Posts by Peter Ranscombe
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…
Read MorePerthshire Adventure launches website
SEVEN adventure tourism businesses in Perthshire have launched a website to attract more visitors to the area. The companies formed the Perthshire Adventure initiative two years ago and have been working together to promote their region. Now, they’ve received backing from business support firm GrowBiz Scotland to reach a wider audience. Sarah Turner, the initiative’s…
Read MoreScottish brands offer ‘Sober October’ serving suggestions
A PAIR of Scottish brands has teamed up to raise money for MacMillan Cancer Support during Sober October. Rapscallion Soda and alcohol-free “spirit” maker Feragaia will each donate £1 for each online sale made from Monday until the end of the month. Gregor Leckie, founder of Rapscallion Soda, said: “It’s always been our mission to…
Read MoreSober October: soda, ‘gin’ and ‘beer’
As ‘Sober October’ gets underway, Peter Ranscombe rounds up some of the latest non-alcohol releases and revisits some old favourites. BETWEEN “Dry January” and “Sober October”, it’s getting harder and harder for a drinks writer to earn a living… so, if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em. The latest month of abstinence is the ideal…
Read MoreHaving a ceilidh with Yalumba’s ‘Caley’
Peter Ranscombe rediscovers ‘the Great Australian Red’ – and suggests some affordable stepping stones along the way. THE world of wine is full of odd phrases: multiple glasses are served in “wine flights”, a liquid that hangs to the side of the glass is said to have “long legs”, and smells can sometimes – kindly…
Read MoreDid my feet make this port taste weird?
His patriotic shorts may have gone viral, but how did the port turn out when Peter Ranscombe helped tread the grapes? TWO years ago this month, me and my saltire shorts stepped into a vat at Quinta do Noval in Portugal to “help” tread the grapes. It’s a tradition that stretches back hundreds of years,…
Read MoreAlexander McCall Smith shares writing secrets online
AUTHOR and Scottish Field columnist Alexander McCall Smith will lead the second in a series of free online workshops hosted by James MacMillan for The Cumnock Tryst. He will share his literary expertise with 50 participants on 7 October from 7.30pm. “Not ever writer writes in the same way,” he explained. “For some it is…
Read MoreGlencairn marks 20th birthday with coloured glasses
GLENCAIRN Crystal Studio is marking the 20th anniversary of its eponymous glass by launching a range of colours. The family-owned company released a limited edition black Glencairn glass last year and has now added blue, gold, green and red glasses to its line-up. The five colours are going on sale individually and as a six-pack…
Read MoreScotland’s forgotten Viking traveller
GAELIC television channel BBC Alba will show a new documentary tomorrow night that explores the tale of a little-known Viking with strong Scottish links. Gudridur Thorbjarnardottir, the granddaughter of a slave in Scotland, was known as “The Far Traveller” and is described by the programme’s makers as “the most adventurous explorer of the Middle Ages”.…
Read MoreScotland’s first drive-through apple harvest
THE National Trust for Scotland’s Pitmedden Garden near Ellon held what’s been heralded as the nation’s first drive-through apple harvest at the weekend. Around 400 kilograms of apples and pears were sold to guests in 112 cars. Monique Lanz, visitor services supervisor at Pimedden Garden, said: “Our apple day is the most popular event in…
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