From Brazil to Bali, Colombia to Cambodia, World Whisky Day was toasted in more countries than ever before this year. Tens of thousands of whisky fans raised a dram on Saturday 16 May with more than 170 events registered in 48 different countries.
For the first time World Whisky Day, a truly global celebration of whisky in all its forms, was also celebrated on every continent, including the most inhospitable place on Earth – Antarctica. Researchers from the Australian Antarctic Division enjoyed a celebratory whisky tasting session at Davis Station in the east of the continent and another at Mawson Station.
Elsewhere in the world, around 300 hardy whisky fans enjoyed a tasting 2,000 feet up Aonach Mor in the Highlands, courtesy of Ben Nevis Distillery. Across the Atlantic, Mexico City’s first whisky bar held a full day of whisky tastings and pairings. Even superstar and Haig Club ambassador, David Beckham, got in on the act appearing on US TV show Jimmy Kimmel Live! in celebration of World Whisky Day and taking an ‘ugly selfie’ which went viral.
The Twittersphere was abuzz with whisky fans all over the globe sharing updates of where they were and what they were dramming. There were more than 7,900 uses of #WorldWhiskyDay in 24 hours, resulting in an estimated reach of more than 11,300,000.
Our favourite tweets included those from Dr Harpley Bear, who wrote a song for World Whisky Day on Storify, and the National Trust for Scotland’s archaeology team, who marked the day by surveying an illicit whisky still in Ben Lomond. One of the day’s most retweeted posts came from Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who added her support tweeting: “It’s great to see an iconic Scottish product bringing so many people around the world together.”
World Whisky Day coincided with Scotland’s Year of Food and Drink, a Scottish Government initiative led by VisitScotland, EventScotland and Scotland Food & Drink that celebrates the country’s exceptional produce.
James Wither, Chief Executive of Scotland Food & Drink, said: “I am delighted that World Whisky Day has once again been a success, each year the celebration goes from strength to strength. With 2015 being Scotland’s Year of Food and Drink and May being Whisky Month, World Whisky Day continues to be a great platform to highlight and promote Scotland’s iconic national drink, our culture and our traditions throughout the world.”
World Whisky Day Founder, Blair Bowman, added: “World Whisky Day just keeps getting bigger and better. To see it grow from a simple idea to something which has spread across all seven continents and is bringing together thousands of people to celebrate whisky is such a thrill.”