Former England footballer Michael Owen joined in the celebrations at a whisky festival today during a visit to a distillery.
The 35-year-old experienced the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival when he dropped in at the Speyside Distillery near Kingussie in the Highlands on the closing day of this year's event.
Owen - who played for Liverpool, Real Madrid, Newcastle United, Manchester United and Stoke City - became a global ambassador for Spey whisky after he retired from professional football in 2013.
It is the first year that the distillery has joined in the five-day programme and it took part by opening its doors with a series of exclusive tours.
Owen said: "It was great to be able to visit the distillery and be with my Spey family as they celebrate being part of the festival for the first time.
"There has been a real buzz about the distillery today and I have really enjoyed meeting people who have come from all over the world to visit the festival.
"You can tell that these people are very passionate about whisky, and it has been a great experience to see them learn more about Spey and the distillery where it is created."
The festival - in its 16th year - drew to a close today after holding more than 400 events which included a range of distillery tours and tastings.
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