With it being the Year of Food & Drink is are a tonne of things coming up that should tickle the palette. One that tickled ours was the Juniper Festival in June at Summerhall in Edinburgh. The organisers expect to have up to 30 gins to taste as well as talks about gin and bands playing. Of course, it ties in to World Gin Day on 13 June and, with the growth of craft gin distilling expect a few more juniper themed events. Whisky is the theme in May when it’s also World Whisky Day (17 May) and the diary is malt mad that month. Meanwhile for real ale fans, the Glasgow Real Ale fest is confirmed for the Briggait in the same month. But before that the summer Banchory Beer Festival launches its sibling Beer at the Barn on 6 February. We’ve compiled a list of food and drink events –there is no way it is comprehensive, but these are the ones we’ve heard about (to the end of August).
Banchory Beer Festival: Beer At The Barn, Woodend Barn, Banchory, 6-7 February,www.banchorybeerfestival.com
Fife Food Festival, Younger Hall, North Street, St Andrews, 8 February,www.facebook.com/fifefoodfestival
Comic Relief Wine Fair, Assembly Rooms, George Street, Edinburgh, 12 March,www.rosemurraybrown.com
Springfest: The Scottish Food & Drink Festival, Loch Lomond Shores, Balloch, 4-5 April,www.lochlomondfoodanddrinkfestival.co.uk
Grog Craft Beer Festival, Café Camino, Little King Street, Edinburgh, 25 April,www.greatgrog.com
Spirit of Speyside Festival, Speyside, Morayshire, 30 April-4 May, www.spiritofspeyside.com
Brew at the Bog, Bogbain Farm, Inverness, 2-3 May, www.brewatthebog.com
Celtic Spring Food Festival, Scottish Crannog Centre, Loch Tay, Perthshire, 3 May,www.crannog.co.uk
Spirit of Stirling Whisky Festival, Stirling Highland Hotel, 29 Spittal Street, Stirling, 9 May,www.spiritofstirlingwhiskyfestival.co.uk
Loch Fyne Food Fair, Clachan Fields, Cairndow, Argyll, 16-17 May, www.lochfyne.com/events
Summerhall Beer Festival, Summerhall, Edinburgh, 15-16 May
Grog Spring Wine Festival, Merchants’ Hall, Hanover Street, Edinburgh, 22 May,www.greatgrog.com
Islay Festival of Music and Malt, 22-30 May, www.islayfestival.com
Whisky Stramash, Surgeon’s Hall, Edinburgh, 23-24 May, www.thewhiskystramash.com
Aberdeen CAMRA Beer Festival, Pittodrie Stadium, Aberdeen, 4-6 June, aberdeencamra.org.uk
Taste of Grampian, Thainstone Centre, Inverurie, Aberdeenshire, 6 June,www.tasteofgrampian.co.uk
Scottish Juniper Festival, Summerhall, Edinburgh, 12-13 June,www.facebook.com/ScottishJuniperFestival
Crail Food Festival, Fife, 12-14 June, www.crailfoodfest.co.uk
Royal Highland Show, Ingliston, 18-21 June, royalhighlandshow.org
Midsummer Beer Happening, Baird Park, Stonehaven, Kincardineshire, 18-20 June,www.midsummerbeerhappening.co.uk
Glasgow Real Ale Festival, Briggait, Glasgow, 25-27 June, www.glasgowrealalefestival.co.uk
The Whisky Fringe, Mansfield Traquair, Edinburgh, 7-9 August, www.royalmilewhiskies.com
Foodies Festival, Inverleith Park, Edinburgh, 7-9 August, www.foodiesfestival.com
Banchory Beer Festival, August, www.banchorybeerfestival.com
North Hop, Eden Court, Inverness, 21-22 August, northhop.co.uk
