Diageo eyes solar powered Scotch

SCOTLAND’S largest distiller, Diageo, has been granted planning permission to erect 9,000 solar panels at its packaging plant in Leven. The solar panels will cover an area the size of eight football pitches and generate 22% of the site’s power. The array will generate 4.1 megawatts of electricity – enough to power 2,500 houses. Diageo…

Read More

A Week in Whisky: Hibs, Fèis Ìle, North Uist, and more

Peter Ranscombe takes a wonder through another week in whisky. THE fitba season may have only just ended but there’s already exciting news on the transfer market. Gleann Mòr Spirits has signed a two-year deal with Hibs. The company – whose head office is just a few streets from Hibernian’s Easter Road pitch – takes…

Read More

The Week in Pictures: A goat, strawberries, and more

Peter Ranscombe takes a light-hearted look at some of the week’s enduring images, from a goat to strawberry tarts… POLO the goat and handler Irene McCreath spent a day seeing the sights in Edinburgh to celebrate the return of the Royal Highland Show. Scotland’s largest outdoor event returns to the Royal Highland Centre at Ingliston…

Read More

Juliet Robertson is top young soloist

PIANIST Juliet Robertson has won the inaugural “Scottish Young Musicians’ solo performer of the year” title. Juliet, 14, from Stirlingshire, won the competition in Glasgow yesterday by playing Claire de Lune by Claude Debussy. She received £1,000 to spend on furthering her musical career and the “Maid of Morven” trophy, which was made by the…

Read More

Leith’s own Champagne, port, and sherry

Forget gin and whisky for a moment – it’s Port of Leith’s Champagne, port, and sherry that are the real stars, writes Peter Ranscombe. THERE’S a lot going in Leith. Not only is Port of Leith Distillery’s vertical whisky factory taking shape next to Ocean Terminal and the Royal Yacht Britannia, but the company’s sister…

Read More

‘Wonders of Wool’ on show tomorrow

WOOL will be the star of the show tomorrow when the National Museum of Rural Life kicks off its “woolly weekend” in East Kilbride. The weekend’s wool-theme events include sheep life-drawing classes and the chance to see sheep being sheared. Traditional skills such as spinning will also be on show during a series of demonstrations.…

Read More

Ideal Home Show begins in Glasgow today

THE Ideal Home Show is throwing open its doors in Glasgow today. Speakers on the main stage inclyde John Amabile, Danni Menzies, Martin Roberts, and Rosemary Shrager. More than 400 brands have put up stalls at the Scottish Event Campus. Chefs will also be demonstrating dishes at the event as part of the Eat &…

Read More

The show will go on thanks to Fringe funding

FRESH funding for 13 Edinburgh Festival Fringe producers means “the show will go on” this summer. The Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society is distributing nearly £1.3 million through its Fringe 2022 Resilience Fund. The Scottish Government’s Platforms for Creative Excellence (PLACE) programme had awarded almost £1.6m to the society. The remaining £305,000 will support the society’s…

Read More

Port of Leith opens its Lind & Lime gin distillery

PORT of Leith is preparing to welcome the first visitors to its new Lind & Lime gin distillery. The site, on the port’s Coburg Street, is expected to welcome 10,000 visitors each year for tours and cocktails. The new distillery includes an expanded bottling line, which can handle more than one million bottles each year.…

Read More

Glengoulandie estate near Schiehallion up for sale

GLENGOULANDIE forestry estate near Aberfeldy has gone on the market for offers over £5,850,000. The estate – in a “beautiful and highly sought-after location” – includes young confers, mixed broadleaves, and open hillsides. Two three-bedroom cottages – one modern, one traditional – and a farm building or workshop are also included in the sale. The…

Read More