They say if you don’t ask, you don’t get, so when I returned to the St Machar Bar after a summer away from university to see an advertisement for the Old Aberdeen Whisky Festival – I was pretty set on what I had to do. Being a journalist at the University of Aberdeen, and an avid whisky drinker, this experience seemed entirely up my alley.
I’ve written about the St Machar Bar before when I covered the importance of independent pubs, hailing the campus hangout as my favourite Aberdeen drinking spot. My frequency as a customer can depend on how much stress this very paper – or occasionally even my degree – are giving me and my visits can range from a couple of times a week, to every day. I’m a dedicated fan of the St Machar, so to say I was delighted when they accepted my slightly groveling request to cover the festival for The Gaudie would be an understatement.
Held on Saturday 11th of October in UoA’s iconic Elphinstone Hall, the grand and historical location seemed fitting for a day dedicated to one of the world’s oldest spirits. Whisky’s first written record as a spirit actually dates to the same decade as the University’s opening in 1495. Now, the spirit is one of Scotland’s biggest exports, with sales worth a hefty £5.4 billion last year. Needless to say, the joy of whisky is not lost on the rest of the world, nor the hundreds that gathered on campus this Saturday.
Stalls boasted an impressive range of representation from distilleries across the country. Some in attendance were Glencadam, Glenlivet, Glen Garioch, Glen Moray, GlenAllachie..and they are just some of the Glens. Representation from Disaronno had a surprisingly broad portfolio of whiskies, ryes and other spirits from around the world.
There was a bottle shop from Monty’s that hosted a wide range of different whiskies at great prices, and I was almost tempted to purchase my own bottle of Scapa 10, which became my dram of the summer that I drank copious amounts of after discovering the brand at my work. I enjoyed champagne from their wine selection and appreciated that I could use the tokens included in my ticket for more than just whiskies, but other types of alcohol such as gin, tequila, beer, cider and wines. As much as I love whisky, I did need to interrupt the back-to-back drams with some other drinks.
Aberdeen’s own Fierce Beer made an appearance, which as a gluten-intolerant beer lover, I was very pleased about. I tend to pair whiskies with a pint, so I enjoyed a mezcal-cask based dram with a pint of Fierce’s Cerveza – an excellent combo.
My personal favourites? I’m glad you asked. I’ve always been a sucker for a dram of The Old Ballantruan from Tomintoul. It’s heavily peated, double distilled, and absolutely delicious – but has also been high on my list for months, so it wasn’t very journalistically adventurous of me to keep doubling back to the Tomintoul stand for another dram.
My favourite new whisky that I tried must go to my first of the day (either that or it’s the only one I remember clearly). It was a 21-year-old single malt, from the Royal Brackla distillery. The bottle went fast, and I was chuffed that I’d managed to squeeze in a taste before it drained. Finished in ex-sherry casks, it was sweetly spiced and went down almost too easily. As a fan of smoke and peat, it wasn’t a flavour palate that I typically reach for, but after chatting to the expert at one of St Machar’s tables, I was convinced and pleasantly surprised. That brings me onto the staff at the event. I’ve always only had wonderful things to say about the bartenders at the St Machar, and this continues to be true. They are always kind, knowledgeable, and have put up with my badgering whisky questions or requests for gluten-free beer through ranging states of sobriety.
I was delighted to recognise some friendly faces from my time spent this summer working in Edinburgh cask ale and whisky bar, The Blue Blazer. It seems that the Scottish independent bar and whisky scene is a tight knit one, and I felt fully immersed in the wee community I have accidentally become obsessed with. I feel myself inching towards a career in alcohol-based journalism increasingly every day, particularly if other events are hosted as expertly as this one.
I made sure to chat to other festivalgoers and get the feel of the crowd gathered. I spoke to one attendee of the festival who doesn’t even like whisky but instead came for the other spirits on offer (namely tequila) and the company of the event. She explained that despite being uninterested in the main product on offer, she was good friends with the bartenders and was a regular at the bar, so she came along to support their day anyways. I think this sentiment sums up the atmosphere at this year’s festival – familiar faces everywhere, general cheeriness, all with an overarching feeling of connection. And I don’t even think it was due to the copious amount of alcohol being consumed.
Attending an event like this can only bring me back to reiterate the point I’ve banged on about so much in my previous work, or when I’m standing behind the bar in Edinburgh – smaller, independent and charismatic pubs are the cornerstone of communities. Every turn, I recognised another person from my time spent in the St Machar. There was a brief moment at the start of the day where I had worried that going solo may hinder the experience, as there seemed to be mostly groups and couples attending. However, this fear was quickly quashed by the welcoming demeanor of the crowd, and soon I’d formulated a group of friendly faces to talk with.
Overall, I was incredibly impressed by the festival. It was neatly organised, highly attended, and there was a palpable buzz of excitement and fun in the air. It was entirely worth the hangover that kept me from being able to do this article’s write-up until days later. I’d like to personally thank the staff at the St Machar Bar who kindly gifted me my ticket, allowing me to attend and pretentiously scribble in my notebook. I look forward to celebrating the end of this article with a dram at the St Machar. Slàinte!
