Campbeltown Malts Festival 2026

 

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS AND BOOKING INFORMATION

 

We are excited to announce the Springbank, Cadenhead’s and Kilkerran events 

which will take place during the Campbeltown Malts Festival 2026. 

Events will run from Monday 18th – Saturday 23rd May.

Below, you will find all the relevant information regarding our events and tastings across the festival as well as information on how to purchase tickets. 

Dates for purchasing tickets will be as follows: 

 

There will be a maximum of 2 tickets available per person for each event, with the exception of the ballot for the Old Bottling Hall dinner where the limit is 1 per person.

 

Please note that tickets do tend to sell out quickly so we strongly recommend that you register with Eventbrite/the Springbank website ahead of the ticket launch dates to make the process quicker for you on the day of the ticket sales. 

 

PLEASE NOTE IN ADVANCE THAT ALL EVENTS ARE STRICTLY 18 OR OVER AND THERE IS A STRICT NO REFUND POLICY FOR FESTIVAL TICKETS.  

——

MONDAY 18TH MAY 2026

 

13:30 | Cadenhead’s Warehouse Tasting – Festival Edition 1 | £50.00 |

Our first festival edition Cadenhead’s Warehouse Tasting. This tasting will be repeated every day from Monday to Saturday, times varying. Enjoy six exceptional whiskies drawn straight from the cask within our bonded warehouse on Bolgam Street. These whiskies have been specially selected for the 2026 Campbeltown Malts Festival. Three of these whiskies will be available to purchase at the end, exclusively to those attending the tasting.  

 

This tasting will be available to book on Eventbrite from Wednesday 18th February at 14:00 (GMT). 

 

15:00 | Local Barley Farm Tour 1 | £40.00 |

Following the success of our Local Barley Farm Tours in 2025, we are once again joining forces with David Young and his team at Glencraigs Farm. David Young, a fourth-generation farmer at Glencraigs Farm has grown barley for Springbank on several occasions, and his grain was used for some of our most recent Local Barley editions.

Accompanied by a member of our sales team, you will go on an excursion to the farm to learn about this popular whisky series and the process of growing barley on Scotland’s West Coast. You will also enjoy some Local Barley new make spirit and three drams of Local Barley. 

Please note that, due to the time of year, the barley will be in its early stages of growth and will appear short and green. The duration is approximately 1.5 hours. Mini bus is included – pick up and drop off will be from the Springbank Distillery car park.

 

This excursion will be available to book on Eventbrite from Wednesday 18th February at 14:00 (GMT). 

 

18:30 | Springbank Charity BBQ & Tasting | £500.00 | 

Hosted by Sales Director, Ranald Watson, our Campbeltown Malts Festival Charity Tasting returns for a third time, once again thanks to the generosity of Mr Peter Greve, who has opened the doors of his private collection for us to enjoy. All of the proceeds from this tasting will be distributed to charities and good causes in Campbeltown and South Kintyre, many of which rely on such support in order to survive. Beneficiaries from previous tastings include Campbeltown Lifeboat, our primary and secondary schools, local charity Shopperaide, our essential air ambulance and many more.

 

The 2026 tasting lineup is in the process of being confirmed – keep an eye on our social media for the full list over the next few days. If the words and numbers “Longrow”, “Samaroli” and “1972” “Chieftain’s” or “sherry butt” mean anything to you, then this might just be the tasting to sign up for. We’re also organising a delicious pre-tasting barbecue for this year’s event featuring local seafood, fillet steak and plenty other tasty options. It’s May, it’s Campbeltown, of course the sun will be shining…but fear ye not, we’ve got a backup plan just in case!

 

This event is very limited with only 30 tickets available. Tickets will be available to book via www.springbank.scot from Wednesday 11th February at 14:00 (GMT).

 

TUESDAY 19TH MAY 2026

 

13:30 | Cadenhead’s Warehouse Tasting – Festival Edition 2 | £50.00 |

The second opportunity to take part in our exclusive festival edition Cadenhead’s Warehouse Tasting. Enjoy six exceptional whiskies drawn straight from the cask within our bonded warehouse on Bolgam Street. These whiskies have been specially selected for the 2026 Campbeltown Malts Festival. Three of these whiskies will be available to purchase at the end, exclusively to those attending the tasting. 

 

This tasting will be available to book on Eventbrite from Wednesday 18th February at 14:00 (GMT). 

 

15:00 | Local Barley Farm Tour 2 | £40.00 |

Following the success of our Local Barley Farm Tours in 2025, we are once again joining forces with David Young and his team at Glencraigs Farm. David Young, a fourth-generation farmer at Glencraigs Farm has grown barley for Springbank on several occasions, and his grain was used for some of our most recent Local Barley editions.

Accompanied by a member of our sales team, you will go on an excursion to the farm to learn about this popular whisky series and the process of growing barley on Scotland’s West Coast. You will also enjoy some Local Barley new make spirit and three drams of Local Barley. 

Please note that, due to the time of year, the barley will be in its early stages of growth and will appear short and green. The duration is approximately 1.5 hours. Mini bus is included – pick up and drop off will be from the Springbank Distillery car park.

 

This excursion will be available to book on Eventbrite from Wednesday 18th February at 14:00 (GMT). 

 

WEDNESDAY 20TH MAY 2026

 

13:30 | Cadenhead’s Warehouse Tasting – Festival Edition 3 | £50.00 |

A further opportunity to take part in our exclusive festival edition Cadenhead’s Warehouse Tasting. Enjoy six exceptional whiskies drawn straight from the cask within our bonded warehouse on Bolgam Street. These whiskies have been specially selected for the 2026 Campbeltown Malts Festival. Three of these whiskies will be available to purchase at the end, exclusively to those attending the tasting. 

 

This tasting will be available to book on Eventbrite from Wednesday 18th February at 14:00 (GMT). 

 

18:00 | The Old Bottling Hall Dinner | £300.00 |

Our annual Malt Barns Dinner is having an exciting relocation for 2026 and will take place in our current (soon to be “old”) Bottling Hall building. The dinner will take place on Wednesday 20th May at 18:00. 

 

Guests will be welcomed with a champagne reception, accompanied by a range of locally sourced canapés. A member of the production team will then hand draw a selection of whiskies straight from the cask. Guests will vote for their favourite dram with the most popular being bottled on the evening. Each guest will receive a 70cl bottle of the winning choice upon departure. A meal will then be served with a specially selected wine to accompany each course. There will be a set menu on the evening. 

 

The cost of our Old Bottling Hall Dinner is £300.00. As heavily requested in recent years, due to high interest, tickets for the dinner will be sold via ballot this year. The ballot will open on Wednesday 11th February at 14:00 (GMT) via www.springbank.scot. The ballot will remain open for 48 hours and winners will be selected and notified shortly after. Further information and links to the ballot page will be sent on Wednesday 11th February.

 

THURSDAY 21ST MAY 2026

Springbank Open Day

 

The Springbank Open Day will commence at 10:00. We will be offering a range of tastings, as detailed below, as well as free distillery tours of Springbank and Kilkerran throughout the day, a range of local craft and food stalls, exclusive festival bottlings, festival bars, live music and more. Events will conclude at 18:30.

 

The tastings taking place during the Springbank Open Day (excluding events which are only bookable on the day) will be available to book on Eventbrite from Wednesday 18th February at 14:00 (GMT). Details of each can be found below:

 

11:00 | The Longrow Tasting | £40.00 |

It’s time for Longrow to take centre stage in this tasting hosted by a member of the Springbank sales team, who will guide you through a range of Longrows, exploring a variety of expressions and detailing the process of producing this peated malt here at Springbank. 

 

11:00 | The Art (and Science) of Malting | £40.00 |

Ok, let’s do this one last time… back by popular demand, we are rebooting the ‘Art (and Science)’ series, this time in chronological production order. Join Production Director Findlay Ross and Bottling Operations Manager Lea Watson as they take you through the wonderful world of malting – from steeping through to kilning, with an in depth look at how we do things at Springbank, all alongside some hand picked drams.

 

12:15 | Springbank Warehouse Tasting 1 | £40.00 |

A staple of the Springbank Open Day, the Springbank Warehouse tasting offers the chance to sample our whiskies directly from the casks, guided by a member of our production team. With casks selected specially for the festival, there are bound to be some gems in the line up.

 

12:15 | Live Malting Demonstration | Free |

Our live malting demonstration is an excellent opportunity to learn about our traditional malting process from a member of our production team. You may even get the chance to turn the barley yourself! Tickets are only available to book on the day so make sure you head straight for the ticket point to book.

 

13:00 | Cadenhead’s Archive Tasting | £200.00 |

Following the success of the last two years, we are delighted that the Cadenhead’s Archive Tasting will be returning for the 2026 Springbank Open Day. Experience an incredible lineup of 6 rare whiskies, selected from the depths of our archives.

 

13:00 | Springbank Tasting | £40.00 |

Join us for a tasting exploring the distinct range of malts produced here at Springbank. This tasting will have a portion of tickets available online, and the rest set aside for purchase at the Open Day.

 

14:00 | Springbank Cage Bottles Tasting | £40.00 |

Staff from our distillery shop and sales team have selected some of their favourite bottlings from the famous distillery shop cage, and look forward to sharing these exclusive, unique drams at the cage bottles tasting. 

 

14:15 | Springbank Warehouse Tasting 2 | £40.00 |

A staple of the Springbank Open Day, the Springbank Warehouse tasting offers the chance to sample our whiskies directly from the casks, guided by a member of our production team. With casks selected specially for the festival, there are bound to be some gems in the line up.

 

14:15 | Live Malting Demonstration | Free |

Our live malting demonstration is an excellent opportunity to learn about our traditional malting process from a member of our production team. You may even get the chance to turn the barley yourself! Tickets are only available to book on the day so make sure you head straight for the ticket point to book.

 

14:30 | Cadenhead’s Warehouse Tasting – Festival Edition 4 | £50.00 |

Another opportunity to take part in our exclusive festival edition Cadenhead’s Warehouse Tasting. Enjoy six exceptional whiskies drawn straight from the cask within our bonded warehouse on Bolgam Street. These whiskies have been specially selected for the 2026 Campbeltown Malts Festival. Three of these whiskies will be available to purchase at the end, exclusively to those attending the tasting. 

 

16:00 | Springbank; New & Forthcoming Releases | £40.00 |

Each year the new and forthcoming tasting offers attendees the opportunity to be among the first people to try some exciting new releases from the distillery. Previously including sought-after releases such as local barleys, vintages and sherry series editions, join us this year to see what we have in store. 

 

16:15 | Springbank Warehouse Tasting 3 | £40.00 |

A staple of the Springbank Open Day, the Springbank Warehouse tasting offers the chance to sample our whiskies directly from the casks, guided by a member of our production team. With casks selected specially for the festival, there are bound to be some gems in the line up.

 

FRIDAY 22ND MAY 2026

Kilkerran Open Day

 

Events will begin at Glengyle Distillery from 10:00. The day will feature a range of tastings, which are listed below, as well as free distillery tours of Kilkerran and Springbank, free tours of our brand new bottling & dispatch facility, local craft and food stalls, exclusive festival bottlings, the ever-popular Lucky Dip Bar, live music and more. Events will conclude at 18:30.

 

All tastings taking place during the Kilkerran Open Day will be available to book on Eventbrite from Wednesday 18th February at 14:00 (GMT). Details of each tasting can be found below:

 

11:00 | There’s a HOORA peat in that Kilkerran. Or is there? | £40.00 | 

A deeper look into the peated side of Kilkerran with Sales Director Ranald Watson: we’ll taste a variety of cask samples of varying ages and types to explore when the phenols are at their highest or most prominent and why that might be. Who knows, we might even do a comparison with J&A Mitchell’s other heavily peated spirit, Longrow, just for the fun of it.

 

11:00 | Kilkerran Blending Session 1 | £80.00 | 

If you fancy yourself a master blender, this is your chance to put your skills to the test by blending your own Kilkerran Single Malt from a selection of cask samples, which you will then fill into a 20cl bottle to take home and enjoy.

 

12:45 | Kilkerran Warehouse Tasting 1 | £40.00 | 

Hosted in one of our atmospheric warehouses by a member of the tours team, this tasting is a great opportunity to sample interesting Kilkerran expressions directly from the six casks on offer as part of our day-to-day distillery tastings, with the chance to purchase a 35cl bottle from each cask after the tasting. 

 

13:00 | The Cadenhead’s Tasting | £50.00 |

Join members of the Cadenhead’s Sales Team for an exploration of all things Cadenhead’s. This tasting will demonstrate the variety of distilleries, ages and cask types in our current stocks here in Campbeltown. In addition to these samples, there will also be the opportunity to sample our 2026 Campbeltown Malts Festival bottling. We hope to see you there!

 

13:30 | Kilkerran Blending Session 2 | £80.00 | 

If you fancy yourself a master blender, this is your chance to put your skills to the test by blending your own Kilkerran Single Malt from a selection of cask samples, which you will then fill into a 20cl bottle to take home and enjoy.

 

14:30 | Cadenhead’s Warehouse Tasting – Festival Edition 5 | £50.00 |

Another opportunity to take part in our exclusive festival edition Cadenhead’s Warehouse Tasting. Enjoy six exceptional whiskies drawn straight from the cask within our bonded warehouse on Bolgam Street. These whiskies have been specially selected for the 2026 Campbeltown Malts Festival. Three of these whiskies will be available to purchase at the end, exclusively to those attending the tasting. 

 

15:00 | The Big Kilkerran Tasting | £40.00 |

A big tasting for a small distillery, this tasting explores the wide range of Kilkerran styles produced in our short three months of annual production. Join the sales team to see what they have chosen to share from the distillery this year. 

 

16:15 | Kilkerran Warehouse Tasting 2 | £40.00 | 

Hosted in one of our atmospheric warehouses by a member of the tours team, this tasting is a great opportunity to sample interesting Kilkerran expressions directly from the six casks on offer as part of our day-to-day distillery tastings, with the chance to purchase a 35cl bottle from each cask after the tasting. 

 

16:15 | Clash of the Cocktails | £40.00 | 

They wanted a re-match, so back for a second year we have the clash of the cocktails tasting hosted by Cameron McGeachy, Ranald Watson and Findlay Ross, each presenting their own cocktail once again. Join us to see who will take the crown this year! 

 

SATURDAY 23RD MAY 2026

 

13:30 | Cadenhead’s Warehouse Tasting – Festival Edition 6 | £50.00 |

Our final event of the festival and the final chance to enjoy our exclusive 2026 festival edition Cadenhead’s Warehouse Tasting. Enjoy six exceptional whiskies drawn straight from the cask within our bonded warehouse on Bolgam Street. These whiskies have been specially selected for the 2026 Campbeltown Malts Festival. Three of these whiskies will be available to purchase at the end, exclusively to those attending the tasting. 

 

This tasting will be available to book on Eventbrite from Wednesday 18th February at 14:00 (GMT). 

 

ADDITIONAL EVENT INFORMATION

 

  • All tastings during the week are scheduled for 1 hour, with the exception of:
    • The Local Barley Farm Tours on Monday and Tuesday (1.5 hours)
    • The Springbank Warehouse Tastings on Thursday (45 minutes)
    • The Malting Demonstrations on Thursday (30 minutes)
    • The Kilkerran Blending Sessions on Friday (1.5 hours)
    • Please note our Monday and Wednesday evening events will also be considerably longer than 1 hour
  • Some of the tastings will overlap each day so please be aware of this when making your selections. 
  • We have a strict no refund policy, please only purchase tickets if you plan to attend.
  • All tasting and evening events are strictly for 18 and over and children of all ages will not be permitted entry into the dinner or tasting venues. 
  • Tasting locations will be shared when bookings commence.  
  • Tickets for events that are only bookable on Thursday are not available on Eventbrite and must be purchased from our ticket point at Springbank Distillery on the morning of the Open Day. 
  • You must present your QR code to gain entry into each tasting. 
  • In our continued effort to reduce plastic waste, we encourage attendees to bring reusable water bottles to the festival. We will have various water stations available to fill your bottles throughout the week. We also have branded water bottles available to purchase from our Springbank Distillery Shop and Cadenhead’s Whisky Shop.
  • If you have any accessibility concerns for our events or general enquiries, please email [email protected]

 

TABLE OF FESTIVAL EVENTS

AVAILABLE BY ADVANCE BOOKING

 

Nathan Currie

Author:

Nathan Currie

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *