Any Questions?

The Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival is a celebration of Scotland’s largest whisky-producing region. The Festival is made up of individual events organised and hosted by our partners and members across Speyside.

The Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival takes place over the early May Bank Holiday weekend each year.
2027: Wednesday 28 April – Monday 3 May
2028: Wednesday 26th April- Monday 1st May

To see a flavour of what to expect next year, view the previous programme here

There is no single Festival venue. Events take place throughout the Speyside region, hosted by our partners and members in distilleries, village halls, whisky bars, historic buildings and outdoor settings.

For travel information, please visit our Getting Here and Travel Around Speyside pages.

The Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival is overseen by a Board of Directors, selected to provide expertise across the whisky industry, culture and heritage, tourism and hospitality. The Board is led by an independent Chair and works on a voluntary basis, supported by the Festival team.

The Festival directly delivers a number of core events, including the Opening Dinner, Opening Ceilidh, Whisky Awards and Whisky School. The majority of events are organised and hosted by Festival partners and members, and reflect the individual style of the organisations delivering them.

During Festival week, over 600 events take place across the region, hosted by distilleries, venues and producers.

In addition to regular tours and tastings, the Festival programme includes limited-capacity experiences, specialist masterclasses and events hosted in venues not typically used for public visits.

Some distilleries that are not usually open to visitors may host Festival events.

Speyside welcomes visitors throughout the year, and many distilleries operate regular tours outside of Festival week. The Festival offers a concentrated programme of events taking place over a defined period.

No. Festival events are organised and ticketed individually by our partners and members. Tickets must be booked separately for each event.

Ticket sale dates are announced in advance on our website and mailing list. Please check the homepage for current information. Sign up to our e-newsletter follow the Festival on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for regular updates.

Yes. You can add tickets for multiple events to your basket before completing payment. All selected tickets will be processed in a single transaction.

Tickets can be purchased online using major debit and credit cards, including Visa, Mastercard and American Express. Google Pay and Bacs Direct Debit are also available.

Booking fees apply to most events and are clearly displayed at the point of purchase before payment is completed.

No. All tickets must be booked online at www.spiritofspeyside.com. Payments cannot be taken over the telephone.

Yes, subject to availability. Tickets remain on sale online until midnight before the event. After this time, any remaining tickets may be available directly from the event provider.

After completing your booking, your tickets are stored in your Ticket Wallet on the Citizen Ticket website.

You will receive a confirmation email with a link to access your Ticket Wallet. Sign in using the email address used to make the booking, then go to Purchases → Ticket Wallet to view your tickets.

You may present your e-ticket on your mobile device or print it to bring with you.

Please check your junk or spam folder first. If you are unable to locate your Ticket Wallet email, please visit the Citizen Ticket Help Centre for instructions on how to resend it.

If you are still experiencing difficulty, contact [email protected].

Your booking reference can be found in your Ticket Wallet or booking confirmation email. If you are unable to locate it, please contact [email protected] with your full name and the email address used to make the booking.

Cancellations are subject to the refund policy set by the event provider. Please refer to the event listing for specific terms. See our Terms and Conditions for all information on purchasing tickets.

Refund policies are determined by individual event providers and vary across the programme. Please check the event description for the applicable refund terms before booking. Please see our Terms and Conditions for all information on purchasing tickets.

Exchanges may be possible for the same event (for example, moving to a different session time), subject to availability and the event provider’s policy.

Exchanges for different events are not permitted. Please contact the event provider directly to request an exchange.

If the transfer function is enabled for an event, you may transfer your ticket to another person via your Ticket Wallet on the Citizen Ticket website.

Not all events have transfer functionality activated. If you do not see a transfer option, please contact the event provider directly.

Yes. When an event sells out, a waiting list option becomes available on the event page.

If additional tickets are released or returned, those on the waiting list will be notified by email and invited to book, subject to availability. Joining the waiting list does not guarantee tickets.

Festival events typically begin from around 09:00 and run throughout the day into the evening. Start and finish times vary by event, so please check the individual event listing.

Each Festival event is ticketed individually and prices vary depending on the experience. Some events are free to attend.

Many events are priced between £25 and £60, with most distillery tours and tastings ranging from £25 to £125. Premium and limited-capacity experiences may be higher.

Age restrictions vary by event and venue. In Scotland, the legal drinking age is 18, and most alcohol-focused events are strictly for those agesd 18 and over.

Many events take place at working distilleries or industrial sites and are not suitable for young children. Admission of anyone under 18 us at the discretion of the event provide and pay depend on licensing and site safety requirements.

Some community or open-day events may be suitable for families — please check individual event listings for age guidance.

If you are considering booking for someone under 18, please contact the event provider directly before purchasing tickets. If the event provider contact information is not easily accessible, please email [email protected].

Accessibility varies by venue. Some events take place in historiuc buildings or working distilleries where access may be limited.

Please refer to the individual event listing or contact the event provider directly if you have specific access requirements.

Dietary requirements are generally requested at the point of booking for events where food is provided. Arrangements vary by event and venue.

If you have specific dietary requirements, please ensure these are submitted at the time of booking and contact the event provider directly in advance of the event.

Events start promptly at the advertised time. If you expect to arrive late, please contact the event provider directly as soon as possible.

Admission for late arrivals is at the discretion of the event provider and may not always be possible.

At the end of 2014, The Scottish Government decreased the drink drive limit to 50 milligrams of alcohol in every 100 millilitres of blood. See Road Safety Scotland & DrinkAware for more information.

The good news is that for designated drivers, most distilleries offer driver’s packs into which you can decant whisky samples to taste later. Please contact the distillery you are visiting for specific guidance on this.

Questions relating to the content, accessibility, catering or logistics of a specific event should be directed to the event provider using the contact details included in the event listing.

If no contact details are provided, please email [email protected] and we will direct your enquiry.

The nearest airports are Inverness Airport and Aberdeen International Airport. Further travel information is available on our Getting Here.

Speyside can be reached by air, rail, road and bus. Please visit our Getting Here page for all travel information.

Speyside is a large rural region and does not have the same transport infrastructure as a city. While buses, trains and taxis operate locally, advance planning is strongly recommended.

Further information is available on our Travel Around Speyside page.

Accommodation is available throughout Speyside, including Aberlour, Craigellachie, Rothes, Dufftown, Elgin, Keith, Grantown-on-Spey, Aviemore and Huntly.

Please visit our Accommodation page for inspiration.

The Spirit of Speyside Whisky School is a three-day course held prior to the Festival, exploring all aspects of malt whisky production.

To register your interest, please email [email protected] with “Whisky School” in the subject line.

Spirit of Speyside: Distilled is a standalone ticketed tasting event held each September.

While the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival takes place across many venues throughout the region, Distilled brings producers together under one roof for a large-scale tasting experience.

The event runs across three sessions on Friday and Saturday. Entry includes access to all exhibitors and a Glencairn Crystal nosing and tasting glass.

Further information including venue details for Distilled: Food & Drink 2026 will be announced soon. Stay tuned to our social media accounts or sign up to our mailing list to be kept in the loop.