Goals and challenges at heart of discussion as Whisky Talks event brings community together in Inverness
Whisky enthusiasts and representatives of the industry gathered in Inverness to celebrate the spirit and discuss opportunities and challenges in the sector.
Coming for the first time to the Highland capital, Whisky Talks was hosted at the Waterside restaurant and Uile-bheist distillery bringing together a diverse audience of around 60 people.
During the day those attending could hear from different panels whilst tasting a set of whiskies.
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Fraser Campbell of CopperCairn, who organised the event, said: “It was amazing, we are really happy with the turnout. We always like to have a diverse crowd coming to Whisky Talks so we had an exactly 50/50 split at the event which was great.
“Everyone had loads of great questions and seemed to have a great time so we are very pleased!
“We picked Inverness because there seems to be a buzz generated by new places like Uile-bheist opening, and there’s all these little pockets of whisky communities, and we wanted to bring these people together on different panels and see what the Inverness whisky community is really about.”
On the Inverness whisky scene, he said: “I think it’s always been there, like in many other cities you don’t always see them in the same place. Trying to pull all those people together and bring them in the same place, you really get very interesting discussions, which was really the aim of the event.
“We had a similar event in Aberdeen, and while there are many differences, one similarity is the mindset of the people who come craving for a whisky scene in the city centres.”
The day started with an introduction and a panel composed of professionals from Inverness who spoke about potential of the city as a whisky hub.
Malcolm Cumming, assistant manager at Inverness Whisky, said it’s key to get more like-minded people to come together and talk about common goals and opportunities for the industry in the city - all year round.
He said: “It was really interesting to have these talks about the booming environment of the whisky festival, or listen to what people have to say.
“The reality of whisky is that there is so much production and competition - and whilst Scotland is the biggest producer, its market is one of the smallest so sometimes it’s about the community In Ness coming together to celebrate what is a massive driver for tourism and a lot of people coming through the various shops and bars in twosn looking for authentic experiences. It goes to show that there are a lot of people in our community supporting this.
“It will be very interesting to see how they complement what’s already happening in town when the Castle opens.
“It’s been a really exciting time, especially for new distilleries, and it has been happening across the Highlands, so it’s really great for us to champion what they are doing there and support those who are making a difference for their local and rural communities.”
Among the attendees was also Traitors finalist Eve Morrison, who said that although she is new to the world of whisky, she is also very passionate about the Highlands a
She said: “The event was very interesting and informative! To be honest, I don’t know much about whisky at all but I am from the Highlands and I am very passionate about the Highlands
“I am such a big advocate for the HIghlands - because I got so far in the Traitors, there was a lot of pressure for me to move out of here, but I really wanted to stay.
“This is such a big export for our country, so having this regenerated interest in our community is very important. There is so much in the Highlands to shout about and this is one of it.
“Inverness can be not just a place that people use as a base to go elsewhere but also a place where people can stay, enjoy and learn more about whisky!”
