Thousands of global whisky enthusiasts will bid Moray farewell today after spending much of the past week sampling some of the region’s most legendary malts.
The Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival drew to a close last night, bringing an end to a five-day series of more than 500 tours, tasting events and activities designed to showcase the area’s booming drinks industry.
As the celebrations wound down, visitors who had refined their palates by tasting an array of brands were tasked with awarding prizes to the drams they considered the best.
The owners of Dufftown’s Glenfiddich Distillery were overjoyed when whiskies bottled at the plant scooped all three awards.
The Glenfiddich 12 Year Old triumphed over the Glen Grant 10 Year Old to take top honours in a category for malts 12 years old or younger.
The distillery’s 16 Year Old won out in the 13-20 year section and its 21 Year Old malt won the prize for drinks aged 21 years and older.
Judging sessions were held across Speyside during the festival, and one was also staged at a special Scottish-themed shop in Germany.
Festival chairman James Campbell said Glenfiddich had completed a first by taking all three titles.
He added: “Our awards are considered as one of the industry’s highest accolades, because the winners are determined by the people who matter the most – the whisky-drinking general public.
“We allow festival visitors to have the final say.
“The people who vote in the awards are judging the drams based on their personal preference of the nose and taste of each entry.
“The judging sessions are enjoyed by a wide variety of people – from whisky aficionados to novices still learning about our national dram.”
The festival got under way on Thursday, with a ceremony celebrating local stalwarts of the trade.
Richard Forsyth, the third-generation owner of a Rothes engineering firm, was presented with a lifetime achievement award.
Tourists regularly flock to Moray from all corners of the planet for the festival. Last year’s event attracted 26,389 people from a record 34 nations.