Bessie Williamson: The woman behind Laphroaig distillery

Beth Squires from whisky brokers and consultants, Mark Littler, takes us through the history of Bessie Williamson, the woman behind Laphroaig distillery. Laphroaig distillery on the south coast of Islay is a rugged and tranquil place with a long and fascinating history.  Its modern success is the work of many employees over the years, who have…

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The Rollercoaster: Ardbeg releases whisky from irreplaceable stock

Uniting irreplaceable stock from the distillery’s most turbulent time, Ardbeg has released a set of two whiskies called The Rollercoaster. Contained within 143 sets, these two rare cask single malts are time capsules of a bygone Ardbeg and are priced at £85,000. One was distilled in 1981 when the Distillery closed, many feared forever.  The…

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Rare 50-year-old bottle of whisky from Tomintoul distillery released

A rare 50-year-old bottle of whisky from Tomintoul distillery is being released – and will cost whisky lovers £10,000. Following the esteemed 1973 bottling launched in 2018, Tomintoul has now released a limited edition single cask from the same year – Tomintoul Vintage 1973, Cask No. 261. Distilled in February 1973, the rare single malt…

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Chivas Brothers open guest house for whisky lovers

Scotch whisky distiller Chivas Brothers has opened a luxury Victorian guest house amid the growing demand for whisky tourism Linn House, in Keith on the banks of the River Isla, was previously only accessible via invite. Now whisky lovers can enjoy the manor with unfettered access to a permanent whisky library and fine dining prepared…

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The Loveable Rogue: Good times and good scran

With the promise of good times and good scran, Ellie Forbes checks out The Loveable Rogue in Glasgow to see if it can deliver. The Loveable Rogue is doing a very skilful dance.  The restaurant in Glasgow’s West End is niftily luring in the gastropub crowd with exciting menus without scaring off people who just…

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Planning permission for new distillery in Cairngorms National Park

A new distillery has been given the go ahead in the Cairngorms National Park.  Speyside Distillers Company Ltd applied for planning permission for a new distillery near Laggan, having outgrown their current facility near Kingussie. The development near the Spey Dam includes a marketing suite, distillery, power house, offices and maturation warehouses. Currently Speyside Distillers…

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Producer’s Corner: Rachel Hanretty from Mademoiselle Macaron

Rachel Hanretty from Mademoiselle Macaron takes us into her Barbie world… Rachel Hanretty is accustomed to dealing with high end clients, having made her incredible macarons for luxury brands like Thomas Sabo, Lancome and Chanel.  So she didn’t think much of it when Mademoiselle Macaron received a request from Warner Brothers about creating a batch…

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Chef Nick Nairn gets ready to re-open cook school in January

Scottish chef Nick Nairn is re-opening his cooking school in January following a three-year closure.  The Stirlingshire school was forced to close due to the pandemic, a major flood and the knock-on effect of a devasting fire at the Bridge of Allan restaurant. Now Nick is getting ready to welcome back visitors to the school,…

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