Each spring, whisky lovers from around the world descend on Scotland’s Argyll and Bute for the Campbeltown Malts Festival, a celebration of one of the country’s most storied whisky regions. For those who can’t make the pilgrimage, Glen Scotia, one of Campbeltown’s three surviving distilleries, is offering the next best thing a richly characterful dram designed to transport drinkers straight to the shores of the Kintyre peninsula.
The newly released Glen Scotia Campbeltown Malts Festival 2025 Edition is a 9-year-old, heavily peated single malt, bottled at cask strength (54.3% ABV) and finished in Ribera del Duero red wine cask continuing the distillery’s tradition of bold, expressive festival bottlings that showcase both innovation and local identity.
Only a few weeks each year are dedicated to peated spirit production at Glen Scotia, making this year’s release particularly special. After maturing in first-fill bourbon barrels, the whisky has spent five months resting in Spanish red wine casks, adding a burst of ripe blackberry, red fruits and a subtle thread of liquorice to the distillery’s signature combination of vanilla, coastal salinity and smoky peat.
But Glen Scotia has gone one step further for 2025. The packaging includes a QR code offering an immersive experience that follows three of Scotland’s leading travel influencers – Chris Lawlor, Graeme Johncock, and Barbara Gajewska – as they make their way to Campbeltown via land, sea and trail. It’s an evocative nod to the remote beauty of the town and the whisky journey itself, connecting dram to destination.
What To Expect At The Festival
Held over the 20th and 21st of May, the Campbeltown Malts Festival brings together whisky enthusiasts for tastings, tours and storytelling. Glen Scotia’s programme includes a deconstructed tasting of the 2025 edition, hosted by Global Brand Ambassador Gary Mills, as well as a 10-year anniversary celebration of the Victoriana single malt with Master Blender Ashley Smith.
Guests can also take part in an exclusive tasting inside the Glen Scotia dunnage warehouse, led by Iain McAlister, Glen Scotia’s Master Distiller.– a rare opportunity to experience the ageing process in one of Campbeltown’s most atmospheric whisky spaces.
As always, the festival is not just about whisky but the history, heritage and people behind it. Once known as the “Victorian Whisky Capital of the World”, Campbeltown remains a symbol of Scottish whisky-making tradition. Glen Scotia, founded in 1832, continues to honour this legacy through small-batch production, traditional techniques and a distillery that still retains much of its original 19th-century design.
With award-winning whiskies to its name, including Best in Show Whisky at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition and multiple Platinum accolades, Glen Scotia has firmly established itself on the global stage. But it’s this annual release, rooted in place and story, that captures the hearts of its fans year after year.
For more information on the Glen Scotia Campbeltown Malts Festival 2025 Edition and festival events, visit www.glenscotia.com
