Day of whisky to be annual event

Sep 7 2012

An international day to celebrate whisky held for the first time this year is to be an annual event.

World Whisky Day in March saw around 20,000 people take part in more than 180 events from Seattle to Singapore at restaurants, bars, distilleries, societies, clubs, shops and among individual whisky enthusiasts.

It has attracted the support of the Scottish Government, tourism body VisitScotland, industry organisation Scotland Food and Drink and the Scotch Whisky Experience.

Blair Bowman, a University of Aberdeen student who founded World Whisky Day, said: "Over 200,000 people visited Ireland this year for St Patrick's day to enjoy a Guinness. So why not come to Scotland, the home of whisky, to celebrate World Whisky Day?"

"I still cannot believe how much support the first World Whisky Day received. Now that the Government and other organisations are getting behind the initiative, it is sure to be an even bigger success which is good news for the whisky industry and good news for Scotland."

World Whisky Day 2013 (May 18) was announced during this month's Scottish Food and Drink Fortnight, an annual celebration of the country's produce.

Rural Affairs Secretary Richard Lochhead said: "I'm sure that World Whisky Day can build on the success of its launch this year, with many people in Scotland and around the world getting involved on May 18."

Mike Cantlay, VisitScotland chairman, said whisky is a valuable icon to market Scotland overseas and it is "fitting" to honour the drink. He said: "Not only is whisky so well known and instantly synonymous with Scotland, it is a high-quality product that positions the country very well in the minds of potential visitors from the UK and across the world."

Susan Morrison, director of the Scotch Whisky Experience which is owned by 95% of the whisky industry, welcomed the idea. She said: "For anyone interested in whisky, it is wonderful to have a recognised day when enthusiasts and novices alike can celebrate Scotch whisky in their own way."

James Withers, chief Executive of Scotland Food and Drink, said: "World Whisky Day is a fantastic initiative which celebrates Scotland's internationally recognised iconic drink. I have every confidence that last year's success will be built upon and the event will become an annual fixture which celebrates our biggest export on a world stage."