Mixing it up: The Whisky Sessions set for Manchester

Music festivals and alcohol rarely hit it off in the harmonious way you would expect. Be wary of the beguiling beer tents, buying on site is usually a no-no. If drink is permitted, it often manifests itself in several crates of sub-4% toilet water. But a music festival with a 'Whisky Hotel' on site? Now that sounds promising.

The Whisky Sessions is a two-day festival for music lovers and whisky aficionados alike; with expert distillers at hand and more tastings than Oz Clarke could get round, it seems that Belinda Carlisle was right – heaven is a place on earth. With the opportunity for headline acts to indulge in hedonistic behaviour, it’s perhaps surprising that I Am Kloot’s Johnny Bramwell seems cautious in fulfilling the rock 'n' roll stereotype. Bramwell says: “It (whisky) doesn’t always have the best effect on me! I have heard that there’s going to be some really interesting whiskies at the event, so it’s about appreciation, but as I say, I tend to stick to beer as a rule.

"I was involved in the BBC 6 Music Festival, which was held at the same venue (the Victoria Warehouse) which I thought was great.  We hadn’t done a Manchester gig this year so when we were approached to do something of this scale at that same great venue it felt right.” Taking a break from his seemingly never-ending solo-tour, Bramwell is relishing the chance to up the scale of operations and promote I am Kloot’s upcoming live album, due spring 2015. He says: “I like the solo thing in the intimate surroundings, but I like the big drama of the Kloot gigs too, and also it’s the first time in three years that we’re playing just as a three piece.”

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The 24-strong line-up also boasts the likes of Gomez, British Sea Power, To Kill a King and Badly Drawn Boy, to name but a few. Not forgetting the wide variety of drinks on offer, it’s over to wine expert and overall connoisseur Ewan Lacey, who has been overseeing the drinks selection, for the finer detail.

Lacey says: “This is an opportunity for our guests to try different whiskies side-by-side, so we’ve gone for a diversity of different styles from different parts of the world, the main thing they have in common is that they have been chosen not only because they are good, but also because they are accessible to all.” Just as the craft beer explosion continues to challenge norms, whisky is also enjoying a period of innovation and revolution, as Lacey explains: “Like most industries, (whisky) has a really good selection of main-stream products which are well known. There are also a growing number of smaller producers who are making whiskies on a smaller scale with all of the freedom to experiment that brings.”

The robust image of whisky is often associated with the tough terrain of the Scottish highlands and in particular a certain red game bird, so it may come as surprising to find out that 2014’s ‘best whisky in the world’ hails from Tasmania.  Lacey says: “We are showing whiskies, award winners from The International Wine and Spirit Competition (IWSC) and they come from all over the world, places you’d expect and new territories. Some of the ones I’m looking forward to include are Auchentoshan which is from Glasgow, Compass Box and also Paul John which comes from India."

And in good news for fans of a bit of variety, Lacey reveals that whisky’s greater depth of flavour than most white neutral spirits, lending itself to a diverse range of cocktails: “We managed to sell over 13,000 of my favourite cocktail (the Whisky Smash) at the Isle of Wight Festival this summer. A simple mix of whisky, mint, fresh lemon, sugar syrup charged with soda. It’s fantastic.”

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