Speyside Capital as Sponsors of the 2025 Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival: A fantastic celebration of Scotland’s finest spirit and a recap of our festival highlights.
It’s been a busy week for the team at Speyside Capital, as we attended The 2025 Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival as 2025 sponsors. As one of the world’s leading Whisky festivals held annually across the Speyside region, the festival does a wonderful job showcasing and celebrating everything the Speyside Whisky region offers that helps define Scotland’s whisky industry. With 500 events hosted over 6 days by local distilleries, brands and whisky experts, this years festival attracted thousands of guests from around the globe.
Speyside Capital were thrilled to sponsor this year’s festival, reaffirming our commitment to the distilleries, people and communities that shape this region. Well represented with a team of nine colleagues in the area, we were able to attend key events and engage with attendees and partners throughout festival dates.
Kicking the festival off in style was the Opening Dinner and Whisky Awards Ceremony. With a “Touch of Tartan”, the evening brought together leading distillers, brand ambassadors and whisky lovers for a night of recognition and celebration. It set the tone for the days ahead, highlighting the excellence and collaboration that drive the Scotch whisky industry forward.
Exclusive Distillery Experiences
Among the memorable festival offerings was the Ultimate Chivas Cask Experience at Strathisla Distillery, home of Chivas Regal. Hosted in the iconic Chivas Vault, this exclusive tasting offered the rare opportunity to sample four aged and evolving expressions, each drawn directly from hand-selected casks continuing to mature in this historic space, providing an in depth look at the artistry behind Chivas blending and maturation.
The Speyburn Manager’s Cask Experience, hosted by Distillery Manager Euan Henderson and Senior Global Brand Ambassador Stuart Baxter, provided an insightful tour and tasting in Speyburn’s traditional dunnage warehouse. This intimate session featured cask samples, some of the oldest and most characterful in the distillery’s inventory. Euan’s insight provided a deeper understanding of the cask selection process and the central role it plays in defining Speyburn’s house style.
Another highlight was a rare private tour of the Craigellachie Distillery, which typically remains closed to the public. This behind the scenes experience offered a glimpse into one of Speyside’s most distinctive and character rich distilleries.
Additionally, The Glenlivet’s “The Visionary” Experience provided exclusive access to the distillery’s newly opened, rarely seen Still House, showcasing how Glenlivet continues to innovate while staying rooted in traditional production methods. The visit concluded with a guided tasting of four expressions, each demonstrating how forward thinking practices influence modern whisky making.
As a final hurrah, Speyside Capital were invited along to meet the team behind the Cabrach Distillery – a fantastic social project that is helping shape the community from a social and economic stand point. We are hopeful discussions will continue and positive impact can continue to ignite the Speyside region through the liquid gold it produces.
Looking to Next Year
As the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival 2025 concludes, Speyside Capital would like to congratulate all of those involved in delivering another successful festival – the organisers, partners, sponsors and volunteers all play their role in planning and executing an event that continues to showcase the strength and quality of the region’s whisky industry.
Beyond its celebration of Scotch Whisky, the festival continues to generate tangible benefits for the local economy. From increased tourism and hospitality activity to broader exposure for local businesses, it’s evident that this event plays a valuable role in supporting this stunning region.
We look forward to continuing our involvement next year.
Slàinte Mhath!
