Whisky & Witches: Mythical Beasts | Belfast Whiskey Week 2023

Name: Belfast Whiskey Week 2026
Start: 2026-07-24
End: 2026-08-01
Location: Belfast

Filed: 15 Jul 2023
By: Belfast Whiskey Week
Read: 5 min
Ref: BWW/23/860

Some events linger in the memory like woodsmoke on a winter evening — and Whisky & Witches: Mythical Beasts, staged in the Music Hall at the Deer's Head on the Monday night of Belfast Whiskey Week 2023, was exactly that kind of evening. Spiritfilled, the independent Scottish bottler with a well-earned reputation for hunting down the rarest and most remarkable single malt casks, joined forces with international singer and composer Christine Kammerer to conjure something that sat well outside the usual tasting format. This was uisce beatha as ceremony — sensory, immersive, and genuinely unforgettable.

About This Event

“Whisky & Witches presents Mythical Beasts: An Immersive, Mystical, Musical Whisky Tasting” A magical, musical whisky tasting by female forces! 5 exclusive whiskies, gripping storytelling and hauntingly beautiful music and song. Travel with us to the realm where folklore, exceptional whisky and mystical music meet in perfect harmony. Stimulating all the senses to create the ultimate experience. Experience the Mythical Beasts of Spiritfilled’s extraordinary whiskies come alive in this immersive whisky tasting. The very nature of the beasts are highlighted and beautifully connected to the characteristics and birthplace of each dram, through enchanting music and storytelling. Letting the experience of each whisky capture all your senses. WHAT DO YOU GET? • A guided tasting of 5 unique, cask strength whiskies from distilleries across Scotland. • A fusion of Nordic and Celtic folk music, interpreted in new symphonic ways! • Original music and song by international singer and composer Christine Kammerer • 4 captivating, tailored stories. A fusion of folklore from across the globe • Insight into the feminine powers of nature and their connection to the whiskies Spiritfilled is a whisky company that seeks out rare and special single malt casks to bottle. They have a strong reputation for seeking out the gems in the world of whisky, to share with fellow whisky lovers and explorers. Previously, Spiritfilled has featured beautiful expressions such as a 30 YO Bruichladdich, a 14 YO Port Charlotte and a 32 YO Fettercairn, and the whiskies embodied by the Mythical Beasts are just as exceptional. Timeslot: 6pm-9pm Start Time: 6pm Duration: 2hrs Venue: Music Hall @ Deer's Head Drinks: 5 Drams Type: Theatrical Disclaimers Please note that individual dietary requirements are not being catered for with any food at this event. Each Brand/Distillery and Collaborative Partner have agreed to our Min/Max Pour Policy. Please Respect this, and enjoy your festival responsibly. Festival Participants who are deemed to be too inebriated, or are not respecting themselves, will not be permitted into events and venues. ALL Hosts/Ushers/Collaborators and Venue Staff have the right to refuse participants without question and recourse. Please Drink Responsibly. All events are only available to those 18 years old and over. Do not purchase tickets if you are under the age of 18. Be prepared to produce ID if required. Venue staff & ushers may ask you to provide ID when showing your valid tickets. You may be refused enter to events if you can’t prove your age. Some venues may change, if they do, you will be notified. All events are subject to changes out of the control of the festival organisers. Any issues, please contact us @belfastwhiskeyweek on socials, or via email on marketing@belfastwhiskeyweek.com or 07773675179 (8am-8pm) to discuss. NO Refunds will be given. Please only buy tickets if you are prepared to attend the event. Tickets are transferable. If you are going to transfer tickets please email, marketing@belfastwhiskeyweek.com

Looking Back

The Music Hall at the Deer's Head provided a setting that felt almost preordained for the occasion. Low light, good acoustics, and the particular intimacy of a Belfast room that knows how to hold an atmosphere — it was the right stage for what Whisky & Witches had to offer. From the moment Christine Kammerer's voice filled the space, it was clear this would be no ordinary tasting. The Nordic and Celtic folk traditions she draws from share a deep duchas — a sense of belonging to particular landscapes and particular weathers — and that rootedness translated beautifully into the whisky that followed.

Spiritfilled's five cask strength expressions were chosen with the kind of care you'd expect from a bottler that has previously released a 30-year-old Bruichladdich and a 32-year-old Fettercairn. Each dram was paired with an original story — four in total — woven from folklore traditions spanning Celtic, Nordic, and global sources, tying the mythical beasts of the evening's theme directly to the character and provenance of each whisky. It was seanchas in the truest sense: storytelling as a way of understanding where things come from and what they mean. Attendees weren't just tasting whisky; they were being invited into a relationship with it.

What set the evening apart was how genuinely all the elements earned their place. The music wasn't decoration, the stories weren't filler, and the whisky wasn't a prop. Each element illuminated the others. When the characteristic of a particular dram — perhaps a coastal salinity, or a deep resinous sweetness — was mirrored in a musical phrase or a moment of narrative, the effect was to sharpen attention in a way that no tasting note ever quite manages alone. The feminine forces behind the project, both in Spiritfilled's curatorial vision and Kammerer's artistry, brought a distinctive perspective to whisky that the festival was richer for hosting. This was a session that ran across multiple timeslots during BWW2023, and it's worth noting that earlier sessions earlier in the week drew just as devoted a crowd — a testament to the word of mouth the experience generated.

Spiritfilled, as a company, exists to do precisely what its name suggests: to find the spirit-filled casks that distilleries don't always shout about, and to give them the presentation they deserve. Their track record speaks clearly — the expressions they bring to market tend toward the exceptional rather than the merely good. The Mythical Beasts lineup upheld that standard, and the guided tasting format — structured but never stuffy — gave even relative newcomers to cask strength whisky the confidence to engage properly with what was in the glass.

If you're exploring the broader landscape of what Belfast Whiskey Week offers, the Whiskey Map is a fine place to start understanding how the festival spreads itself across the city and the island. But events like Whisky & Witches serve as a reminder that the festival at its best isn't just about what's in the glass — it's about context, community, and the kind of shared experience that turns a Monday night in Belfast into something you talk about for years. Sláinte mhaith to everyone who was in that room.