The very first Borderlands Whisky Festival takes place on 12th October and aims to celebrate whisky making not only from the unique area of the Borderlands but also from further afield.
The area surrounding the Anglo-Scottish border, running from Marshall Meadows Bay in the east to the Solway Firth in the west, is still known today as the Borderlands. From the late 13th century, the Borderlands were run by local clans outwith the law of either Scotland or England. Due to the constant fighting between the two countries, many Borderers took to reiving (or raiding) to survive. Thankfully, though, those reiving days are now well and truly in the past!
Today, the Borderlands area itself covers the Scottish Borders, Northumberland, Dumfries & Galloway and Cumbria. Across these four counties there are currently eight whisky distilleries in production: The Borders Distillery in Hawick; Ad Gefrin Distillery in Wooler; Bladnoch Distillery near Wigtown; Crafty Distillery in Newton Stewart; The Reivers Distillery in Tweedbank; The Lakes Distillery near Cockermouth; Moffat Distillery in (you guessed it!) Moffat and Annandale Distillery just outside Annan.
The good news is that another five whisky distilleries are either currently under construction or have been granted planning permission for construction to start soon. Distilleries located just outside Jedburgh, Kelso, St Boswells and Flookburgh should be in production in the not too distant future. And with Ben Cumhaill, just outside Dumfries, nearing completion, spirit will be coming off the stills there even sooner.
In addition, the independent bottler contingent is well represented with Claxton's, Whisky Broker and Stirk Brothers all based in the Borderlands.
Spanning two different countries, The Borderlands is certainly a one-of-a-kind whisky 'region'. With distilleries both new and old; Scottish and English; small and large, each one will showcase the very best of tradition and innovation.
Unlike the Border Reivers, though, there's no need to nip over the border to raid anybody's whisky supplies! All tasting samples will be included in the ticket price for the inaugural Borderlands Whisky Festival. So, put your steel bonnet to one side and join us on 12th October to raise a glass to the Borderlands.
Fancy trying some Borderlands drams before October? Join us for our online tasting on 17th May: Spirit of the Borderlands - book your place HERE.
