What started as a niche project six years ago has quickly grown into the
largest consumer whisky festival in the world. The FNB Whisky Live Festival,
which takes place in Cape Town and Johannesburg in early November each year,
showcases whisky from around the world and attracts an audience of over 15 000
interested folk.
The Festival's growth has matched the mammoth increase of sales of premium
whisky in Africa's youngest democracy. So fierce is the growth that the country
now sits firmly in the top ten global importers of Scotch Whisky, both by value
and volume. Three years ago, South Africa never registered.
Attendance to both Festivals grows annually with hordes of folk eager to learn
more about whisky. Actually 94% of visitors last year posted their experience
at the Festival as excellent. The growth of visitors who had attended for the
first time is also high.
The Festival has proved to be a wonderful launch pad for new brands eager to
take advantage of an emergent market and possibly use the country's
distribution and marketing network to penetrate the untapped African market.
The Festival hosts a large number of international whisky distillers,
ambassadors and experts. Industry VIPs now plan their visits to this part of
the world around 'Whisky Festival time,' capitalizing on the experience.
Various new initiatives will be introduced at the 2008 Festival. So successful
was their inaugural involvement with Whisky Festival, that Pyotts have expanded
their presence in the sensory zone offering a pairing of fine foods and whisky.
The Lexus Connoisseur's Experience, the Ultimate Guided Tour, offering a
chauffeur drive, a personalized guided tour of the Whisky Festival with
'unique' tastings and followed by dinner in the Whisky Leisure Lounge, will be
returning to the Festival. An exclusive ladies only tour will be on offer this
year.
The Whisky Leisure Lounge will once again provide the perfect forum for client
entertainment, an exclusive lounge, offering dinner, whisky cocktails and
exclusive tastings of 'unusual whiskies' conducted by a well known whisky host.
Education has always been the key theme to the Festival. This year we introduce
the Dewar's Blending Zone, which will incorporate interactive blend tutorials
held on the main floor, allowing visitors to go home with their very own blend!
Staying with education, be sure to explore the new Flavour Map, which will
allow visitors to discover whiskies of similar flavour to their favourites.
Oh, what about us ladies I hear you ask. Over 25% of last years visitors were
of the fairer sex, and this year a concerted effort has been put together to
entertain and educate the ladies. Besides a range of whisky second to none,
cocktails, fine foods, art, whisky liqueurs, jewellery and entertainment is on
offer.
And don't forget the Whisky Workshops. These one-hour tutorials, led by experts
who have the knack of explaining whisky jargon in simple everyday language. The
Workshops are rated the best value for money at the show, a chance to taste
unique whiskies generally not available in the Tasting Hall.
The FNB Whisky Live Festival opens in Cape Town at the Cape Town International
Convention Centre from 5-7 November and then at the Sandton Convention Centre
in Johannesburg from 12-14 November.
The dates for the 2008 FNB Whisky Live Festival are:
Cape Town
Wednesday, 5th November to Friday, 7th November at the Cape Town Convention Centre
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