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Homecoming Whisky Month
01/05/2009
First Minister Alex Salmond will celebrate the start of Whisky Month, one of the highlight events of Homecoming 2009, by opening the Scotch Whisky Experience tour in Edinburgh and launching the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival today.
Whisky Month celebrates Scotland's quality national drink during May, with events expected to attract around an additional 30,000 attendees to a range of Homecoming events.
The First Minister will open the £3 million Scotch whisky tour at the Scotch Whisky Experience. The tour showcases the world's largest collection of whisky, features an interactive tour and charts the history of whisky from cottage industry to global leader.
The First Minister will then attend the launch of the 10th Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival. The 10 day 'dramfest' is a key event in this year's Homecoming calendar, which is expected to be worth £750,000 to the local economy.
First Minister Alex Salmond said:
"Whisky is a truly unique product and one of Scotland's most iconic contributions to the world. Whisky Month offers a great opportunity for whisky enthusiasts from home and across the globe to take part in a variety of themed events as part of our Homecoming celebrations.
"Whisky is an iconic and high quality product which has hugely influenced Scotland's heritage, culture and economy. A billion bottles of Scotch are enjoyed across the world each year, it is exported to 200 countries and generates more than £2 billion for Scottish exports.
"The Scottish Government is committed to promoting Scotch Whisky worldwide and to protect its special status among international markets, as witnessed by the recent progress achieved in China.
"One of the five key themes of our Homecoming year is whisky and I am confident Whisky Month, the Speyside Whisky Festival and the new Scotch whisky tour will offer visitors a great opportunity to celebrate - and sample - Scotland's national drink."