The Highland Whisky Festival

As Lonely Planet names the Highland Whisky Trail one of its ‘Best in Travel’ destinations, eight distilleries are coming together for the first ever Highland Whisky Festival. And, with our distillery firmly rooted in the Scottish Highlands, it’s only apt that we’re pleased to announce that we’re taking part.

Alongside, Old Pulteney, Clynelish, Glenmorangie, The Dalmore, The Singleton of Glen Ord, Tomatin and Wolfburn, we’ll be opening our doors and hosting exclusive events and tastings on the 13th May as part of the weeklong festival running from the 10th to the 17th of May 2019. An event not to be missed for even the most seasoned of whisky enthusiasts. Each distillery is part of the famous North Coast 500 route, and we’re excited to be coming together to showcase centuries of tradition, process and craft through exclusive tastings, tours and events.

At Balblair Distillery we’re delighted to be offering three exclusive tours, The Highland Hospitality Tour, John MacDonald's Masterclass and An Evening with The Angels' Share In addition to this, you will also be able to purchase whisky exclusively selected for the festival.

The Highland Hospitality Tour

Intimate and educational, our Highland Hospitality Tour provides a great taste of what it takes to produce our whisky and is an ideal way to get familiar with our historic home and sample two drams from our collection. Running exclusively as part of the Highland Whisky Festival this tour also includes access to a cooper display and cask stencilling.

• Tour times: 10am, 11am, 12pm, 1pm, 2pm, 3pm & 4pm
• Duration: 1.5 hours
• Price: £25

John MacDonald’s Masterclass

Join our Distillery Manager, John MacDonald on an in-depth tour of Balblair Distillery, this tour is exclusive to the Highland Whisky Festival and will give all those on the tour an opportunity to glean information from John’s extensive knowledge of our whisky and the craft that goes into making our single malt. The masterclass will feature four whiskies from our collection, and you will be guided through a tasting by John himself. An exceptionally limited offering with only seven places on each tour this is an opportunity not to be missed.

• Tour times: 10am, 2pm
• Duration: 2 hours
• Price: £100

We’re also pleased to share that there will be a complimentary bus running from Tain High Street and Dornoch Square, starting at 9:30 am and running every 45 minutes with the last bus leaving our Distillery at 5:15 pm, please ensure you confirm your bus place directly with us as spaces are limited.

Tickets are available to buy directly from our distillery; please email enquiries@balblair.com to purchase.

Further information about The Highland Whisky Festival can be found on their website.