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FNB Whisky Live offers tastings and workshops on the beverage, which is gaining in popularity around the world as a cocktail and dinner drink.
VISITORS to this year's FNB Whisky Live Festival have been promised value for money, with various workshops hosted by a number of whisky experts.
The three-day festival starts on 12 November at the Sandton Convention Centre. While tastings are certainly a big part of the event, workshops will give visitors the opportunity to learn about what it takes to make a good whisky.
"A key objective of the FNB Whisky Live Festival is to demystify whisky by showing visitors what's behind its complexity and what differentiates the extensive range of whisky now available from each other," explains one of the festival's organisers, Karen Chaloner.
There will be two types of workshops - the first will consist of 12 in-depth lessons presented by different whisky companies; the second will be a mini-presentation hosted whisky distiller Dewars.
"Visitors to this year's festivals, which are taking place in Cape Town and Johannesburg, will be able to fulfil their curiosity and craving for whisky knowledge with a choice of 12 interesting workshops hosted by international master distillers, global brand ambassadors and whisky experts," says Sian Neubert, another of the festival's organisers.
"At these workshops, attendees can taste whiskies that are unavailable in the main tasting hall and possibly even in South Africa."
Dewars Art of Blending Zone, the mini-workshop, is a new addition to this year's festival - Whisky Live is an annual outing. It will focus on the art of blending whisky.
"We'll cover numerous aspects of blending," says Richard Irwin, Dewars' South African ambassador. "We'll show consumers how blends are made, how certain tastes are produced, and what makes a good blend."
A maximum of 15 people will be able to attend each session, of which there will be two a day. They will on a first-come-first-served basis, at no extra cost.
More than 180 local and international whiskies will be available, including Scottish, Irish, Welsh, American, South African, Japanese, and Indian labels.
New whiskies and whisky-based liqueurs will be launched at Whisky Live, including pink whisky, a range of Japanese drinks, and a collection of independent bottlings presented by Whisky Magazine.
"Whisky" refers to a liquor made from fermented grain mash. It includes Scottish, Irish, and Tennessee whisky and bourbon. However, all these types of whisky differ in character. For example, Scottish whisky is generally distilled twice and made from malts and grains, which ensures bolder, more full-bodied characters.
Irish whiskey is usually triple distilled and made from malt, giving it smoother and lighter characteristics than Scotch. American bourbon and Canadian whisky are made from either rye or corn and are filtered through sugar maple coal for a unique and decidedly different flavour.
Traditionally, food has been paired with wine - such as white wine with fish and red wine with game; the same food and drink pairings can be made with whisky, which can also be learned at the festival.
"The emergence of modern whisky-based cocktails, the growing popularity of whisky dinners and tastings, and the increasing prevalence of whisky being used to prepare or accompany food is signalling a revolution in people's love for the drink," reads the festival's press release.
FNB Whisky Live is at the Sandton Convention Centre from 12 to 14 November. Doors open at 6pm and close at 10pm daily; no people under the age of 18 years old will be allowed to attend.
Tickets are R150 each, while workshop tickets are R95 each; combo tickets, which give access to the tasting hall and one workshop, are R225 each. Tickets are available at Computicket, on 083 915 8000 or 011 340 8000, or through the Computicket website and there are group discounts for 10 or more people.
What's in a name
Whisky derives from the Gaelic word for "water" (uisce or uisge), and is called in full uisge-beatha (in Scotland) or uisce beatha (Ireland), meaning "water of life".
The spelling of the word is also important, as it is a clue to the drink's origin. At one time, all whisky was spelled without the extra "e", as "whisky". In the late 19th century, however, Irish and American distilleries adopted the spelling "whiskey", with the extra "e", to distinguish their product from Scottish whisky.
Today, the spelling whisky is generally used for whiskies distilled in Scotland, Wales, Canada, and Japan, while whiskey is used for the spirits distilled in Ireland and the United States, despite a 1968 government directive specifying "whisky" as the official American spelling.
"Scotch" is the common term for whisky made in Scotland.
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