Over the last 18 months the global pandemic has forced the cancellation of dozens of food and drink festivals, as Covid restrictions made events at various times unsafe, impractical or illegal.
The thriving whisky tasting industry went online, with Zoom calls and posted samples taking the place of meetings in real life and tables laden with bottles and glasses.
But now that the majority of restriction have been lifted, whisky fans are looking forward to once again getting together to celebrate Scotland's national drink.
One of the biggest events of the autumn will be the Stirling Whisky Festival.
Here's everything you need to know before snapping up a ticket.
The Stirling Whisky Festival will take place at the Stirling Highland Hotel, on Stirling's Spittal Street, and the Stirling Distillery on Friday, October 29, and Saturday, October 30.
Last year's event was scheduled to be held in May and tickets for the cancelled festival will be valid for the 2021 edition.
The 2021 festival will be a special event marking 10 years of the celebration of all things malt and blend.
On the Friday evening there will be an Opening Night hosted by the Scotch Malt Whisky Society from 7-9pm at the Stirling Distillery.
Experts from the Society will be showcasing six stunning Single malt, single cask whiskies that cover a range of, flavours, age and distilleries.
The main event starts at 11.45am on Saturday and will include masterclasses from distillers that delve into the making, cask ageing and bottling of mouth-watering whisky.
Then there's the all-important tastings, split into two separate sessions and with over 100 drams to sample, in the biggest event in the festival's decade-long history.
All attendees will also receive a branded Glencairn whisky glass, lanyard, Highland Spring Water, and a range of special offers.
The first tasting session will take place from 11.45am-3.15pm, with the second from 4-7.30pm.
The first masterclass with Old Pulteney is scheduled for 1pm, while experts from Balblair will be imparting their secrets at 5pm.
The last pour for each session will be 15 minutes prior to the end.
Tickets are still available and are available here.
The Friday night event is priced at £25, while Saturday tickets are £27.50 for general admission, or £42 with masterclasses included.
You need to be over the age of 18 to attend, and special accomodation rates are available direct with the nearby Stirling Highland Hotel when quoting 'Whisky Fest'.
