BWW 2023 Wrap Party – Belfast Whiskey Week Festival Close

Every great festival deserves a send-off worthy of the week that came before it, and Belfast Whiskey Week 2023 was no different. On the night of Friday 28th October, distillers, ambassadors, trade figures, and their guests gathered at the Malmaison Hotel from nine o'clock onwards to raise a final glass — a proper wrap party to close out what had been a landmark year for Irish and Scots whiskey culture in the city. It was the kind of room that only exists once a year, and only here in Belfast.

About This Event

Looking Back

There is something quietly extraordinary about a room full of people who have spent an entire week talking about, pouring, and passionately defending their favourite drams — and who still, on the final night, want nothing more than to talk about whiskey a little longer. That was the spirit of the BWW 2023 Wrap Party. The Malmaison Hotel, with its signature blend of gothic drama and contemporary warmth, provided the perfect backdrop for an evening that belonged equally to celebration and reflection. The sheugh between the working week and the weekend dissolved entirely somewhere around ten o'clock.

This was an invitation-only gathering — distillery representatives, brand ambassadors, PR professionals, collaborators, and a select group of guests — and that exclusivity gave the night a genuine intimacy. Conversations that had begun across tasting tables and masterclass benches earlier in the week found their natural conclusion here. The seanchas of the whiskey world flowed as freely as the pours themselves: stories of new releases, production decisions, regional character, and the ever-evolving identity of Irish distilling. For anyone with a love of uisce beatha, it was the kind of evening you tuck away carefully in memory.

The Malmaison's bar team rose to the occasion, and the drinks on offer — curated to reflect the breadth of brands and distilleries who had participated across the festival — gave the night a pleasing sense of continuity. If you'd spent the week working your way through our Whiskey Map, the Wrap Party felt like the final destination on a very satisfying journey. Glasses were raised, sláinte was declared with conviction, and the duchas of this city's growing relationship with fine whiskey was very much in evidence.

What made the evening special was precisely what makes Belfast Whiskey Week itself special: the absence of pretension. Yes, there were industry professionals in the room — people who know more about maturation, cask types, and distillation than most of us will learn in a lifetime — but the tone was generous and inclusive. That is the character of this festival, and the Wrap Party distilled it beautifully. If you're curious about the brands and distilleries who helped shape BWW 2023, you can explore them through our full brand collection.

By midnight, when the lights came up and the last conversations wound down, there was a palpable sense that something good had just ended — and that something equally good was already being quietly planned for next year. The 2023 festival had earned its send-off. Here's to the next one. Learn more about this event and keep an eye on what Belfast Whiskey Week has coming next.

Explore the full programme on the Belfast Whiskey Week Whiskey Map.

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