Whisky festivals, shows, expos, even fairs. Call ‘em what you will, they’re everywhere. If you’re lucky enough to live in a city or country where there’s a big enough whisky scene, you’re probably also lucky to have a choice of whisky shows that you can attend. Over time, some of these have started to take on an international reputation. They’re no longer just a whisky show, they become a whisky destination. People – that, is punters and consumers – will grab their passports and jump on a plane just to take part in the fun.
Some of the individual Whisky Live events around the globe have achieved this status. Other shows become their own highly successful brands that are “one day, I’ll get there” events for plenty of drinkers. Examples include the Victoria Whisky Festival in British Columbia, Canada; the Limburg Whisky Festival in Germany; both Maltstock and the WhiskyBase Gathering in the Netherlands; and in the southern hemisphere, there’s Dramfest in Christchurch, New Zealand.
Some whisky shows are birthed out of the passion and enthusiasm of whisky interest groups; others have more commercial motives and may be attached to or work in conjunction with a retail outlet. Of course, for the purposes of this little piece, we’ll ignore the distillery-led pinnacles of Feis Ile or the Speyside Whisky Festival.
What is the benchmark for “success” for a whisky show? What makes a show “good”? Why are some perceived to be better than others? The list of KPI’s and measurables is many and varied…
- The price to attend
- The venue
- The number of whiskies on offer to try
- The brands represented and exhibiting
- The industry luminaries and whisky “celebrities” that attend to present masterclasses and sessions
- The food / catering
- The peripheral events and activities that might supplement or surround the main event
- The duration of the events or its tasting sessions
Different individuals will assign different values and levels of importance to each of the above. What makes one show good for Person A might make it a less desirable show for Person B. This writer’s observation is certainly that some shows set about the business better than others. For example, several Australian cities are blessed to have a number of different whisky shows on offer during the calendar year, and Australian readers will possibly already have decided why they prefer one of Whisky Fair, Whisky Show, Whisky Live, Whisky Freedom, etc.
An ongoing challenge for any whisky show is how to control the inevitable “over-indulgence” that occurs with some attendees. Security is now tight at many shows, and exhibitors are better trained at looking for the signs and refusing service when necessary. Many shows attempt to limit consumption with tokens or vouchers for a prescribed number of drams (e.g. you might only get 10 vouchers to redeem against 10 whiskies during your session) but such models are increasingly in the minority these days.
Whisky shows also adapt and evolve over time. In most cases, they’re ironing out wrinkles or tweaking and improving things to provide better value or more attractive and appealing features. One aspect that’s certainly gaining momentum is the increasing presence of other spirits at whisky shows. Rum, in particular, is a rapidly rising presence at many shows, while gin and brandy are also starting to make regular appearances. Some enjoy this diversity; others feel that attending a whisky show and finding a large contingent of stands serving non-whisky products is not what they signed up for.
A growing problem for some of the event organisers is finding space to work in. They’re not just competing for space on the calendar or for the “punter’s dollar”, but – most critically of all – they’re competing for the exhibitors. The reality is that, for many brands and distributors, there’s only so much time, staff, and stock you can devote to this form of marketing and promotion. It costs money to take out a stand at a show; it costs money (in one form or another) to pay your rep to man that stand for two or three days; and it costs money to pour out bottles of precious stock to punters who aren’t always wearing their most appreciative hat. Accordingly, brands are becoming increasingly choosy over which shows they’ll be present at, and which ones they’ll give a miss.
For the brands and exhibitors, it simply becomes a value proposition: How much will it cost me to be there, and how much might my brand make back in positive exposure or sales? (If retail sales are part of the equation at the event). Is it a fun and pleasant show to be a part of, or is it a chore? Some exhibitors ask themselves, “Can I afford to be there?” whilst others are obliged to ask, “Can I afford not to be there?” As an exhibitor myself who’s directly represented a specific brand I work for at many different whisky shows, and who’s also represented other brands as a “gun for hire”, I can advise that it’s not always fun and pleasant on the other side of the serving table. (For more on that theme, you can read this article Whisky fairs – from the other side of the table).
As a result of some of the above, we’re seeing some shows attract and maintain a lot of support and engagement from industry (i.e. the brands and exhibitors), whilst other shows struggle. One particular “success story” is the biennial Dramfest in New Zealand which has a remarkable and enviable record of attracting brands and luminaries to its stalls. Considering it’s perhaps the longest possible distance from Scotland for any whisky show, the calibre of the “talent” that flies out for it is testament that they’re doing something right. And looking after their exhibitors is nine-tenths of that equation.
Of course, new models are now emerging, particularly out of Asia. A rising trend is the “charge per dram” shows, where there’s a modest entry fee, but you then pay a dram price for each individual whisky you try. Not surprisingly, such models lend themselves to older, rarer whiskies, and attract a more “cashed-up” crowd. Whisky Exchange’s “Old & Rare” is one example, others include WhiskyNow Hong Kong, Whisky Fair Takao (in Taiwan), and Chichibu Whisky Matsuri.
If you’ve not been to a whisky show previously and you’re planning on attending one shortly, you would do well to read this survival guide first: Heading off to a whisky show? Read this first!
And if you’re an “old hand” at such events, you may even have started to feel they’re getting passè. For the sake and health of the industry – at all levels from production to retail – can I encourage you to keep lending your support. As this article goes to print, whisky shows and tastings all around the globe are being cancelled in the context of the COVID-19 virus pandemic. Whisky festivals will obviously be “on hold” for the next while. If and when they come back on stream, let’s get behind them.
Cheers,
AD
Got any comments to add? What makes a whisky festival good for you? What do you look for, and what do you aim most to get out of them? Scroll down below to add your thoughts….
