So why does whisky deserve its own festival?

Showcasing whiskies from all around the world, the FNB Whisky Live Festival has grown into the largest, liveliest whisky and lifestyle event of its kind, attracting more visitors and brands than any other whisky festival – globally.

We list five reasons why whisky deserves its own festival:

1. With whisky older is not necessarily better. According to experts, whiskies do not mature in the bottle, only in the cask, so the “age” of a whisky is only the time between distillation and bottling. From this we can gather that the best time to drink that bottle of whisky is now.

2. Whisky is the only spirit where the spelling of the name has split the world in two. The spelling whisky is generally used in Canada, Japan, Scotland, and Wales, while whiskey is more common in Ireland and the United States. In South Africa, however, we'll take any whisky/whiskey you've got.

3. It is delightfully poetic. The word whisky is derived from the the Gaelic word “usquebaugh”, meaning “Water of Life”. It also has the most wonderful brand names: Laphroaig, Glenfarclas, Glenlivet Nadurra, Tullamore Dew.

4. It has inspired some great songs most notably Whiskey in the Jar as done by Metallica and Alabama Song (Whiskey Bar) by The Doors.

5. We all need an antidote to wine snobs. Most whisky drinkers don’t harp on about the bouquet and where the grain was grown. Whisky also beats wine when it comes to value for money - given that unlike a bottle of wine you can work your way through it over a period of months or even years. And it tops other spirits in that a good whisky is great all by itself without being mixed with anything. Give the chaser to the teetotallers and enjoy. - IOL

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