Campbeltown Malts Festival celebrates the Victorian Whisky Capital of the World

2025 Festival Edition

Perhaps a somewhat overlooked corner of Scotland’s west coast, the rather unfortunately shaped Kintyre Peninsula was once home to one of the country’s great whisky-making regions. Despite being a small habitation, at its Victorian peak, Campbeltown boasted 26 distilleries. Now just three remain, but Campbeltown is still making waves on the international spirits stage.

The annual Campbeltown Malts Festival will be taking place this year 19-24 May, with special bottlings and events taking place at the three remaining distilleries, Glen Scotia, Springbank and Glengyle.

Glen Scotia, the most recognised of the three, launches its 2025 Festival Edition on 2 April 2025. The distillery is multi-award-winning, having most recently won ‘Best Single Cask Single Malt' at the World Whiskies Awards for a single cask bottling in 2023, and Platinum titles at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2024 for both Victoriana and its 25-Year-Old.

Heavily peated and finished in red wine casks

While the brand’s whiskies generally embody the oiliness, coal smoke and salinity typical of the region, the nine-year-old Campbeltown Malts Festival 2025 release is somewhat unconventional for being heavily peated and stored for five months in Ribera del Duero red wine casks, resulting in a rich, smooth finish to the final dram. Iain McAlister, Master Distiller and Distillery Manager, said:

“This year’s Festival Release promises a unique experience that will transport you straight to Campbeltown with your first sip. As well as delivering the maritime and salinity notes synonymous with Glen Scotia, this whisky also provides an element of surprise as it develops on the palate. The finish brings a bold burst of vibrant flavour from the Ribera del Duero red wine casks which is a distinctive pairing with the heavy peat.”

At the festival this year, visitors to Glen Scotia’s distillery will have the chance to attend a deconstructed tasting of the Campbeltown Malts Festival 2025 edition with Global Brand Ambassador Gary Mills, an in-depth tasting of the popular Victoriana single malt hosted by Master Blender Ashley Smith, and an exclusive tasting in the Glen Scotia Dunnage Warehouse with Iain McAlister.

 Global Brand Ambassador Gary Mills

In an exclusive preview in Edinburgh’s atmospheric Caves, Glen Scotia gave local whisky enthusiasts a taste of what to expect at the festival. It was fascinating to explore the conception of Victoriana and how the distillery used charred casks to recreate the caramelisation synonymous with Victorian whiskies. The Dunnage Warehouse tasting gave a chance to sample bottlings of different ages and experience the effect cask type has on the spirit, while the festival edition session allowed tasters to experience the dram before the final stage in the process, to appreciate how the red wine cask finish rounds

out the final whisky.

With a predicted three more distilleries to open in Campbeltown, it’s hopefully just a matter of time before this area of Scotland becomes a must-visit whisky destination again.

Glen Scotia, 12 High St, Campbeltown PA28 6DS