"The response we have had from visitors and exhibitors is that this year's event was our best show ever," said Sian Neubert, co-organiser of the FNB Whisky Live Festival. "The exhibitors really raised the bar with their stands and what they had on offer for visitors, which created a great premium experience.
"We introduced a number of new zones including the Pick n Pay Food and Whisky Pairing Zone and the Glen Grant Distillation Zone, all of which made for a highly educational and interactive show," she said.
The festival was designed to take both whisky connoisseurs and novices on a journey through the allure, origins, flavours and history of whisky. And the organisers of the event believe that they have succeeded in breaking away from the conventional exhibition-style show to showcase a fresh take on the world of whisky.
"Although this show has never been a numbers game and more about the quality of the experience, we are thrilled to report a substantial increase in visitor numbers overall, which speaks volumes about the growing popularity that whisky is enjoying in South Africa," said festival co-organiser, Karen Chaloner.
The success of this year's FNB Whisky Live Festival is mirroring global whisky trends - with nine out of Scotch Whisky's top 10 export markets growing in value over the first six months of 2010, according to new figures published by The Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) earlier this month.
South Africa, is now the sixth-largest importer of Scotch whisky by value in the world, growing at 44%.
"In our ongoing efforts to demystify whisky and make it more accessible to a wider audience, it's encouraging to see that the number of younger attendees and women has markedly increased across the different cultures that make up our country. Over 18 000 visitors came to discover the mystery surrounding whisky," Chaloner said.
"Workshops were more in demand this year whilst the Lexus Whisky Lifestyle Lounge and the Lexus Tours were both sold out before doors even opened."
The ninth FNB Whisky Live Festival will take place from 2 to 4 November, 2011, in Cape Town and from 9 to 11 November, 2011, in Johannesburg.
For more information, go to www.whiskylivefestival.co.za - or e-mail [[contact@whiskylivefestival.co.za]
