Whisky news round-up: Caskshare, Stannergill, and more

Peter Ranscombe serves up another irreverent dram of whisky news. FORGET the cost-of-living crisis – there’s still life in the whisky market. Caskshare received so much demand for £1,625 bottles of a rare Springbank 30-year-old single malt that it’s opened a ballot for the chance to buy one of the 135 bottles. John Robertson, managing…

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Stirlingshire’s Greengallery pops-up in Edinburgh

THE Dundas Street Gallery in Edinburgh is hosting a pop-up for Greengallery from Buchlyvie in Stirlingshire on 1-4 December. Greengallery, which also has a gallery in Dollar, was founded 30 years ago, and specialises in Scottish paintings, ceramics, jewellery, and sculptures. Artists with work on display at the Christmas exhibition include Stuart Buchanan, Erraid Gaskell,…

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Skibo chef wins Andrew Fairlie Scholarship

THIS year’s Andrew Fairlie Scholarship has been awarded to Eddie Brown, 30, sous chef at The Carnegie Club at Skibo Castle in Dornoch. Brown impressed the judges with his rabbit, fig, and brioche dish during yesterday’s final at Perth College. Those judges included: Tom Kerridge, who holds two Michelin stars as chef patron at Hand…

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Cala Homes hosts pop-up art gallery

CALA Homes has hosted a pop-up art gallery at its Newington Residences development in Edinburgh. The builder commissioned 22 pieces from Edinburgh College of Art (ECA) for the exhibition. The works were unveiled in the entrance hallway of the Clocktower apartment building, which was previously home to The Royal Blind School. The clocktower has been…

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Leighton Library emptied ahead of refit

ALL the books have been removed from Leighton Library in Dunblane ahead of a major restoration project. Around 4,500 books are stored at Scotland’s oldest purpose-built library, which opened in 1687. The oldest book in the collection dates back to 1504, with many of the volumes coming from the private collection of Bishop Robert Leighton.…

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Scotland’s National Book Awards finalists named

THE shortlist for Scotland’s National Book Awards has been unveiled by The Saltire Society. Authors will compete across six categories – fiction, non-fiction, research, history, poetry, and first book. Prizes will also be awarded in three categories for publishers, emerging publishers, and cover designs. Sarah Mason, director of the Saltire Society, said: “Scotland’s National Book…

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National Trust for Scotland plants tree appeal

THE National Trust for Scotland (NTS) has launched an appeal to replace trees lost in storms Arwen and Corrie. The charity wants to plant 500,000 trees to replace those lost during storms last November and January. Its tree appeal will focus on replacing lost trees in Argyll, the Highlands, and the North-East. Properties affected by…

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Chef joins Coll firefighters

CHEF Graham Griffiths has signed up as an on-call volunteer with Coll firefighters. Griffiths, who has worked at the Coll hotel for the past ten years, was motivated to join the Scottish Fire & Rescue Service (SFRS) after seeing the devastating effects of a house fire on the island last year. “I feel I am…

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Hamilton & Inches launches ‘Flora’ worn by Duchess of Rothesay

JEWELLER Hamilton & Inches has launched its Flora collection, including earrings made famous by Catherine, Duchess of Rothesay. The Duchess wore the Flora drop earrings made from 18-carat yellow gold during her tour of Scotland last year. The updated collection puts a fresh take on the original design and includes bangles, pendants, and rings alongside…

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Glengarry launches £250,000 forest cabin bid

RESIDENTS in Lochaber have launched a crowdfunding scheme to raise the £250,000 they need to start Glengarry Forest Cabins. The Glengarry Community Benefit Society (GCBS) has been created to run the forest cabins, which is expected to create several jobs in the area. Profits from the cabins will be used to fund work at Glengarry…

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