An absinthe reimagined for the 21st century

A Scots distiller is branching out into absinthe, aiming to make it an approachable and mixable super premium spirit. Hendrick’s has announced the launch of Hendrick’s Absinthe, the result of experimentations from the laboratory of master distiller Lesley Gracie at Hendrick’s Gin Palace in Girvan. Hendrick’s’ interpretation of absinthe takes the traditional ‘Artemisia absinthium’ best…

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Lifting the lid on the very best of Tartan Noir

What is Tartan Noir? Which authors belong to this global crime fiction phenomenon? Which books should you read first, next, again, or not at all? Len Wanner investigates the genre’s four main sub-genres – the detective, the police, the serial killer, and the noir novel. Covering four decades of literary history, he provides close readings…

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School remembers former pupils’ sacrifice

Lomond School has commemorated the former Larchfield pupils who lost their lives in World War One through an installation of silhouettes. Alongside this, an assembly led by primary six pupils focused on the outbreak of WW2 and the experiences of the children who were evacuated. Throughout the school, Perspex silhouettes, donated by former pupil Ross…

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Sailing stories on film at the Scottish Maritime Museum

The Scottish Maritime Museum launches a collection of short films reflecting on life around local shipyards in the last century. A new collection of personal stories reflecting on life lived around the shipyards and marine industries of Irvine and Garnock Valley during the last century is now screening at the Scottish Maritime Museum on Irvine…

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Scotland’s chocolate features in new guidebook

When asked about Britain’s chocolate output, you would be forgiven if you immediately thought of chocolate bars wrapped in iconic purple packaging, the compulsory Christmas selection boxes, or the legendary chocolate orange. However, Andrew Baker’s ‘A Chocolate Lover’s Guide to Britain’ reveals that the British chocolate industry is so much more than these much-loved, mass…

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Two new whiskies capture Christmas spirit

Campbeltown single malt distillery, Glen Scotia is releasing a duo of single malt Scotch whiskies for the connoisseur’s Christmas wish list. In the Victorian era Campbeltown was known as the whisky capital of the world and was home to more than 30 distilleries. Today the coastal town is recognised as Scotland’s fifth and smallest malt…

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A fascinating look at Edinburgh’s proud military past

Today, Edinburgh Castle is primarily admired by tourists and locals for the drama it adds to the landscape of our capital. Although a stroll down Princes Street on a (rare) sunny day might give the wanderer an appreciation of the castle’s aesthetic beauty, its historical importance to the defence of the city through the centuries…

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You can’t go wrong with the definitive guide to Elgin

Jenny Main has written the definitive, fully-illustrated A-Z guide of Elgin’s history, people and places. Elgin has a wealth of history which is explored in Jenny Main’s A-Z Guide of the town. The last of the Pictish kings – Macbeth – ruled this area, with his rival, Duncan, dying of his battle wounds in the…

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Celebrating the most unique lighthouse in Scotland

On the extreme north-east point of the Scottish mainland lies the promontory of Kinnaird Head, home to the only lighthouse in the world to be built into a castle. The Kinnaird Lighthouse, originally constructed in 1571, has played host to lairds, lords and Jacobites over its five hundred year history. After being saved from various…

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A look at Stirling through its beautiful buildings

Stirling may be Scotland’s smallest city, but after being granted city status during the Golden Jubilee celebrations in 2002, its history and heritage have begun to be fully appreciated. Jack Gillon takes the reader on a tour of 50 of Stirling’s finest buildings and structures, celebrating the city’s immense architectural heritage and ancient character. With…

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