The Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival has opened bookings for its 2026 programme of events. The annual festival, which runs for the 27th time this year, celebrates the spirits of one of Scotland's most renowned whisky regions.
The festival will take place from 29 April to 4 May 2026. More than 600 events are expected to be held over the six days.
One of Scotch whisky's most prolific regions, Speyside is home to 51 working distilleries. During the festival, many of the distilleries will open their doors to whisky enthusiasts — including those which are usually closed to the public.
Among the many events across the festival are tours of distilleries, whisky tastings, whisky-paired dinners, and masterclasses, as well as opportunities to meet the distillers behind Speyside's iconic drams. One of the calendar's highlights is the annual ceilidh, which this year will be held at Craigellachie Distillery.
Henry Angus, chairman of the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival, said: “The festival is the perfect way to launch World Whisky Month and is all about showcasing the very best of what’s in this area. Whilst we have an amazing quantity of events, the quality of them is what really shines through.
“It’s wonderful to see the whole of the Speyside community getting behind it as a highlight on the calendar. We’ve seen a great increase in visitor numbers and ticket sales in the last couple of years, which tells us that we are continuing to build on how successful this international festival has become to the area.”
As part of the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival calendar, Whisky Magazine and Rothes Glen, both official partners of the festival, are hosting several food-and-whisky themed events: a luxury whisky pairing masterclass on Thursday 30 April; the Whisky Magazine Gourmet Dinner on Friday 1 May; and a gourmet barbecue on Saturday 2 May.
The full list of events is now live on the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival website, and ticket sales are opening at midday on Tuesday 24 February.
