A Dram Good Whisky Festival: Why a Trip to the Angus Coast is Essential This June
There is a very specific type of dread reserved for the seasoned spirits lover, and it looks, feels and smells like an indoor drinks festival. We’ve all been there. You pay rather too much to wander around a fluorescent-lit conference hall or a drafty civic centre, juggling a tiny plastic glass while rubbing shoulders with a man (and yes, it’s always a man) who has made peat the foundation his entire personality, all while breathing in the suffocating aroma of stale carpets and damp coats. Frankly, we deserve better.
Better. Much better. The Dram Good Whisky Festival, Arbikie Distillery
Thankfully, the tide is well and truly turning, and mediocrity may have been well and truly put to bed with the arrival of a whisky festival that’s committed to doing things differently.
If you happen to find yourself with a free weekend on Saturday, 6th June 2026, you’d do well to point your car (or book a train ticket) toward the spectacular, salt-sprayed cliffs of the Angus coast. Why? Because down on the farm at Arbikie Highland Estate, they are throwing open the doors to A Dram Good Whisky Festival, and it promises to be everything the corporate drinks expo circuit is not.
Very Good Drams, Doing Very Good Things
Let’s start with the Arbikie distillery itself. It’s a Highland operation in beautiful Montrose, and one that’s committed to doing things properly while remaining utterly unafraid of ripping up the rulebook (because, as we all know, some rules have long deserved to be broken). Perched on a fourth-generation family farm overlooking the moody expanse of the North Sea, they have spent the last few years quietly turning the stuffy traditions of the whisky world upside. How? By turning back the clock, sticking to their guns and refusing to compromise on quality, distinction and flavour.
Whisky with added green credentials, Arbikie
It’s a sad fact of the current whisky scene that – despite what you’ll read in marketing literature – much of the industry relies on shipping in grain from god-knows-where. Arbikie does everything "field-to-bottle", meaning they grow the crops, distill the liquid and mature the barrels right there on the estate. It’s an obsessive commitment to provenance (and to showcasing that the future of Scotch Whisky can and must be eco-conscious) that recently earned them the title of Sustainable Distillery of the Year at the 2026 Icons of Whisky Scotland Awards, and one that’s won them no shortage of fans seeking bottles with real expression at their heart.
Unsurprisingly, we at The Last Concierge count ourselves among such fans. If you’re yet to discover what they do best, it’s probably only a matter of time before you find yourself more than a little smitten with their output, too.
Ten Distilleries and an Arctic Intruder
Rather than hogging the spotlight, the Arbikie crew are using their coastal backdrop to host a curated lineup of more than ten independent producers for whisky fans far and wide. The roster on show at A Dram Good Whisky Festival is a masterclass in modern distilling, blissfully free of the corporate conglomerates that dominate supermarket shelves. That alone makes it a standout event in the spirits calendar, and one we’re only too happy to get behind.
Wander through the estate and you’ll find Lowland darlings like Bladnoch and Kingsbarns, the unyielding innovators at InchDairnie, and the fiercely forward-thinking team from Nc’nean (another heavyweight champion of eco-conscious drinking), among many, many others.
All the ingredients for dram good weekend
Perhaps most intriguing of all, however, is an appearance from Bivrost. Hailing from the literal edge of the earth in Arctic Norway, they hold the title of the world's northernmost distillery. We’ve been more than a little enamoured by the Nordic whisky scene of the past decade or so, and if you’ve ever wanted to taste what whisky sounds like when it’s matured inside a frozen mountain vault under the Northern Lights, well, this is your chance. Don’t miss it.
A Dram Good Whisky Festival is a clear passion project and statement of intent. "We wanted to create something that reflects the character of Arbikie – rooted in history, but always looking forward," says co-founder Iain Stirling. "It's an opportunity to meet the makers and experience the estate in a completely different way."
What’s not to love?
Style, Substance and a Shuttle Bus
A £40 ticket gets you into one of two four-hour sessions (11:00 - 15:00 or 16:00 - 20:00). Crucially (and somehow, unusually), that entry price actually includes your drams from the exhibitors, a guided tour of the stunning Arbikie distillery setup and access to masterclasses led by the makers themselves. There are no hidden token systems or surprise upcharges here – just great spirits on show, superb whiskies to try and the kind of proper hospitality the region has built its reputation upon.
Passion with every pour
Best of all? The organisers have displayed a real flash of logistical genius by running a dedicated shuttle bus directly from Montrose Train Station straight to the estate for ticket holders. This means you can leave the car behind, enjoy the sweeping coastal views, sample a criminally good lineup of Highland rye and Arctic spirits… and head home without having to draw straws for who has to play designated driver. Everyone’s a winner.
Raising A Glass To The Future of Scotch
Look, we love a classic Highland tour as much as the next travel journal. However, there is something undeniably and thrillingly rebellious about what’s happening on the Angus cliffs this June. If you want to see where the future of Scotch is actually heading (while drinking a dram or three with the sea air in your face) we suggest you book a ticket before the secret gets out.
Tickets and information are available directly via highlandryewhisky.com.
