The sixth edition of Fife Whisky Festival took place over the weekend and was deemed a huge success by co-founder Justine Hazlehurst.
Around 700 people made the trip to Cupar’s Corn Exchange on Saturday for the festival, after an opening dinner for 90 guests at Lindores Abbey distillery the night before.
Every year, organisers Justine Hazlehurst and Karen Somerville release tickets in September. Experienced attendees know to keep an eye out by now.
“Tickets for all the events were pretty much sold out that weekend,” says Justine.
“We’ve got our regulars, making it easier for us to sell. Since 2018, we’ve grown the festival year by year, so we’ve released a few more tickets each time.
“This year, we had 350 people for each session and I think that’s our limit.
“I would say 60% of people there go every year. We also get people from Belgium, Norway, Denmark, Austria, Switzerland and the USA.”
Next year’s festival still in the making
More than 35 distilleries and independent bottlers from across Scotland showcased their whisky at the festival. There was also an exclusive tour of InchDairnie Distillery and a masterclass with Hannah Whisky Merchants on Sunday.
Each year, Justine and Karen work to expand the festival, offering tastings, visits and events.
Justine says: “When we first started in 2018, it was just the Saturday. Now we have the dinner, two Saturday sessions and Sunday events.
“InchDairnie Distillery isn’t open to the public, so they opened the doors for 20 people specifically for the festival weekend.
“We’re looking to schedule a few more events on the Sunday, maybe a couple of distillery tours and a few more masterclasses.”
The Cupar Corn Exchange is already provisionally booked for next year, but a few more pieces of the puzzle have to come together before Fife Whisky Festival 2024 is announced.
Lindores Abbey Distillery needs to be available for the annual dinner and the organisers want to avoid clashing with Scotland’s Six Nation games.
But not because no one would prioritise the festival, according to Justine.
“We have to advocate responsible drinking,” she says.
“What we don’t want is folks sitting in the pub watching the rugby and drinking beer, then coming to the whisky festival.”
Fife Whisky Festival tickets for 2024
Alongside the two festival founders, volunteers and exhibitors help make the festival run smoothly. On-site retailer Luvians also handle all bottle sales over the weekend.
Justine and Karen do however have one problem, and it doesn’t seem to be going away.
“We don’t have enough tickets for all the people who want to come, which is a lovely problem to have,” says Justine.
“There’s not enough seats at the dining table on Friday and not enough space for stands for all the exhibitors who cant to come.
“We need to look at trying to grow the festival in a way that keeps everybody happy.
“Many people miss the ticket sale, so we’ll have a sign up form on our website that will hopefully help people out.”
Conversation