THE SUNDAY SESSIONS

11.00AM - The Top Shelf
with Dave Broom & Michael Fraser Milne

1.45PM - Tasting Session #13: An Foursquare at the Forefront
with Richard Seale & Dave Broom

2.00PM - Tasting Session #14: The GlenAllachie Distillery
with Ronan Currie

2.00PM - Tasting Session #15:
Ardnamurchan Distillery
with Alex Bruce

2.00PM - A wee dram with… Jenna McIntosh
Wm. Cadenhead

3.00PM - A wee dram with… Patrick Newton
Waiheke Whisky

3.30PM - Tasting Session #16: The Scotch Malt Whisky Society
with Alec Hay

3.30PM - Tasting Session #17:
Kilchoman Distillery
with Anthony Wills

3.30PM - Tasting Session #18: Springbank Distillery
with David Allen

4.00PM - A wee dram with… Ross Blainey
Glenfiddich Distillery

5.00PM - A wee dram with…
Ian Renwick
The Glenturret Distillery

with Dave Broom (MQ) & Michael Fraser Milne (MQ)

These tastings will run each day for 1.5hrs, prior to the festival opening:
Friday 2.00pm - 3.30pm
Saturday 11.00am - 12.30pm
Sunday 11.00am - 12.30pm

$240pp

The Top Shelf returns to DramFest for 2025, and this year we are privileged to once again have this special session hosted by our very own Michael Fraser Milne and one of the world's foremost experts and authors on Scotch whisky, Dave Broom. Between them, they have over 40 years of experience in the whisky industry.

This is a unique opportunity to be guided through a tasting of some of the rarest bottles of liquid history available in the country, specially selected from the archives of Whisky Galore. A special tasting opportunity that is not to be missed!

Please note:
-This tasting will run prior to the official opening of DramFest
-It will run for 1.5hrs
-It will be held in Dobson Room 1 at the Te Pae Convention Centre
-It may feature some similar drams in the line-ups across the 3 days.

with David Allen, Jenna McIntosh & Fiona McFadyen
Friday 5.00pm - 5.45pm
$80

Our Campbeltown Trio Tasting are kicking off our first day at DramFest with a selection from the Springbank and Glengyle distilleries, alongside Scotland’s oldest independent bottlers, Wm. Cadenhead.

This unique tasting will boast some very special drams that the team have stowed in their baggage all the way from the wee ‘toon’ itself.

with David Fergusson
Friday 5:00pm - 5:45pm
$60

We are delighted to welcome David from the Lochlea Distillery in Ayrshire. The distillery boasts a barley to bottle approach to whisky making, with their own home-grown barley, long fermentation times and a meticulous attention to the cut of their spirit - this is not your average Lowland dram! David will be highlighting the signature style of the distillery via some special samples brought over from the distillery especially for DramFest - the perfect tasting to kick off day 1.

with William Dobbie
Friday 5.00pm - 5.45pm
$60

Founded in 2017, the Isle of Raasay distillery is the first legal producer of whisky on this remote inner Hebridean island. With a population of just 161 people on this tiny island (62 KM2), the establishment of this distillery created a number of jobs for the local community. William Dobbie, now Managing Director of the distillery, comes to his first DramFest with a selection of very special drams from Scotland to explore the classic West coast style of this up-and-coming distillery.

from Bladnoch Distillery
Friday 5.00pm - 5.30pm
$30

Shane has over 10 years working in the whisky industry and has been working with Bladnoch for the past 5 years. As Bladnoch is the only distillery in Scottish history to be privately owned by an Australian it felt fitting for him, a passionate Scotch whisky enthusiast, to represent the brand nationwide. He has brought along two very special limited-edition drams for this tasting which showcase the richer, more sherry cask influenced style that Bladnoch has to offer.

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from Starward Distillery
Friday 6.00pm - 6.30pm
$30

Starward Distillery was founded in 2004, and has since become one of the most acclaimed Australian whisky distilleries, with its modern approach to cask maturation, creative blending and its commitment to sourcing local.

As Head Distiller & Head Blender at Starward, Carlie oversees all aspects of liquid production, from distillation to bottling. She will have a couple of cracker distillery bottlings on offer, which we bet you haven’t tried yet!

from Springbank Disitllery
Friday 7.00pm - 7.30pm
$45

Easily one of Scotland’s most iconic distilleries, Springbank is resolutely ‘old-school’ - not just in the style of its whisky, but the very way in which it is made and produced, on the far flung tip of the Kintyre Peninsula on Scotland’s West coast.

Returning for his 6th DramFest, David will be showcasing 2 different varieties of the iconic Springbank style, which include limited and upcoming releases that have not yet to hit our shores. After 10 years at the distillery, we are always delighted to have David’s knowledge and experience at the Fest - a tasting not to be missed!

from Michter’s Distillery
Saturday 3:00pm - 3:30pm
$45

Headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, Michter's has a rich and long legacy of offering traditional American whiskeys of uncompromising quality and was voted ‘Most Admired Whisky 2024’. With each of its limited production offerings aged to its peak maturity, Michter's highly acclaimed portfolio includes bourbon, rye, and American whiskey. Ethan, their Asia Pacific Sales Director has selected a couple of rather special bottlings for this session, showcasing some of their aged expressions.

with Matt Johns
Saturday 3:30pm - 4:15pm
$60

Matt has worked in the Global Whisky Industry for over 25 years, and together with his wife Celine, he founded the Pōkeno Whisky Company in 2017.  Dedicated to crafting only the finest single malts out of his local Waikato ingredients, Matt and the team pride themselves in creating innovative and creative whiskies, which are a reflection of the culture and climate of Aotearoa New Zealand. He is bringing down some very special expressions for this tasting, including a world first Totara cask matured whisky, using a cask created from windfall by their own Cooper, Mike Tawse.

with Jenna Mcintosh
Saturday 3:30pm - 4:15pm
$75

Jenna McIntosh comes to us from Scotland’s oldest independent bottler, Wm. Cadenhead Ltd, who were founded over 180 years ago in 1842. With roots going back to the early days of the commercial availability of single malts, Cadenhead have a unique history and a selection of old casks, alongside a newly developed cask finishing program. Jenna is joining us for her second DramFest, and brings with her some very exciting cask samples from the depths of their Campbeltown warehouses. 

with Richard Seale
Saturday 3:30pm - 4:15pm
$60

Not only is Richard a Master Distiller, he is also the fourth-generation member of the Seale family to work in the family rum business, and was key in founding the now widely renowned Foursquare Distillery in Barbados.

As one of the most respected distillers of our time, we look forward to welcoming his wealth of experience to the DramFest Sessions. He’s bringing some very special samples from the distillery for this tasting - an opportunity to gain some real insight into one of the world’s leading rum distillery’s.

from Mitchell’s Glengyle (Kilerran)
Saturday 4.00pm - 4.30pm
$30

Home to the Kilkerran Single Malt, the Glengyle distillery of Campbeltown was re-established in 2004 after its closure in the early 1920’s. Owned by J & A Mitchell of Springbank fame, Glengyle’s production runs for only a limited time each year, keeping this distillery one of Scotland’s best kept secrets. Fiona will be travelling all the way from Campbeltown, showcasing some of the characterful drams made by hand at Glengyle including an exclusive single cask, and a future distillery release.

representing Appleton Rum Distillery
Saturday 5.00pm - 5.30pm
$35

With over 15 years of experience in the hospitality industry across the UK, Australia, and New Zealand, Matt brings a wealth of knowledge to DramFest, including a passion for all things rum!

His expertise in the industry has led him to explore the intricacies of the rum category extensively - with this, he will be delving in to the Appleton's brand, highlighting what makes Appleton's so unique, whilst introducing an exciting new release from the Hearts’ range, and the fascinating story behind the recreation of the Wray and Nephew 17-year-old rum.

with Richard Seale & Dave Broom
Sunday 1.45pm - 2.45pm
$80

Dave Broom talks to Master Distiller and Owner of Foursquare Distillery, Richard Seale about all things Rum. Foursquare has been iconic in the development of the category, and Richard has gained worldwide acclaim from not just Rum drinkers, but those in the whisky industry who consider him to be one of “the greatest distillers in the world”.

They’ll take you through a selection of very special cask samples all the way from Barbados, discussing everything from molasses, stills, blending, casks and the rum industry in the region. This is a very exclusive, not to be missed tasting!

with Ronan Currie
Sunday 2.00pm - 2.45pm
$75

The revival of the GlenAllachie distillery by legendary master blender Billy Walker in 2017 has seen this little-known distillery launched into widespread acclaim and popularity.

Since joining The GlenAllachie Distillery in 2019, Ronan has played a pivotal role in the distillery's continued success. As Assistant Blender, under the tutelage of world-renowned Master Blender Billy Walker,  he oversees the creation of GlenAllachie's distinctive single malt whiskies while also driving the brand's growth and market presence. We are delighted to have him host a line-up of sensational cask samples all the way from Scotland.

with Alex Bruce
Sunday 2.00pm - 2.45pm
$75

The Hon. Alex Bruce, Master of the Quaich, is the managing director of Adelphi, one of Scotland's premier independent bottlers, as well as the Ardnamurchan distillery. Alex is one of the world's most respected whisky personalities and long-time supporter and friend of the New Zealand whisky scene.
He will be chatting a bit about the exciting work taking place at the Ardnamurchan distillery and showcasing its exceptional award-winning spirit, which whisky writer Dave Broom has described as "a complex whisky that seems to have come from a different time and yet, being completely contemporary". The line-up consists of some exclusive cask samples from the Ardnamurchan warehouses, which are not to be missed!

from Wm Cadenhead Ltd.
Sunday 2.00pm - 2.30pm
$35

Jenna McIntosh comes to us from Scotland’s oldest independent bottler, Wm. Cadenhead Ltd, who were founded over 180 years ago in 1842. With roots going back to the early days of the commercial availability of single malts, Cadenhead have a unique history and a selection of old casks, alongside a newly developed cask finishing program. Jenna is joining us for her second DramFest, and brings with her some very exciting cask samples from the depths of their Campbeltown warehouses. 

from Waiheke Whisky
Sunday 3.00pm - 3.30pm
$30

Transitioning from a 20 year career in winemaking to the art of distillation, Patrick has made all of the award winning whisky as the Head Distiller at Waiheke Whisky. He will present the single cask trophy-winner Waiheke Whisky Bog Monster, a peated whisky distilled in 2015 on the small stills we built ourselves. He will also present the 'next' Bog Monster - a 14-month-old barrel sample, created with help from Master Distiller Alan Winchester, from our new stills made by Speyside Copperworks in Scotland. This is a rare chance to try a new liquid and hear Pat talk about the plans for Waiheke Whisky into the future, and why New Zealand Peat is key to our story and the story for NZ Whisky to take to the world stage. 

with Alec Hay
Sunday 3.30pm - 4.15pm
$75

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society is Scotland’s leading members-only whisky club, founded in 1983 in Edinburgh. As an independent bottler, they offer one of the broadest range of distilleries, from the oldest names in Scotch to some of the newest.

This tasting see’s a familiar face to Whisky Galore, Alec Hay, who has temporarily returned to the whisky fold to present a stunning line up of drams from the SMWS shelves for DramFest weekend - it includes a very special old peated Highland malt - a tasting not to be missed!

with Anthony Wills
Sunday 3.30pm - 4.15pm
$75

The Kilchoman distillery was founded by Anthony and Kathy Wills on the Isle of Islay in 2005. Now, in its 20th year of production, Kilchoman is considered one of the stalwarts of the Scotch whisky industry and their 100% Islay is a reality. A familiar face for many, Anthony has been attending DramFest since its inception in 2007 and we always welcome his huge wealth of knowledge to the festival. He has drawn three cask samples from the warehouses on Islay to share with you for this very special session.

Please note: this tasting will feature the same line up of drams as the Kilchoman tasting #6 on Friday.

with David Allen
Sunday 3.30pm - 4.15pm
$80

Easily one of Scotland’s most iconic distilleries, Springbank is resolutely ‘old-school’ - not just in the style of its whisky, but the very way in which it is made and produced, on the far-flung tip of the Kintyre Peninsula on Scotland’s West coast.

Returning for his 6th DramFest, David will be showcasing 2 different varieties of the iconic Springbank style, which include upcoming releases that have not yet to hit our shores. After 10 years at the distillery, we are always delighted to have David’s knowledge and experience at the Fest - a tasting not to be missed!

from Glenfiddich Distillery
Sunday 4.00pm - 4.30pm
$55

Joining us for his 3rd DramFest Ross Blainey, Ambassador for Glenfiddich will be sharing some very special drams from this iconic William Grant & Sons distillery. Ross, originally from Scotland, has pulled out the stops once again for this spectacular mini session, selecting the Glenfiddich 23 years old Grand Cru and Glenfiddich 26 years old Grande Couronne for the line-up - what an absolute treat!

from The Glenturret Distillery
Sunday 5.00pm - 5.30pm
$35

Hailing from the small village of Crieff lies Scotland’s oldest licensed distillery that’s still in operation, with records dating all the way back to 1756.

Ian has been involved in all aspects of the Distillery’s production since he began at the The Glenturret nearly 20 years ago. Now in his role as Distillery Director he oversees the creation of New Make Spirit through to warehousing and bottling. He will be bringing along some exclusive cask samples from the distillery to showcase at this tasting - an opportunity to gain some real insight into this iconic Highland Distillery.