A lot has been going on in Whisky Exchange Whisky Show-land over the last few months since we last mentioned it on here, so I thought I’d drop in a quick update.
Firstly, there’s loads more information on the website. Here’s a rundown of a few bits and pieces:
- Almost 80 whisky brands confirmed – 78 to be exact and we’ve got a few more to slot into the last few remaining stands.
- New Mezzanine room – a room dedicated to brands who want to do something a bit different rather than just a regular stand. We’ll be joined in there by Chivas Brothers, Irish Distillers, Diageo and The Balvenie.
- Coffee bar – after requests over the last couple of Shows for some good coffee to help reset the palate between drams we’ve got the folks from Weanie Beans coming in to show us how it should be done.
- Loads of Guests – with more waiting in the wings, almost ready to be announced.
- Visiting Whisky Makers – We have six Makers confirmed already and are waiting on a few more to work out who else can run their distilleries for the weekend of the Show…
- Free Mini-masterclasses – we have one announced at the moment, a Beginners Guide with Simply Whisky, and have two more waiting for confirmation. As a sneaky peak, one of them will involve making whisky cocktails…
However, the main inspiration for this post is that we’ve announced our first masterclass. The last three years have featured some incredible tastings and we’re continuing that this year with four more. The first of these will feature a bunch of ‘Rare and Unusual Islay Classics‘ presented by Mario Groteklaes from legendary independent Belgian bottler The Nectar.
Tickets will be going on sale on Monday morning, 13th August, at 11am and with a lineup including Ardbeg Kildalton, a phenomenally rare 10 year old Signatory Port Ellen, an old white-labelled Bruichladdich 15yo, Lagavulin 1979 Distillers Edition and the hugely sherried Laphroaig 1974, it’s one that Islay fans won’t want to miss.
Keep an eye on the Show website, twitter feed and Facebook page for up-to-date information on what’s going on – we’ve got 3 more masterclasses and a dinner to announce over the next few weeks, as well as the Show Brasserie menu, food pairings, final exhibitors, Dream Drams, show bottlings, more guests, more Makers…
Enjoy responsibly