IT is celebrating its coming up age but for the second year in a row one of the biggest whisky festivals is having to go virtual.

This year's Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival celebrating the region’s finest Scotch Malts kicks off on Thursday April 29 with a jam-packed programme of virtual events..

From behind the scenes distillery tours to musical whisky pairings, and conversations with industry legends to cocktail masterclasses, ticket holders will have more than 60 events to choose from over the course of the four-day virtual festival.

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Both Single Malt aficionados and those at the beginning of their whisky journey can expect to experience the true spirit of the festival through its first ever interactive online event. Hosted on virtual platform, Airmeet, the festival will allow people to come together from all over the world to celebrate all things Scotch.

While festival might be online there is still a chance to meet fellow enthusiasts in lounge areas

While festival might be online there is still a chance to meet fellow enthusiasts in 'lounge' areas

James Campbell, Chairman at The Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival, said: “The response to this year’s virtual festival has been fantastic with over 500 tickets sold and there’s still time for those thinking about attending to purchase a pass via the Spirit of Speyside website. We are very much looking forward to welcoming visitors from all over the world to the festival which is celebrating its 21st year.

“In true Spirit of Speyside style, our distillers have done a magnificent job and we have a wide variety of events lined up whether it’s learning something completely new about whisky making from our world renowned Master Blenders or immersing yourself in the stories of the largest whisky producing region in the world to top cocktail making tips, we invite you to join us in celebrating the very best of our iconic whisky making region.”

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Festival passes which provide access to all events are still available to purchase via the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival website.

In addition to the extensive programme of events on offer, guests will also have the opportunity to socialise virtually in the festival’s lounge area, and can tune in to additional Q&A sessions with representatives from Speyside’s iconic distilleries in their respective ‘booths’.

Festival passes can be purchased online at https://www.spiritofspeyside.com/festivals/virtual/events for £15.