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Island businesses join forces for online whisky tastings
CANNED water brand Larkfire has been teaming up with island distilleries including Highland Park and Jura and a new whisky retailer to offer online tastings during lockdown. Larkfire founder James McIntosh joined forces with Iain Faller, founder of The Island Spirit Whisky Shop, to hold the first “Whisky & Wild” tasting last month, which featured…
Read MoreOnline talk to reveal secrets of two impressive Inverness buildings
CONSERVATION architect Calum Maclean will present an online talk on Thursday covering two of the most historic buildings in the Highland capital – the former Inverness Royal Academy and the Rose Street Foundry. Both buildings were designed by the Ross & Macbeth architecture practice. The talk has been organised by the Inverness Townscape Heritage Project…
Read MoreScots can’t identify local species as fishmongers go online
SCOTTISH adults have trouble identifying their local fish species, according to a new survey. Some 74% of Scots don’t know that coley is caught and landed in British waters, while 72% don’t know monkfish is local and 68% don’t recognise hake as native. The results came from a poll of 4,000 Britons, conducted by Seafish…
Read MoreKevin McKidd ‘gets the band back together’ for charity
TELEVISION hunk Kevin McKidd’s Speyisde Sessions Band of musicians and singers has recorded a single during the lockdown to raise cash for two charities. Money from the sale of Leave A Light On is going to The Trussell Trust food bank operator and Help Musicians UK. The Grey’s Anatomy star duetted on the track with Northern…
Read MoreOutlander star Sam Heughan reflects on his Steiner school days
HOLLYWOOD heartthrob Sam Heughan has spoken about his time as a pupil at the Edinburgh Steiner School during a new online video interview. The star of Outlander, the television series based on the historical fantasy books by Diana Gabaldon, said: “The Steiner education gives you this understanding about the world; that you are not being…
Read MoreRecord your version of Auld Lang Syne for Make Music Day
BUDDING musicians have until 5pm on Friday to record their version of Auld Lang Syne and submit it to a massive online project. Videos of the public’s recordings will be made into a collage that will be broadcast on Make Music Day on 21 June. Make Music Day UK has commissioned composer Hamish Napier and…
Read MorePodcast serves food and farming home school ideas
WHILE teachers may be starting to prepare their classrooms this month for the anticipated return of pupils in August, one podcast is giving parents some food- and farming-related home schooling ideas. Rural podcast “OnFARM” has teamed up with the Royal Highland Education Trust (RHET) to produce the advice for parents and teachers. The latest episode…
Read MoreShooting estates ‘could lead rural economic revival’
SCOTLAND’S shooting estates could spearhead a post-covid economic revival in the countryside after not furloughing staff during the lockdown, according to regional moorland groups. A survey of 32 estates found that only three gamekeepers had been furloughed and that no redundancies had been made. All the estates said they plan to maintain staffing at current…
Read MoreGlenkinchie is all abuzz as distillery installs beehives
THREE bee hives have been placed in the gardens surrounding Glenkinchie distillery near Pencaitland in East Lothian as the whisky producer gears up to make its own honey. Hoods Honey, based in nearby Ormiston, has installed the hives, each of which will house around 65,000 bees during July’s peak pollen-gathering weeks. Glenkinchie’s honey will be…
Read MoreEdinburgh Gin says ‘thank you’ to communities
EDINBURGH Gin wants to hear about communities that have been carrying out good deeds during lockdown – and the winners will receive a “neighbourhood packs” containing cans of its new raspberry gin fizz, a mix of sparking wine and raspberry liqueur. The limited edition packs of 24 cans are designed to reward neighbours who have…
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