Alton Assembly Rooms was another new venue for us and we couldn’t have been more delighted with it. The building is a beautiful town hall and absolutely perfect for our event with versatile facilities and different areas able to cater to our needs.

Our masterclass was provided by Steve of Shine London. He chatted through the history of moonshine; held a competition to win free moonshine (which was definitely a source of excitement and jealousy from what we heard of people chatting afterwards!) and gave an impressive précis of his favourite subject. His masterclasses are proving very popular at the events they’re being held at, it’s fantastic to have an in-house expert!

Moonshine

Dave from That Boutique-y Whisky Company returned with an amazing range of their products. From our off-licence reports, Cambus was a sure-fire hit with punters and there was a continual buzz around his table as queues formed to sample the whisky and marvel at their incredible artwork. We’re adopting Dave (with his consent) and taking him to some more of our festivals later in the year too, so if you’re yet to try their range, head to our upcoming events page and make a note of where you can try them. We have an interview with him about the company and his own taste coming up soon, keep your eyes peeled!

Shilton and Dave

We welcomed back the irrepressible Shilton of Paul John Whisky who charmed attendees as soon as they ventured towards his stall. Always impressing those who delve into the knowledge he has of his range and whisky in general, it was a welcome addition having him back after his holiday! Paul John is always popular on our off-licence after people fall in love with the taste under the teachings and this festival, we sold Classic and Peated predominantly.

Shilton

Did you use Prints Charming? We had a few queues forming as people clamoured to use the new props and play with the photobooth, some of the photos bringing big smiles to our faces when we saw them- it’s fantastic seeing our new friends having such fun at the events! Photos are here– have a look through them!

Photobooth

Did you try the halloumi wraps from L&M Fusion Foods? We certainly did and they were delicious, as is everything they turn their hands to. They are coming to Guildford with us too, so keep an eye out for their special menu https://premier-pharmacy.com/product-category/sleeping-aids/ being announced in the run-up to the event.

Our music was popular throughout the day. We introduced a new face to the Whiskey Affair team, Daryl Kellie. Well-known to us in our other world as a music venue, this talented man brought his friend, Sim, with him to play a variety of lilting songs and twists on classics all afternoon. Not to miss out on a festival, Becki arrived straight from performing at a wedding to take her throne back in the evening and closed the event for us. We’ve included one of our favourites from Daryl at the end of the blog for you to go and visit because it brightens up our days and you may love it too!

Daryl   Becki

What was the most popular on all the bars then? What made Alton tick?

SCOTCH Ancnoc 22, Glenfarclas 21 and Tomatin were hugely popular throughout both sessions- Alton having a predilection for an older whisky.

Tomatin

BOURBON Eagle Rare and Noah’s Mill were the leaders of the pack for both sessions – a discerning sweet tooth coming to the fore in our Hampshire hometown.

Eagle Rare

WHISKEY Well, Spanish Nomad stole the show in Alton, absolutely flying out across the whole day. Hakushu and Discovery Road were obviously high sellers- no festival would be without us running extra bottles to the bar continuously!

Nmad

COCKTAILS There were lots of Japanese concoctions leaving the bar throughout the day – check our blog out for recipes if you’d like to recreate them at home!

Cocktails

We actively get social with attendees and invited them to share their experience of the night with us. We’re delighted that we did because the photos and posts coming in were fantastic! Prizes of free tickets are to be chosen at the end of next week, so if you have some to share then do so via Twitter, Instagram or Facebook using #whiskeyaffair and we’ll find it and choose our favourites. Thank you for all the participation so far, we’ve loved seeing the night from your side.

If you’d like to check out the photos from the night, have a look here:  Alton photo set.

Next we have Guildford on 20th May. Come and join us- we already have tons lined up to entertain you with and we’d love to see you!  Info and tickets here:  Event

Flyer Guildford 2017      Competition free bottle

As promised, here’s a link to one of our favourites from Daryl:

 

See you soon!
The Whiskey Affair team