Scotland’s far north and most northerly section of the North Coast 500 is serving up a feast of food and drink events in autumn, supported by Venture North, the destination management organisation for Caithness and Sutherland.
The initiative is being geared towards promoting reasons to visit and explore Caithness and Sutherland from October to March, showcasing areas that are less impacted by over-tourism and can accommodate visitors in the quieter season, as well as highlighting the long-established relationship between tourism and wellbeing.
Food and drink lovers of all ages can look forward to a heart-warming menu of Highland food and drink, cooking demonstrations by local chefs, distillery and brewery tours. It includes the Dornoch Whisky Festival (28th-30th October), ‘Taste North’ in Wick (6th November), as well as ‘The Far North Spirits & Beer Festival’, an inaugural spirits and beer festival taking place across Scotland’s ‘far north’ throughout November.
Individual businesses and venues taking part in the line-up of events include Dunnet Bay Distillery near Thurso, 8 Doors Distillery at John O’Groats and The Carnegie Whisky Cellars in Dornoch.
Cathy Earnshaw is Destination Strategy Manager for Venture North and leads the Tourism Recovery Strategy for Caithness and Sutherland. She said, “One of the key focus areas in our Tourism Destination Recovery Strategy is to support and develop events and festivals that encourage people to enjoy and visit Caithness and Sutherland outwith the main summer season, and to encourage visitors to explore less populated parts of the region.
“We have been building a range of themed visitor itineraries to showcase the region over the autumn and winter, including ‘Explore’, ‘Adventure’, ‘Breath’ and ‘Enjoy’. At this time of year, we have some globally recognised food and drink events to enjoy, including the Dornoch Whisky Festival in October and Taste North in November.
“We’re also excited to be supporting the inaugural Far North Spirits & Beer Festival throughout November, which is a locally-led initiative to showcase the up-and-coming spirits and beer products and experiences in Caithness and the far north.
“I’m delighted to see that the far north is now firmly establishing itself as a world-class leader for spirits and beer that’s worth celebrating.”
Lou Rollason from the Dornoch Whisky Festival, said, “We’re so excited that the Dornoch Whisky Festival is coming back in full force for 2022. This year we’ll be continuing to work with some fantastic brands and do some great collaborations between them and our local businesses. It’s such a delightful wee festival emphasising knowledge and learning, regardless of someone’s experience in whisky.
“Since October is such a beautiful time of year in the Highlands, we love that we play a small part in the Highland calendar to encourage people to visit outside of the summer rush.
For more information about the Dornoch Whisky Festival visit https://dornochwhiskyfestival.com
For more information about Taste North, visit www.venture-north.co.uk/taste-north
For more information on some of the best food and drink venues, events and activities in Sutherland and Caithness this autumn and winter, including ‘The Far North Spirits & Beer Festival’, visit www.venture-north.co.uk/events.