What's new at Festival this year.

•  Purchase a bottle of Laphroaig, visit the stand to learn how you can claim your very own piece of Scotland, a square foot of land at the Laphroaig distillery in Islay. At the same time, enter the Laphroaig competition and stand a chance of winning a trip for two to Scotland. You can also sample the Laphroaig 18 year old – which will be available in South Africa for the first time at the festival.
• Purchase a bottle of Maker’s Mark, take it to the stand and dip it in its trademark red wax. This special bottle will also have a label stating that it was dipped by you at Whisky Live Festival!
• Sample a “home grown” dram:  Moritz Kallmeyer, owner and distiller the Draymans Highveld Single Malt Whisky, will be launching the first ever Single Malt produced and matured entirely on the Highveld of South Africa.
• Tantalise your taste buds: The Pick ‘n Pay Food and Whisky Pairing Zone is showcasing the fine art of pairing the sublime flavours of whisky with the intricate taste of fresh oysters, salmon, handmade chocolates, Italian meats, chocolate, and French cheeses.
• Meet the Master: Master Distiller, Dennis Malcolm of Glen Grant will be hosting two workshops every evening in Johannesburg, taking you through an interactive informal workshop on understanding the significance of copper stills in the whisky distillation process in the Glen Grant Distillation Zone.
• Get into ‘the zone’: Global Ambassadors from The Macallan return to demonstrate the importance of wood in The Macallan Maturation Zone, which will provide visitors with a fascinating insight into the affect wood has on the colour and flavours of The Macallan range.
• Whip up wicked whisky cocktails: The team from Schweppes and LiquidChefs will be returning with a bigger and more flamboyant whisky cocktail making area, challenging you to rustle up you own whisky cocktail creations.
• Download the first ever festival app: The Whisky Live application, in association with CORE GROUP, the Apple Authorised distributors for Southern Africa, will be available to Whiskey Lovers soon. It can be downloaded onto iPhones, iPod Touches or iPads, will give you a comprehensive guide to the whiskies available for tasting, indicate where they are situated in the tasting hall and furthermore, categorise the whiskies by flavour, enabling you to discover more whiskies that suit your palate.
• Meet Ian MacMillan, master distiller and blender of Bunnahabhain, a name synonymous with the best in single malts and experience a private tasting at the Cape Town festival. For the Johannesburg show, Ian will only be available for the first evening (10 November) after which esteemed whisky connoisseur and Master of the Quaich, Pierre Meintjes, will conduct the private tastings. MacMillan, who has over 35 years’ experience in whisky distilling and blending, will incorporate the rich history and unique characteristics of Bunnahabhain’s three single malts, which he produces on the Isle of Islay, during the private tastings. Bookings for the private tastings need to be made on the evening at the Bunnahabhain stand during Whisky Live.
•  Go on...treat yourself! The much sought-after Lexus Whisky Lifestyle Lounge will once again provide the perfect setting for networking and client entertainment or simply meeting up with like-minded friends in relaxed and enjoyable surroundings. The lounge, which is situated within the Tasting Hall, will for the first time ever host the addition of The Whisky Boutique Bar, offering a selection of approximately six premium whiskies not available in the Tasting Hall.   This new unique deluxe whisky experience will be hosted by world whisky experts Rob Allanson, Editor of Whisky Magazine, and Dave Broom, international award winning whisky writer.