Rising popularity in craft distilling brought almost 1000 punters to Dubbo's second whisky festival this month - and the weather even got into the spirit.
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It was a chilly six degrees on Saturday, June 17 when the Dubbo Winter Whisky Festival's main event brought visitors from the NSW north coast, Melbourne and Sydney to the central west to taste the warming drink from 15 local and visiting distillers.
The two-day festival is run by the team behind The Establishment Bar Dubbo and Macquarie Distilling Company and co-owner Robert Bond said over 800 people attended on Saturday which was "fantastic".
"We changed the venue this year from the Old Dubbo Gaol to Victoria Park, and it seemed to be very successful with lots of positive feedback," Mr Bond told the Daily Liberal.
"[The new venue] allowed for twice the amount of vendors/distillers, twice the amount of food vendors, and allowed us to double - and more - the customers coming through the door.
"We were capped at around the 380 mark last year because of the size of the venue. The new venue allowed us to really upgrade that."
A younger crowd was recorded this year, around the 25-40 age group, and "a lot more kids" were in attendance at the family-friendly event.
![Tenelle and Robert Bond, co-owners of The Establishment Bar Dubbo and Macquarie Distilling Company, and organisers of the Dubbo Winter Whisky Festival. Picture by Danielle Bentick Fistr/Preserve Photography Tenelle and Robert Bond, co-owners of The Establishment Bar Dubbo and Macquarie Distilling Company, and organisers of the Dubbo Winter Whisky Festival. Picture by Danielle Bentick Fistr/Preserve Photography](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/QQwHRnUv9qYdvjDNLdqaup/7b8b6d1e-ca21-4620-b288-2b93a451a417.jpg/r0_5_1024_683_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
"I think there is a renewed popularity in craft distilling of spirits. I think agritourism is a really growing sector. People want to know the stories about where their products have come from, and what the stories behind their products are," Mr Bond said.
He said the punters were "very interactive with the distillers and many stories were told".
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"The atmosphere was ... people having fun, people enjoying themselves, socialising and mingling with the distillers."
Entertainment came from The Chalkies Jazz Band and the Macquarie River Mudflappers, and there were also burlesque dancers, and performances from Fierce Performing Arts.
There was a special night for distillers and guests on the Friday night, when whiskies were paired with a degustation-style meal. The intimate session sold out quickly, with 40 people in attendance, and locals had the chance to chat with distillers about their products and share a meal with them.
The organisers are already planning for 2024, and they want to "continue to grow the event".
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