Edinburgh Festivals and whisky!
It’s festival time in Edinburgh! We’ve put together this handy guide on which drams to enjoy whilst visiting Edinburgh’s world-renowned festivals on this, the 75th anniversary year of Edinburgh’s first festivals.
Upcoming festivals in our vibrant city include Edinburgh Art Festival, Edinburgh International Festival, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, Edinburgh International Film Festival and Edinburgh International Book Festival.
Edinburgh’s Art Festival encompasses the cities galleries, museums and artist-run spaces and is city wide with over 40 exhibitions! Glenfiddich Distillery run an artist in residence programme where they bring award-winning artists from across the globe to their historic setting within the Scottish Highlands to create original pieces of art. It seems only fitting that after a day spent enjoying the Art Festival that a Glenfiddich whisky cocktail is enjoyed! We have just taken stock in our Whisky Shop of the Batch & Bottle Glenfiddich Scotch Manhattan – a bold and delicate cocktail ready to be served at home, by you. Just add a garnish- an orange twist is suggested, and enjoy! Edinburgh Art Festival runs from 28 July – 28 August. We have some artwork which was produced by the Glenfiddich artist in residence programme in our MacIntyre Gallery, make sure you look out for it when you visit!
Edinburgh International Festival
Running from 5 – 28 August, the Edinburgh International Festival sees theatre venues across the city burst to life with music, dance, theatre and opera from across the globe. We’ve chosen to pair an international festival show with a Dewars whisky. Tommy Dewar who, in 1894, was one of the first whisky barons to take an international approach to Scotch, travelling from Scotland through the USA, Australia and China to name a few stops.
Edinburgh Festival Fringe welcomes performers to hundreds of stages and venues throughout our city for 3 weeks in August. With shows for every taste, and in an array of venues, from large theatres to tiny indoor spaces you are sure to find something to love. Many venues will have a bar open, so look for a Glen Garioch. Glen Garioch sits on the fringes of Speyside and is one of the oldest operating distilleries in Scotland, and its most easterly. Glen Garioch is situated on the north-eastern tip of Scotland, with its honeyed sweetness and delicious creamy texture, we are sure you will love this dram! Edinburgh Festival Fringe runs from 5 -29 August.
The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo is performed on the Castle Esplanade, just a short walk uphill from our doors in front of the stunning backdrop that is Edinburgh Castle. Here at The Scotch Whisky Experience, we welcome many guests who are attending the Tattoo for dinner or a whisky tour before escorting them up to the performance. We often recommend a whisky with a royal link to our visitors. The Royal Family has had a close relationship with the “Water of Life” throughout the centuries. Queen Victoria established her Scottish home in whisky country at Balmoral and royal connections run right up to the present day. Royal Lochnagar resides in the heart of Royal Deeside, close to the river Dee. It became the favoured tipple of Queen Victoria when she made her home at Balmoral near the distillery, so why not give this one a try if you are attending or watching the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo on the telly! The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo runs from 5 – 27 August.
Next up is the Edinburgh International Film Festival. Over the years this festival has hosted many notable film premiers and attracts both local and international film goers to the city. This was an easy choice for us! Macallan is drunk on many an occasion by James Bond, so we have chosen this as the whisky of choice to accompany your viewing! The Edinburgh International Film Festival runs from 12- 20 August and we are over the moon to hear it will be a ‘fully in-person’ event this year for its 75th Anniversary edition.
Edinburgh International Book Festival – Edinburgh International Book Festival runs from 13 – 29 August showcasing and celebrating the written word and has an extensive programme of events for everyone to attend. Did you know that George Orwell wrote 1984 during his extended stay on the Scottish island of Jura – it seems only fitting therefore that we recommend going along to the book festival, and enjoying a wee dram of Jura on your return, whether that’s curled up with a book you have bought there, or simply reading your favourite book at home.
If you are visiting our international festival city this month, we hope you enjoy what the cities festivals have to offer and a dram or two 😊.