Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival launched by celebrity chef Tony Singh at Moray distillery
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CELEBRITY chef Tony Singh was on hand to launch this year's Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival as the event gears up to celebrate its 25th anniversary.
Over 85 venues across Moray will open their doors on May 1 with over 650 events for whisky enthusiasts to choose from.
With 19 villages and towns taking part, thousands of tourists will arrive and blend in with the locals.
Mr Singh, who has appeared on a number of TV shows including The Incredible Spice Men, Ready Steady Cook as well as the BBC's Great British Menu, launched the festival at The Glenlivet yesterday (January 25) and, naturally, celebrated the occasion with a dram.
He said: "I absolutely love it up here. The scenery, the people, the food and the drams are just phenomenal.
"It encapsulates everything you could want if you were visiting Scotland.
"I’m looking forward to coming back with my family in May to go to some of the events."
He added: "So, what better day than Burns' birthday to toast the festival launch."
Moray is home to the highest concentration of distilleries in the world and, incredibly, five of them will celebrate their 200th anniversary this year.
The Macallan, where the festival's opening dinner will be held, The Glenlivet, Miltonduff, Cardhu and Balmenach will all reach the special milestone.
But there is still room for newcomers with Dunphail Distillery opening its doors to festival goers for the first time this year.
The festival provides a huge boost for the local economy attracting thousands of visitors each year and festival chair George McNeil thinks this year will be the "biggest and best yet".
He said: "It’s incredible to think this is the 25th year of the festival and it continues to grow in size and stature.
"The distilleries in Speyside that take part make it a truly unique festival.
"It’s a chance for visitors to immerse themselves in the whisky world with world-class experiences, behind the scenes tours, visit distilleries that don’t normally open their doors to the public and enjoy a few days in this beautiful part of the world.
"I think this year will be our biggest and best yet so I would encourage people to book early to avoid disappointment."
This year will be Mr McNeil's last as festival chair with vice chair Sarah Burgess taking over from next year.
Ms Burgess will become the festival's first female chair.
Mr McNeil added: "I've enjoyed every minute of it and it will be wonderful to hand it over to Sarah who will do a superb job taking it forward from here."
Visitors can enjoy countless tastings, tours, ceilidhs and quizzes.
A helicopter tour of Glenfarclas is also on offer among another packed year of festival events.
Ticket sales will officially open at noon on January 31.
