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Last week
Glenfiddich hosted its biggest and best
Festival Experiment yet which saw
headline band Franz Ferdinand thrill the
on-trade festival goers who were also
treated to immersive entertainment and
brand experiences designed to help drive
forward their own ability to experiment
and push the boundaries in their
careers.
Last week saw the return of the now
legendary Glenfiddich Festival
Experiment for round three. Billed as
bigger and better than ever before and
by all accounts it lived up to its
billing.
This year’s festival welcomed more than
1,200 members of the on-trade from
around the world to celebrate the
bartending industry. The private two-day
festival was first launched back in 2017
simply as a thank you to the Scottish
hospitality industry for its continued
support of Glenfiddich, and to celebrate
the brand’s experimental nature. Since
then it has tripled in size to become
the UK’s largest festival for the
on-trade community, with tickets coveted
by bartenders everywhere.
Guests were treated to immersive
entertainment and brand experiences
designed to help drive forward their own
ability to experiment and push the
boundaries in their careers, whilst
still keeping the appreciation for the
hospitality industry at the heart of the
celebration.
This year the festival opened its doors
even wider, welcoming guests from across
the UK and even a few from further
afield. More than 450 bartenders from
London, Newcastle, Manchester,
Liverpool, Leeds, Bristol, Brighton,
Cardiff and Dublin joined the party,
along with an international contingent
from around the world. Scottish Brand
Ambassador Mark Thomson and National
Brand Ambassador to England & Wales Alex
Walker were joined by their global
counterparts from South Africa and the
US to help host this now iconic
celebration.
Year three brought more education than
ever for attendees, with coopering
demonstrations and talks from Malt
Master Brian Kinsman on the Main Stage,
who lifted the lid on his role, the
brand and the industry in a live Q&A.
Guest speaker Fabiano Latham, UK Reyka
Ambassador, discussed ‘Adventurivity’,
in the Tipi Lounge, coaching guests on
maintaining health and wellness in the
hospitality industry. Guests had the
chance to take part in whisky tastings
led by the Glenfiddich Brand Ambassador
team in a dedicated tasting tent and 450
lucky festival-goers had a chance to
tour the Glenfiddich distillery in all
its glory.
 The Main Stage saw Glenfiddich Festival
Experiment Veterans Twin Atlantic take
to the stage for their third year,
whilst Franz Ferdinand gave their debut
headline performance with fan favourites
including Take Me Out and No You Girls.
Other acts to grace the big top over the
two days were: Fatherson, The Snuts, Be
Charlotte, and The Ninth Wave.
Twin Atlantic said: “It’s great to be
part of something that’s so closely
associated with excellence in Scotland,
and it’s really exciting to see a new
idea for a music festival start to
really take off.”
The Tipi Lounge, with panoramic views
overlooking the Glenfiddich distillery
hosted live comedy from Christopher
Macarthur-Boyd and Paul Pirie as well as
musical performances from: Hyyts,
VanIves, Walt Disco, Aaron Smith, Tom
Hamilton, Bongo Steve, and Gordon James
& The Power.
Both nights finished in style at the
Forest Stage which saw late-night sets
from Spencer Mac and Jeremy Healy as
well as DJ battles between Glenfiddich
Brand Ambassadors from the UK, US and
South Africa.
Across the festival site, bartenders
found themselves on the other side of
the bar being served with a selection of
Glenfiddich cocktails, with crowd
favourite the Stag Colada providing
tropical vibes with its lime, pineapple
and Absinthe flavours blended with
Glenfiddich Our Solera 15. A wider
selection of amazing food was provided
by The Pitt’s independent street food
vendors including The Buffalo Truck,
Ròst Eats and The Fire Pitt.
Turtle Higgins, bartender at Abandon
Ship in Dundee, commented: "The
Glenfiddich Festival Experiment is one
of the highlights of the year for many
people within the industry. I've been
lucky enough to see it grow from its
first inception and the amount of work
that goes into organising behind the
scenes is mind-boggling! The festival is
a testament to Glenfiddich and how much
they want to make this the best possible
experience year on year. And the music?
I'm still smiling two days later...
every band was amazing!"
Mark Thomson, Glenfiddich’s Ambassador
to Scotland, commented: "As a
Glenfiddich Ambassador, I want as many
people as possible to experience the
brand and its maverick ethos of pushing
the boundaries. The Glenfiddich Festival
Experiment has grown from 350 bartenders
in its first year to over 1,200,
retaining the same purpose throughout;
to have fun and educate. This year’s
festival had both in abundance and I
couldn’t be more proud of not only how
all the guests interacted and enjoyed
the event but of every member of the
team that made it so special."
Alex Walker, National Brand Ambassador,
commented: "Attending my first
Glenfiddich Festival Experiment was a
huge honour. It’s fantastic to be able
to say thank you to our wonderful
industry friends from across the country
and around the world. And to see how it
has grown into the biggest festival of
its kind is truly mind blowing."
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