The Seven Hills Whisky Festival proved that Sheffield can stand shoulder to shoulder with the UK’s best whisky events. Thoughtfully curated, community-driven, and packed with both major players and independent names, it struck the perfect balance between education and enjoyment. The crowd was warm and the pours generous, but what really stood out was the sense of connection between distillers and drinkers, friends and strangers, and, increasingly, the diverse people who make up today’s whisky world.
Over four hours, I sampled exceptional drams, reunited with familiar faces, and discovered a few new favourites. Here’s what stood out during my visit to Sheffield’s fast-rising whisky festival.
Big Names & Small Producers
From the moment I stepped inside The Steamworks, the room buzzed with the sound of pouring, conversation, and clinking glasses. Major names like Diageo, Suntory Global Spirits, Heaven Hill Distilleries Inc., Bruichladdich, The Glasgow Distillery Co., Speciality Brands, and Brown-Forman filled the hall, pouring everything from peated Islay malts to sweet Kentucky bourbons.
But what made the Seven Hills Whisky Festival feel special was its balance. Alongside the big producers were smaller, passionate distilleries with real stories to tell. West Midlands Distillery stood proudly among them. A personal highlight for me, having grown up in the West Midlands myself. I also loved seeing Lochlea, Integrity Malts, and Cotswolds Distillery representing the independent side of the industry with confidence.
It was lovely to bump into Chris from Lancaster Spirits Co., who recognised me from my spring visit to the distillery. His warm welcome was a reminder that whisky is as much about people as it is about the spirit itself. That mix of friendliness and discovery ran through the whole festival.
Whisky Highlights at Seven Hills Whisky Festival
My favourite dram of the day came from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, poured by friend and The Whiskey Wash contributor Phil Dwyer, who was representing the SMWS stand. He handed me SMWS 110.46 “Strawberry Pop Tarts,” a 12-year-old Strathmill matured in ex-bourbon and a first-fill ex-shiraz barrique. It was stunning. All strawberry jam simmering on the stove, orange peel, champagne bubbles, and warm plum tart. Despite its high ABV, the flavours weren’t overpowered. They lifted beautifully, dancing between sweet and sparkling.
From there, the discoveries kept coming. The Rosebank Diageo Special Release 2025 was another standout. Brand ambassador Charlene Holt compared it to “the inside of a Malteser,” and she was spot on. Delicate, malty, lightly floral, with a touch of citrus brightness. Filey Bay’s Orange Wine Barrique Finish, which I first tried at the Midlands Whisky Festival, impressed me all over again with its subtle layers of orange zest, vanilla, and honeyed malt.
My dream dram token went towards Heaven Hill 7-Year-Old Bottled-in-Bond, my first time tasting Heaven Hill at a festival. It lived up to its reputation, all caramel, spice, and toasted oak. It’s easy to see why the Kentucky distillery continues to collect awards year after year.
Other memorable pours included SMWS “Skooshy Stroopwafel,” a rich, dessert-like whisky perfect for colder months, and Shanky’s Whip, a sweet Irish blend with cream and caramel notes that completely won me over. I ended up buying a bottle.
Cotswolds Distillery also impressed me with two releases: their Calvados cask finish and the new Wychwood Harvest. Both were lively, fruit-forward drams, and made even more memorable by the story behind them. They were distilled by Alice Pearson, one of the youngest distillers in the world. It’s fantastic to see a young woman like Alice making her mark in the burgeoning UK whisky scene and breaking through the industry’s glass ceiling.
The Venue and Atmosphere
The Steamworks proved an excellent setting for the festival. A single-storey industrial space just outside the city centre, across from Bramall Lane, it felt open yet intimate — the kind of place where you can talk easily with distillers and move freely between stands.
On entry, guests were given a branded Seven Hills Whisky Festival Glencairn glass, a venue map, and a bottle of water — thoughtful touches that set the tone. The event also made responsible drinking simple: water refill stations were everywhere, and the “dream dram” token system encouraged people to savour quality over quantity. Every ticket also included a complimentary highball token, which I made good use of later in the day.
Conversations, Community, and a Moment of Bias
Like any good whisky festival, Seven Hills was as much about people as pours. Everyone I spoke to, from ambassadors to casual drinkers, shared that same enthusiasm that makes whisky events so enjoyable.
However, one conversation stood out for the wrong reason. Two friendly men struck up a chat with my friend and me, joking that it was rare to see “female company” at a whisky festival. Their surprise deepened when I mentioned that I work in the industry and that my friend, a fan of peated whiskies, had also spent years working in beer. When I pointed out that many women drink and work in whisky these days, one of them interrupted to say he hoped that wasn’t true, “because if women don’t like whisky, there’s more for me.”
I was taken aback. What made it even more ironic was that roughly 40 percent of the people pouring that day were women: knowledgeable, engaging, and clearly passionate about whisky. As a mentee of the OurWhisky Foundation’s Atonia Programme, I’ve seen first-hand how much progress the industry has made in recent years. Encounters like that show why visibility still matters, and this was definitely something that was showcased at Seven Hills.
Food, Music, and Whisky Highballs
By early afternoon, the smell of birria tacos was too tempting to resist. Two food stalls sat in the corner of the venue alongside a coffee stand and a baked goods counter, providing a welcome pause between tastings.
A live band kept the atmosphere lively with a mix of rock covers and whisky-themed tunes, including an excellent rendition of Whiskey in the Jar by Thin Lizzy. Later, I used my highball token for a refreshing Singleton 12-Year-Old mixed with elderflower and cucumber tonic — light, crisp, and ideal for a palate reset.
Before heading out, I stopped at Mitchell’s retail stand to browse the bottles available for purchase. It was well-stocked, giving attendees a chance to take home the whiskies they’d discovered that day.
Reflections
The Seven Hills Whisky Festival managed to capture everything I love about whisky culture in one afternoon. It brought together the big names and the independents, the established and the emerging, and it did so with warmth and organisation. More than anything, it showed that the whisky world is becoming broader, friendlier, and more inclusive with every passing year.
I left Sheffield content, a little wiser, and back in Manchester just in time for tea, already looking forward to seeing how the festival grows in 2026.
Read the full article at Inside the Seven Hills Whisky Festival: Independent Spirits, Familiar Faces, and a Few Eye-Openers
