A CHANCE to taste some of the rarest and most expensive drams in the world brought whisky connoisseurs flocking to Stourbridge from across the country and beyond.

Nearly 400 fans of the drams descended on the town hall for the sixth Midlands Whisky Festival - hosted by historic Stourbridge wine merchants Nickolls and Perks.

And dotted in among the dedicated drinkers were a handful of whisky newcomers - and to say I belong in this category is putting it mildly.

Slowly sipping a fine single malt has never really been my cup of tea - in fact I've only ever really consumed the odd splash of Scotch in a cup of tea at Christmas so it was a surprise to myself that I ventured along to the bi-annual event that has become one of the largest of its kind outside London.

It was the passion for the subject that tends to pour from enthusiasts that enticed me along to the afternoon fest but on arrival I wondered how the bash could possibly entertain visitors for over five hours.

However - what followed was a fascinating whirlwind introduction to the world of whisky.

As well as chance to sample a variety of different drams from around the world - some of which range from £50 to £100 a shot, the event offered newbie tasters like myself a crash course on the history of whisky and bourbon and some of world's biggest distilleries through master classes laid on by Buffalo Trace, Springbank, Mortlach and Macallan.

Not unexpectedly the number of female whisky fans at the festival was minimal but according to the likes of Canadian-born Alwynne Gwilt, founder and editor of the Miss Whisky online blog, and industry stalwart Helen Wainwright of spirit importers Eaux de Vie - the number of women not only working in the industry but turning to whisky as a favourite tipple is on the rise.

Helen Wainwright said: "There's not lots of us, we're still the exception not the rule, but the whisky scene is changing."

And Nickolls and Perks spokesman Tim Robbins added: "We're finding it's attracting a lot more female interest."

Having taken a peek into the wonderful world of whisky - it's still a little way off becoming my poison of choice but at least now I understand what all the fuss is about.

The next Midlands Whisky Festival will be held in Stourbridge on March 28 2015.