THE 2009 FNB WHISKY LIVE FESTIVAL

November is without doubt WHISKY MONTH! The FNB Whisky Live Festival returns to CAPE TOWN and JOHANNESBURG with its annual showcase of whiskies from around the world. Dates to diarise are Cape Town - Wednesday, 4th November to Friday,6th November and Johannesburg - Wednesday, 11th November to Saturday, 14th November. Such has been the overwhelming success of the event; the organisers have added an additional day to the Joburg festival.

Education has always been the key theme to the Festival. This year the BACK TO BASICS ZONE will become the educational hub of the Tasting Hall with the addition of THE MACALLAN MATURATION ZONE and the SCHWEPPES ART OF WHISKY COCKTAIL ZONE. Led by whisky experts, these zones will give the consumer the opportunity to interact with whisky connoisseurs and learn more about the basics instrinics of whisky through visual flavour maps, live demonstrations of the distillation process, tactile experiences such as smelling the peat and feeling the barley and grain as well as informal discussions on the importance of wood in the maturation process. Schweppes will also be running three workshops in association with Liquidchefs demonstrating the art of whisky cocktail making.

An integral part of the festival has always been the WHISKY WORKSHOPS which have consistently been voted "the best learning experience/best value for money at the show". These one hour tutorials, lead by experts have the knack of explaining whisky jargon in simple everyday language and it is your chance to taste unique whiskies not generally available in the Tasting Hall. Take advantage of the COMBO PACKAGE which entitles you to entry to the TASTING HALL and a WORKSHOP of your choice. International distillers at this year's show include the likes of legendary raconteur Richard Paterson from Whyte and Mackay, Billy Walker, owner and distiller from BenRiach, and of course, our official ambassador for the FNB WHISKY LIVE FESTIVAL, the master of whisky storytelling, Dave Broom. Click here to view Whisky workshops

The LEXUS CONNOISSEUR EXPERIENCE - the ULTIMATE GUIDED TOUR, offering a chauffeur, a personalised guided tour of "hand selected whiskies", followed by dinner in the Lexus Lifestyle Lounge, will be returning to the Festival - book early. Only two tours per night. Ten people per tour. To see full Lexus tour itinerary click here

THE WHISKY (LEXUS) LIFESTYLE LOUNGE will once again provide the perfect exclusive forum for client entertainment or simply meeting up with like-minded friends - a private lounge offering dinner, whisky cocktails and special tastings conducted by a whisky host. Package price: R495 per person.
A limited release of a specially labelled Whisky Live Festival bottling will also be available this year.

Another new introduction this year will WHISKY MAGAZINE's WORLD WHISKY AWARDS - a selection of some of the award winning whiskies as voted by Whisky Magazine in March this year. Winning whiskies include: Highland Park 21YO, Wild Turkey American Honey, Compass Box Hedonism, Taketsuru 21YO and the World best new release - the Highland Park 40YO. The very popular Independent Bottler's Challenge will also be showcased this year. New releases to look out for are the Compass Box Orangie Liqueur, the Glava Liqueur, extended ranges on the Highland Park, the Glendronach and Islay Mist.

By Word of Mouth caterers are back on board this year for the Johannesburg show with a fantastic food offering whilst Cape Town Convention Centre will also have a deli available to ensure you don't go hungry. Included in this year's ticket price is a R10.00 food voucher - this event is after all about drinking responsibly so do ensure you eat well, drink lots of Valpre water and take advantage of the dedicated driver ticket. Cabs will be available on site.

For the full ticket packages click here. Avoid the queues and book online through Webtickets. Bookings are now open. Limted tickets will be available at the door.