“We do things our way”: What to expect from this year’s Hebridean Whisky Festival
September sees a busy season for whisky events, including the annual Hebridean Whisky Festival. Rosalind Erskine finds out more from Raasay distillery founder Alasdair Day, whose island distillery is hosting the festival finale.
The autumn is always a busy time for whisky events and gives whisky lovers the chance to get out and about to try new drams and meet new people. One of the most recent additions to the calendar is the Hebridean Whisky Festival which brings together multiple remote island distilleries, who are all linked by the Hebridean Whisky Trail. The trail includes members: Isle of Raasay, Isle of Harris, Isle of Tiree, Benbecula, Talisker, Torabhaig, North Uist, Tobermory.
Those who venture to the festival, which this year takes place from the 5-12 September, will enjoy distillery open days, exclusive tastings, masterclasses, guided tours, local food and cultural events as the festival is about the drams but also a celebration of the Hebrides, island life and Gaelic culture.
Each distillery will host their festival day before the finale, which this year takes place at Raasay distillery on the Isle of Raasay, just off Skye - an event which will double the small island’s population for the day.
Alasadair Day, founder of Raasay distillery explained how the festival is an “unforgettable experience”, saying: “All eight distilleries coming together is a very rare occasion and to host the finale on the Isle of Raasay makes this an unforgettable experience for visitors. The exciting journey starts on the ferry which only takes 25 minutes from Sconser, Skye.
Of course, there'll be plenty of great whisky, but it's also an opportunity to meet the team, see how we make it, spend time on the island and leave with a real sense of what makes Raasay such a special place.”
Mr Day also explained the planning around the festival and what visitors can expect from the finale. He said: “There is a lot of planning involved as we are expecting 200 guests, so we are in fact doubling the population on the island for a day, from hosting this one event! This will probably be our busiest day on the island to date, so we are very much looking forward to it.
“Hosting the finale on Raasay this year feels very special. It's a chance to welcome people not just to the distillery, but to the island itself and to share a bit of what makes this place unique. Bringing all eight distilleries together is a rare occasion, and we'll have live music, local food, exclusive tastings and a special festival bottling selected from a single cask - a fully matured in a 300-litre ex-Oloroso sherry barrique, continuing the approach we've taken with our Oak Species maturation series. It's shaping up to be a memorable celebration of Hebridean whisky.
“Raasay is a small island that's surprisingly easy to reach, and for anyone who hasn't visited before, the festival is a great excuse to make the trip. We want to make whisky accessible, inclusive and enjoyable – so whether people are new to whisky, or connoisseurs – everyone is welcome. Hopefully people come for the whisky, but leave with a real appreciation for the island as well.
Raasay is turning 10 years old next year, and Mr Day is using the festival finale as a testing ground for how the celebrations might look in 2027. He said: “This year's festival will be a good test run as we start thinking about next year's tenth anniversary. We'd love to welcome even more people to the island to celebrate with us. One of the advantages of being an independent distillery is that we can do things our own way.
“We've always tried to build something that's true to Raasay, so it feels right that such an important milestone is celebrated here, with the people who've supported us over the last decade.”
The Hebridean Whisky Tail and Festival are part of the wonder tourism drive for the Hebrides and Mr Day reflected on how tourism has changed in recent years, saying: “I think people are looking for more than just a distillery tour these days. They want to understand where a whisky comes from, meet the people behind it and spend time in the place that shaped it.
“That's certainly been true here on Raasay. Visitors come for the whisky but often leave talking about the island, the scenery and the people they've met. The Hebridean Whisky Trail has helped shine a light on all of the islands, and together we're giving people plenty of reasons to explore this part of Scotland.”
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But while tourism is still good, the whisky industry has been faced with a number of challenges recently in the ongoing downturn. This has caused Mr Day to pause his plans for a new distillery in Campbeltown, the Macrihanish distillery.
He said: “We are growing barley again this year on Dhurrie Farm as we have done each year since 2022. This Campbeltown barley is currently being distilled at Raasay but will be our own Campbeltown farm to bottle at some point in the future.
“I do think Campbeltown has a very exciting future. Springbank, Glengyle and Glen Scotia are already doing a fantastic job, and hopefully the planned new distilleries will encourage even more people to visit and discover what the area has to offer.
“The current industry downturn is very difficult to predict, especially internationally. There is some industry speculation that things may improve in 2027 however only time will tell.
“The Hebridean Whisky Trail will certainly be doing everything possible to create the experiences to bring more visitors to the islands and keep them coming back. In the meantime, we'll keep focusing on what we can control, which is making good whisky and giving people a great reason to come and visit the Hebrides.”
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