‘Whisky Galore!’ bottle bought by maritime museum

A BOTTLE of Scotch salvaged from the ship that inspired Whisky Galore! has been bought by the Scottish Maritime Museum. The unlabeled bottle of blended whisky was salvaged from the SS Politician, which ran aground off the Isle of Eriskay in 1941. George Currie, a diver from Orkney, recovered the bottle from the wreck in…

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A Week in Whisky: Thinking outside the box

EVENTS operator The Whisky Lounge has unveiled its first online festival. Its “Whisky Festival in a Box” will be broadcast live from the Spirit of Yorkshire Distillery on 16-18 October. The festival consists of seven themed tasting sessions – “Scotch #1, Scotch #2, World, Asian, English, Indie and Peated” – with each session accompanied by…

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Great Taste winners – in full

NEARLY 300 Great Taste awards have been presented to Scottish businesses by the Guild of Fine Food. A record 12,777 products were entered into the competition from 106 countries, with 42% of entrants receiving a prize. Products with a coastal theme proved popular, with whisky smoked black garlic sea salt from Hawkhead Whisky Smoked in…

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A Week in Whisky: ‘Pat’s’ collection goes under the hammer

THE largest whisky collection ever to come up for auction starts going under the hammer today. More than 9,000 bottles have been assembled by “Pat”, an anonymous collector, and are together expected to fetch $5 million (£3.9m). The first batch will be on sale at WhiskyAuctioneer.com until 5 October. Iain McClune, the website’s founder, said:…

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Blue Skye Thinking: Now is the time to visit The Misty Isle

I’m calling it 20/20 vision. As we clamber into autumn after six surreal months, I realise that seeing Scotland through fresh eyes has been 2020’s almighty silver lining. For many Scots, acquainting themselves more fully with all that this country has to offer has proved unexpectedly enlightening. Entranced by the wildly romantic coasts, crystal-clear waters…

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A Week in Whisky: Colourful capers

GLENKINCHIE Distillery in East Lothian has been presented with a gold certificate by the Green Tourism scheme. The site is only the third distillery in Scotland to receive the accreditation. It is also the first premises owned by Diageo, Scotland’s largest distillery, to achieve the standard. The distillery has installed beehives, bat houses and bug…

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Caledonia on my mind

Like many of those born outside Scotland to avowedly Scottish families, Dugald Bruce-Lockhart has a complicated relationship with the mothership. “WITH a name like Dugald Alastair Roddick Bruce-Lockhart, you must be Scottish,” says the casting director, studying my CV with a frown. It’s a good question – and one I’ve never known quite how to…

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How Scotch helped Belvedere enhance vodka’s flavour

Vodka brand Belvedere took a leaf from whisky’s book to create its latest drink. Peter Ranscombe finds out why. VODKA is – if I’m feeling generous – a blank canvas on which bartenders can paint exciting pictures through cocktails. At its best, it’s neutral and unobtrusive; at its worst, it’s just plain boring. You can…

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