After the success of its Rum Festival in 2021, Leeds' Corn Exchange is debuting Leeds Whisky Fest, a one-day festival that champions all things boozy.
A vibrant selection of global and homegrown brands is set to take over Leeds Corn Exchange on Saturday 9 April, bringing an impressive line-up of whiskies from all over the world to our doorstep.
Leeds Whisky Fest will welcome guests for an afternoon or evening of tasting, learning and entertainment. Inside, there will be makers and creators from renowned distilleries, including Woodford Reserve, Starward, Nikka, Slane, Port Askaig, Single Malts of Scotland, Highland Nectar, Elements of Islay and more.
In total, there will be over 100 whiskies available on show, but you'll only need the one entry ticket for all-access to unlimited samples, talks, masterclasses and tastings, as well as an exclusive Leeds Whisky Fest branded tasting glass and guide to take home with you after your visit.
A selection of the masterclasses on offer will be from The Flavour of Bourbon. With over 200 delectable flavours of their chosen Bourbon on offer and a variety of food samples to compare flavour notes with: this will be a one-of-a-kind experience for wannabe and actual connoisseurs of spirits with respective interest.
A selection of food from Mans Market. / Image: The Hoot Leeds
There's some of Leeds' best foodie options on offer to keep stomach's lined and well-fed throughout the experience. Sunday Times-recommended Mans Market will be providing an incredible selection of authentic Chinese dishes and Oeey Gooey will be whipping up some exclusive bourbon brownies in collaboration with event sponsors Woodford Reserve.
Leeds-own Latitude Wine and Spirit Merchant will be operating a bottle shop on the day for anyone wanting to find some old favourites or new bottles to take home.
Lee Jones, from organisers Rolling Social Events says: “It feels amazing to be able to plan our 2022 line up of events and we’re always wanted to put on a whisky festival, so we’re dead excited to add Leeds Whisky Festival into the calendar.”
The events are always designed around drinking better quality, and we’re very lucky to be working with some incredible brands throughout the course of the year, including many sustainable and environmentally friendly distilleries.”
Punters that reckon this Whisky Festival will make the perfect addition to their weekend plans can choose to head down to either the afternoon session (12-4pm) or the evening session (5-9pm) of Leeds Whisky Fest, with tickets available for £40 at eventbrite.co.uk.
Feature Image- Luwadlin Bosman, Unsplash
Eats
Salon Madre – a new tequila bar and pool hall is opening in Leeds this month
Manchester's favourite Mexican bar is about to become your newest nightlife destination in Leeds.
It's been a long time coming, but Salon Madre is officially ready to open in Leeds.
Although we may have to wait a little bit longer for Madre, the day-to-night eatery that has made waves over in Manchester and Liverpool, Salon Madre, its lively tequila bar and pool hall sibling, is officially opening on Friday 20 February.
Salon Madre, which will be located just around the corner from Madre at 114 Wellington Street, is where the party really gets started.
Image: The Manc Group
Expect tequila-fuelled nights, pool tables, lively DJs and Lucha Libre on the big screens.
There will also be plenty of tacos being flung out the kitchen to keep you going until the early hours.
If you’ve ever visited one of their venues in Manchester or Liverpool, you’ll know it’s an absolute riot and we can’t wait to welcome them to the city.
Images: The Manc Group
Co-founder Sam Grainger, inspired by countless trips to Mexico, says: “Mexico is alive with passionate artisans and cooks, mastering everything from street tacos to regional delicacies. It’s a world where traditions blend and evolve and we’ve built that ethos into the heart of both Madre and Salon Madre.”
Madre Leeds will open soon and you can even grab yourself a free margarita by signing up to their newsletter here.
We’ll keep you up to date with their opening times but for now, we'll see you at Salon Madre for a boogie, margarita and game of pool next week.
Award-winning Leeds restaurant announces shock closure just months after opening
Clementine Hall
Emba in Leeds will be closing its doors with the owner blaming rising costs and pressure on the hospitality sector.
Back in April last year, one of Leeds' top restaurants The Owl closed its doors.
Run by renowned Chef Liz Cottam, The Owl was reimagine into Emba - a trendy restaurant tat bridged 'the gap between cosy bar and vibrant dining room'.
To open Emba, Cottam opened a Crowdfunder where supporters would be awarded with prizes such as VIP dinners and merch depending on how much they donated.
But sadly just months after opening, Emba is to close permanently.
Cottam confirmed the sad news with a statement shared with customers over the weekend, saying she was completely "heartbroken".
She said: “This is no longer the right time to own independent restaurants like Emba,” she said. “Under the current conditions they cannot survive and the recent budget confirmed what so many of us already knew: no meaningful help is coming for hospitality.
"The experience of being here and the harsh financial reality of running a business here no longer stack up.
"Being award winning, popular, admired and loved no longer means profitable and as an industry if we’re honest most of us have not truly been okay since Covid."
She signed off the statement promising to return to the restaurant world, she said: “What I do know is this, I am not done. I will keep cooking, keep creating and keep finding ways to do the thing I love.”
Sophie Smith -
4th March 2022 
