Bank holiday rosé: Pink toasts for the Queen

Looking for bank holiday rosé wines? Drinks blogger Peter Ranscombe has you covered. AS THE nation prepares to raise a toast to Her Majesty during the platinum jubilee, it’s time for our regular review of rosés. Who knows what the weather will do over the long weekend? But rosé isn’t just for glorious bank holiday…

Read More

Cask 88 marks Sir Walter Scott’s 250th anniversary

WHISKY bottler Cask 88 is commemorating Sir Walter Scott by today unveiling a collection of four special bottles. Each bottle is named after a phrase made famous by Scott. The company took a cask of 19-year-old Ben Nevis single malt and split it between four smaller casks for finishing. “Lock, Stock and Barrel” was finished…

Read More

REVIEW: Cask 88 Sir Walter Scott 250th anniversary whiskies

Peter Ranscombe gets an exclusive preview of whisky bottler Cask 88’s tribute to Sir Walter Scott. THERE’S something so evocative about tasting whisky outdoors. When it comes to wine tasting, many vineyards will serve visitors samples out among the vines. Whisky distilleries, less so. Standing on the terrace outside Abbotsford House near Melrose, I could…

Read More

Scottish Opera opens 50th Perth festival

SCOTTISH Opera will open the 50th Perth Festival of the Arts on Thursday. The festival’s gala opening concert will feature sopranos Eleanor Dennis and Catriona Hewitson, mezzo-sopranos Catriona Morison and Lea Shaw, and baritone Jonathan McGovern. Scottish mezzo-soprano and winner of the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Catriona Morison is making her debut with…

Read More

REVIEW: Innside Newcastle

For a sophisticated and stylish stay in Newcastle look no further than Innside, writes Grant Dickie. SITUATED a stone’s throw from one the most synonymous views Newcastle has to offer, Innside by Meliã is the perfect stay for anyone looking to book a trip to the Toon. The modern but almost industrial-style architecture of the…

Read More

REVIEW: Ellen Kent’s Madama Butterfly

Ellen Kent’s production of Madama Butterfly elicits parallels with the war in Ukraine, writes Megan Amato. NOT a dry eye could be seen by the end of Giacomo Puccini’s classic Italian opera Madama Butterfly at the Edinburgh Playhouse on 30 April, performed by the Ukrainian National Municipal Opera Kyiv, presented by Senbla, and produced by…

Read More

How Mary, Queen of Scots, used fabrics in policitcs

Reading Embroidering Her Truth really was a pleasant surprise. In an age when textiles expressed power, Mary, Queen of Scots exploited their symbolism artfully. The most famous example was wearing red – the martyr’s colour – at her execution, but Hunter outlines the many subtle and not-so-subtle ways in which Mary used fabrics to her…

Read More

An academic read covering the Romans in Scotland

Think you know about the earliest Roman invasion in Caledonia? Think again. This mind-boggling study offers an alternative view on what happened in AD 83, presents new findings that are well-argued and researched, and calls into question popular historical beliefs about the Roman campaigns. Author Simon Forder also suggests a new location for the Battle…

Read More

The perfect guide to the outdoors – by an expert

Anna Fleming, a qualified mountain leader who has worked for the Cairngorms National Park Authority, leads the way on epic rock climbing adventures. She travels through the Peak District, Yorkshire, Cairngorms, Wales and beyond. Having gone from a novice to an expert rock-jock, Fleming shares the highest highs and lowest lows that each climb has…

Read More

A celebration of a legendary Scots piper

I Piped, That She Might Dance follows the story of Angus MacKay of Raasay, a legendary piper and extraordinary exponent of Scottish music. In fact, he may have been one of the most significant Highland pipers in history, having published a collection of music that was used as the foundation for the Piobaireachd Society’s Collection.…

Read More