Pitlochry-based Ewan McIlwraith and Sandy Fraser from Rannoch are setting up a whisky lounge at Blair Horse Trials - before holding a whisky appreciation festival in Perth and a wider spirit festival in Dunkeld.
The dram promoters are very familiar with hosting whisky festivals, having previously run a popular event last year at Castle Menzies near Aberfeldy and during lockdown, the first online tasting festival.
Sandy said: “Our story goes back to late 2019 when we were called Highland Perthshire Whisky Festival and our dream of hosting the first whisky festival of its kind in Highland Perthshire was about to become a reality.
“Then Covid-19 became part of all of our lives. We had to cancel our plans and instead hosted a virtual festival. We believe that this was the first-ever online festival and was a great success and has since been much copied.”
Their 2021 event - Spirit of Perthshire (SOP) - outgrew the venue at Castle Menzies so this year’s festival is being held in the Dewars Centre in Perth on Friday, September 16 and Saturday, September 17.
“We will use the same format as last year’s festival, with a dinner followed by a charity auction on Friday evening and the festival proper on Saturday,” explained Sandy.
“This venue not only gives us more capacity for visitors, but it is also more centrally located for transport and will allow us to host thirty-plus exhibitors this year with the opportunity to expand in the future.
“Spirit of Perthshire likes to incorporate an event for very deserving causes and this year is no different as we will be hosting our after-dinner auction on behalf of MYNAME5DODDIE the motor neuron disease charity.
“Plans for the festival are well underway and we have reached capacity with the number of exhibitors for this year, featuring the very best from the whisky distilling industry.
This year SOP is featuring many of the shining lights of distilling today giving the general public a fantastic cross-section of what is available to the discerning whisky drinker.
Angels’ Nectar, Angus Dundee, Annandale Distillery, Berry Brothers and Rudd, Birkentree, Borders Distillery and Buck and Birch are just the names at the start of the alphabet.
“A great line-up I think you will agree,” said Ewan, owner of Robertsons of Pitlochry. “And we are still being asked if we have any space available to exhibit, so here’s to 2023 already.”
The pair are also holding a Festival of Spirits on October 28 and 29 in Dunkeld.
This event will take place at Cardney Steading, Butterstone, Dunkeld, and will follow exactly the format of the whisky festival and will feature a number of the new up and coming vodka, gin, rum and aperitif producers.
The chosen charity for the after-dinner auction for this event is the SCAA (Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance).
SCAA is something that is not only close to Sandy’s heart but he says is “very important” to the rural communities in Highland Perthshire.
“So we would ask anyone who would like to give them support to come along to the dinner - dinner tickets cost £75 per person - and partake in the auction,” he added.
Entrance to each festival, which will be in two sessions 1-3pm and 4-6pm, costs £25 per person.
Before then, Ewan and Sandy have an exciting venture planned for the Blair Atholl International Horse Trials next week.
“Things have really moved at a pace for Spirit of Perthshire and we were very honoured to be asked to provide a whisky bar for this year’s Blair Atholl International Horse Trials,” said Ewan.
“To fit in with the event, we have named the speciality whisky bar with daily tastings, cocktails and retail sales ‘The Old Nag Whisky Lounge’.
“We are also featuring three speciality beers for the event from Moulin Brewery, Pitlochry: Hazy Mare, Gallus Stallion and Hoof Hearted and will introduce a special gin for the Horse Trials - ‘The Old Nag’.”
The Old Nag Whisky Lounge will be hosting a charity whisky tasting in support of the Equine Grass Sickness Fund on the evening of Thursday, August 25 from 7-8.30pm, hosted by Ewan. It will highlight a selection of whiskies from his shop, Robertsons of Pitlochry’s featured distillers.
To kick the event off on Wednesday at the horse trials, the old Nag Lounge will be featuring live blues music from the Blackwood Boys, a local band from Kinloch Rannoch.See more at www.blairhorsetrials.co.uk/the-old-nag-whisky-lounge/ and www.robertsonsofpitlochry.co.uk/tasting-events/
