Whisky festivals
Spring is peak season for Britain’s tasting festivals, as distilleries take advantage of milder weather and longer daylight hours to celebrate new releases. Central to this is the Spirit of Speyside Festival (29 April to 4 May 2026) in the northeast of Scotland, a six-day celebration that turns the nation’s most famous whisky region into an open house. More than 50 distilleries, from Elgin in the north to Kingussie in the south, host more than 500 ticketed events, including tastings, tours, blending masterclasses and fine dining experiences. Highlights include Speyburn Distillery, opening its doors to visitors for the first time this year, and Cardhu Distillery, with a long history of women playing a leading role in its whisky-making story. The festival offers rare access to producers and new batch spirits. It also gives visitors the chance to immerse themselves in Speyside life and culture, with traditional ceilidhs and outdoor activities ranging from off-roading to trail running and canoeing.
On Scotland’s west coast, Fèis Ìle (the Islay Festival, 22 to 31 May 2026) marks its 40th anniversary with a week-long celebration of whisky and culture. While this Inner Hebridean island is renowned for its peated single malts, the festival goes far beyond the distilleries, showcasing the island’s folk traditions – from live music to Feis Nights – and cuisine. Each of Islay’s ten distilleries, including Ardbeg and Bowmore, hosts its own open day, combining tastings and tours with live entertainment in their courtyards and warehouses. The opening of Ardbeg House in 2025 added a new place to stay on Islay’s south-east coast too, inviting festival goers to extend their visit and explore the island at their own pace. Visits can be easily combined with outdoor adventures from Islay Outdoors, whose guided walks take in coastal wildlife trails that show off the island beyond the distilleries.
Scotland celebrates Whisky Month throughout May, and visitors can mark World Whisky Day on 16 May by diving into Edinburgh’s accessible whisky scene. The compact layout of Scotland’s capital means visitors can enjoy Scotch without venturing far, including tastings and guided experiences. Located beside Edinburgh Castle, the Scotch Whisky Experience is a convenient starting point, introducing regional whisky styles and production methods, while tours of newer urban producers including Holyrood Distillery offer a window into modern distilling. Edinburgh’s whisky bars add a cosy and sociable dimension, with low-lit interiors and wooden shelves lined with amber-coloured bottles. In the Southside, Tipsy Midgie Whisky Bar boasts the city’s largest selection of single malts, and adds a sense of fun to whisky education. Alongside classic comparative tastings, the bar runs ‘Tipsy Treats’ – pairing chocolate with carefully chosen whiskies – as well as bespoke tastings and regular distillery discovery nights hosted by the producers themselves.
Whisky, gin and beyond: Britain’s emerging distilleries
New distillery openings are helping to expand Britain’s tasting landscape and are bringing a fresh wave of destinations to explore. In southwest Scotland, Galloway Distillery, which opened in 2025 and is co-owned by actor Sam Heughan (Outlander’s Jamie Fraser), is working to expand its visitor offering as part of plans to eventually be a net zero site. Ninety-minute distillery tours are already available to book, alongside a range of more intimate, private whisky experiences.
Heritage redevelopment takes centre stage at Rosebank Distillery in Falkirk in the central Lowlands. Originally founded in 1840 and reopened in 2024 after nearly three decades, the revitalised distillery lets visitors explore restored buildings and recreated copper stills, offering a real sense of the site’s history. For whisky lovers, there’s plenty to try, from guided 90-minute tastings of the core range paired with chocolate to three-hour experiences starting with a cocktail reception and tasting of three rare, aged Rosebank whiskies. In 2025, Rosebank’s 31 Year Old Lowland Single Malt Whisky was named world’s best at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, giving visitors another reason to visit this spring. Eden Mill Distillery in St Andrews, on Scotland’s east coast, has also broadened its appeal by combining classic gin and whisky tours with behind-the-scenes cask experiences and a rooftop cocktail bar overlooking the Eden Estuary. The on-site golf simulator reflects the town’s heritage as a top golfing destination.
In north-west England, The Lakes Distillery has transformed a derelict Victorian dairy farm into a world-class distillery producing internationally acclaimed whisky, gin and vodka. Located justnorth-west of Keswick, visitors can enjoy behind-the-scenes tours where they can learn about the distillery’s sustainable practices and try a range of spirits. The on-site bistro serves traditional fare, including beef burgers and Cumberland sausages. In York, Ellers Farm Distillery, founded in 2022, has introduced a 90-minute Whisky Evolution Experience that begins with a highball cocktail made from its zero-month new-make spirit, before a distillery walkthrough and guided tasting. Sustainability is the bedrock here, as the distillery has planted orchards and woodland on site as part of its carbon-reduction strategy, an approach also reflected in its sister brand, Dutch Barn Vodka. Made from British apples and developed in partnership with comedian Ricky Gervais, production focuses on using locally sourced ingredients and limiting environmental impacts.
Wales also contributes to Britain’s growing spirits tourism scene, with tasting experiences that are as much about place and history as they are about the drink. Hensol Castle Distillery, set within the grounds of a 17th-century castle estate near Cardiff, produces small-batch gin and rum using botanicals grown on site, with its first whisky release scheduled for spring 2026. The site’s historic buildings and landscaped gardens set the scene for guided tours, cocktail masterclasses and hands-on gin- and rum-making sessions.
Sipping through Britain: vineyards, sparkling wines and tastings with a view
Britain’s wine scene is equally flourishing, celebrated annually during English Wine Week (20 to 28 June 2026) with a full programme of events to be announced soon. On the Isle of Wight, Pinkmead Estate and Vineyard is extending its drinks production to include English wine, alongside its established gin distillery. The estate has planted its own vineyard, designed to support wildlife and the wider ecosystem, with plans to produce English sparkling, white and rosé wines by 2027. Once up and running, wine experiences including walks, tours and tastings will be woven into existing luxury stays. Currently, the estate offers six elegant rooms (available only as a full-house rental with a minimum stay of one week), set within 24 acres of private grounds including lakes, lagoons and woodland.
In Sussex, sustainability is central to the visitor experiences at Everflyht, a single estate English sparkling wine producer tucked into the South Downs, near Ditchling. Focusing on regenerative principles, more than three hectares of the estate are set aside for biodiversity, including hedgerows, wildflower meadows and woodland, to benefit pollinators and soil health. Beyond tours and tastings, visitors can join a wellness day or get hands-on with arm knitting or leathercraft workshops. Additionally, in Sussex, Rathfinny Estate is shining star on Britain’s growing sparkling wine scene, taking advantage of the South Downs’ milder climate and chalky soil. The family-run estate, which is also the first grower-producer of sparkling wine in the world to achieve B Corp status, offers seasonal vineyard tours alongside fine dining at its Michelin-recommended restaurant, The Flint Barns Dining Room.
In North Wales, Pant Du Vineyard and Orchard takes visitors through the craft of wine and cider production against the backdrop of Snowdonia’s (Eryri’s) hills and the Nantlle Valley. Guided by the co-owner, Richard Huws, visitors can wander through rows of grapevines and apple trees, learning about production processes and the challenges of planting a vineyard in North Wales. Tours end at the on-site cafe where visitors can sample some of what Pant Du produces.
