whisky industry and culture, plus tourism.

Membership offers you, the organisation or business that you represent, the chance to participate fully in the Festival, and to speak and vote at meetings. As a tourism provider, your membership fee also entitles you to a free advertisement on the website.

To ensure that our established quality standards are maintained, members must demonstrate that they comply with minimum standards of appropriate quality criteria, such as Visit Scotland 3 star and above, ISO 9000/9001, Hospitality Assured and similar schemes. Alternatively, you can demonstrate a track record in delivering quality events in previous Festivals. A modest membership fee of £25.00 gives you an entry listing on the website, and represents excellent value for money.

With an independent Chairman, the Directors work on a purely voluntary basis to drive the Festival forward.

• Chairman – Jim Royan, OBE, DL, Non Executive Director Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Non Executive Director, Quality Meat Scotland, Governor The Robert Gordon University Aberdeen
• Company Secretary – Ian Urquhart, Director Gordon & MacPhail, Elgin, Chairman, Johnstons of Elgin.

Directors

• Ed Dodson, Retired Distillery Manager, Glen Moray Distillery, Elgin
• Penny Ellis, Proprietor, Knockomie Hotel, Forres
• Ann Miller, International Brand Ambassador, Chivas Brothers, Strathisla Distillery, Keith
• Steve Oliver, Proprietor, Bluefolds Holiday Cottages, Glenlivet in Cairngorms National Park
• Robert Ransom, Director of Sales & Marketing, Glenfarclas Distillery, Ballindalloch
• Martin Walker, Distilleries Manager, Diageo, Glenlossie Distillery, Elgin

Festival Finances

The Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival is financed via public sector funding and private partnerships, which assist with the operating and marketing costs. This enables the Festival to support event providers and local businesses, all of whom benefit from the increase in visitors. The Festival stages some events independently – the Opening dinner and dance, the Whisky Awards, and for 2009’s 10th anniversary celebrations, a fantastic musical extravaganza, “The Spirit of Speyside,” to mark Homecoming Scotland.

In addition to financial support from the public and private sector, the Festival is grateful for a wide range of in kind support from a number of local businesses and organisations.

Photographic Credits

Allan Adam, Andrew Gransden, Brenda Cooper, Chivas Brothers Ltd, Dave Broom, David Newland, Diageo PLC, Ed Dodson, Elizabeth Oliver, Glen Grant Distillery, Glenfarclas Distillery, Glenfiddich Distillery, Graeme McHardy, Graham Vaughan, Gunnel Palmér, Heather Urquhart, John Paul, Ken Grant, Mark Williamson, Northern Scot, Philip Lewis, Robert Ransom, Steve Smith, The Malt Project, Tom Keir, Tony Gorzkowski, Zoe Grice.