Whisky Travel: Festivals From Tasmania to Singapore

If your idea of a “souvenir” is another bottle for the shelf, whisky festivals are a solid opportunity to score that once-in-a-lifetime bottle. Festivals are part tasting, part cultural immersion, and part global hunt for pours you’ll be bragging about for months.

And if you also dabble in wine? I’ve got you covered with my Wine Festivals Guide, too.

But today, we're talking drams.

If you live for whisky travel, here are four whisky events worth every mile:

Tasmanian Whisky Week (Australia)

📅 When: August

🌍 Where: Tasmania, Australia

✈️ How to Get There: Fly into Hobart, then rent a car for a distillery road trip across the island.

Whisky fans used to think of Australia as a curiosity. Now? Tasmania is racking up awards and respect worldwide. Brands like Sullivans Cove, Lark, and Hellyers Road have put the island firmly on the whisky map.

During Tasmanian Whisky Week, distilleries open their doors for tastings, rare pours, and behind-the-scenes tours. The big finale to this whisky travel dream is the Spirit Showcase in Hobart. Pair these pours with rugged landscapes, fresh seafood, and crisp coastal air, and this whisky week becomes a whisky trip to remember.

From the rugged coastlines of Tasmania, let’s head to Europe where whisky travel takes a more alpine twist.

Swiss Whisky Festival (Switzerland)

📅 When: October

🌍 Where: Baden, Switzerland

✈️ How to Get There: Fly into Zurich, then hop a 20-minute train to Baden

Switzerland may be better known for chocolate and punctual trains, but step into the Swiss Whisky Festival and you’ll forget the clichés. Think over 150 distilleries and 1,000+ whiskies under one roof. For anyone serious about whisky travel in Europe, it’s like Disneyland for us dram-chasers, but with more kilts and definitely fewer kids.

Everything runs with Swiss precision: no elbowing at the bar, no stingy pours, and distillers who actually have time to geek out with you. And when you finally need a break? You’re five minutes away from molten cheese and alpine views. Try topping that.

✨ Festivals are fun.

🌟Festivals with VIP access, secret drams, and a custom itinerary? Even better. Let’s make it happen ➡️ book your consultation.

Of course, no whisky travel list would be complete without Paris, where the global stage meets a glass in hand.

Whisky Live Paris (France)

📅 When: September

🌍 Where: La Grande Halle de la Villette, Paris

✈️ How to Get There: Fly into Paris, stay central, and hop the Metro

Whisky Live Paris is the catwalk of whisky travel. New releases strut out like models, collectors elbow each other for unicorn bottles, and Cocktail Street is basically Fashion Week for cocktails (minus the resting scotch face).

The flex? Easy…You’re sipping rare drams IN PARIS!! Croissant in one hand, Glencairn in the other, and Bordeaux waiting for the nightcap. If bragging rights came bottled, this would be it.

And if you’re ready to swap croissants for cocktails, whisky travel takes a sleek, futuristic turn in Singapore.

Whisky Live Singapore (Asia)

📅 When: November

🌍 Where: Singapore

✈️ How to Get There: Changi Airport has direct flights from just about everywhere

Southeast Asia’s biggest whisky bash, Whisky Live Singapore is part festival, part cocktail playground. You’ll taste big-name drams alongside quirky indie bottlers, then wander over to Cocktail Street for creations that prove whisky isn’t just neat or on the rocks.

What sets this festival apart? It’s intentionally more VIP and intimate than some of the mega-shows. Which means bigger pours, more one-on-one time with master distillers, and a pace that lets you actually savor instead of sprint. It’s whisky discovery, minus the chaos.

And when you step outside? Singapore itself turns your trip into a city adventure: rooftop bars, hawker food stalls, and futuristic gardens that make “just one more pour” the least interesting thing about your night.

🥃 The Bragging Rights

Anyone can book a distillery tour. But saying you flew to Tasmania for Whisky Week, tracked down rare pours in Switzerland, sipped at Cocktail Street in Paris, or clinked glasses in Singapore? That’s next-level.

These are the whisky travel moments that make colleagues pause mid-sip at happy hour and say, ‘Wait, you did what?’

📥 Don’t Miss The Sip Sheet

Want more insider tips on whisky events, distillery visits, and sip-worthy travel ideas? Subscribe to The Sip Sheet, my monthly newsletter with the kind of whisky travel insights I don’t always post publicly.

PS: If summer wine festivals are more your vibe, I’ve rounded up the best ones (with travel tips, too). Catch the wine festival post here.

✈️ Ready to Book Your Whisky Pilgrimage?

If you’re already picturing yourself at one of these festivals, let’s make it happen. I’ll handle the logistics, from VIP festival access to boutique stays nearby, so you can focus on raising your glass. Schedule a consultation today.

Because you deserve more than just “a nice little trip.”