News
Charlie MacLean’s sons launch whiskies
SCOTCH expert Charlie MacLean’s sons have launched two whiskies to raise money for clean water projects in Madagascar. Just 168 bottles of MacLean’s Pillage, a blended malt, and 299 bottles of MacLean’s Spillage, a blended Scotch, will go on sale at 10am today at www.royalmilewhiskies.com and should bring in £100,000 for Argyll-based charity Feedback Madagascar…
Read MoreChris Packham launches Big Butterfly Count
TELEVISION presenter Chris Packham today launches Butterfly Conservation’s Big Butterfly Count. More than 113,000 people took part in last year’s survey and the wildlife charity expects even more participants this year. Fine spring weather led to the earliest average emergences of butterflies for the past 20 years and Butterfly Conservation has received thousands of extra…
Read MoreScots dream of parks, history and Outlander as tourism and hospitality reopen
GARDENS, views and television series Outlander are just some of the themes about which Scots have been dreaming during lockdown, according to the early results of tourism agency VisitScotland’s #HameTownTourist campaign. As many of Scotland’s restaurants, bars and tourist attractions begin to reopen today, the marketing bureau has shared some of the social media posts…
Read MorePlaudits for precision potato predictor
FARMERS could produce more salad and seed potatoes thanks to a new way to predict the size of their crop while it’s still buried in the soil. The “Tuberzone” project used the global positioning system (GPS), satellite images, and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to monitor potato plants as they grew. It predicted the size of…
Read MoreSwimmer tells pupils to mix sport and studies
A SWIMMING champion has advised young people to combine sport with their studies during a visit to his old school. Tobermory Mackay-Champion, who hails from Clathy near Crieff, graduated from the University of Oxford this month with a first-class undergraduate master’s degree in earth sciences. He holds eight Oxford swimming records and is the British…
Read MoreWhisky casks go digital
RESEARCHERS at the University of Strathclyde have developed a computer simulation to help whisky distillers fill their casks without spilling any spirit. As well as the computer program, the engineers built a cask-filling test rig and achieved 99% consistency when filling a 200-litre cask in less than one minute. Inconsistent cask filling can lead to too…
Read MoreOnline gigs from stunning locations
SOME of Scotland’s best-known locations will form the backdrop for a series of performances on the new “Music Is The Answer” Youtube channel. The Forth Bridge, the Glenfinnan Viaduct and McCaig’s Tower at Oban are just some of the sites that will play host to artists including Be Charlotte, Luke La Volpe, and Oakzy B…
Read MoreTurning beer byproducts into chairs
GRAINS left over from beer brewing and gin distilling are being turned into tables and chairs for Dundee Science Centre. Aymeric Renoud named his furniture making business after “draff”, the wet grains left behind when beer is made. Renoud adds a binder to draff from 71 Brewing in Dundee and botanicals used to make gin…
Read MoreJohnnie Walker unveils paper whisky bottle
THE world’s biggest Scotch whisky brand will go on sale in paper bottles from next year. Johnnie Walker has unveiled what it bills as the world’s first plastic-free, paper-based spirits bottle. The bottle is made from sustainable-sourced wood and can be recycled after it’s been used. Ewan Andrew, chief sustainability officer at Diageo, the company…
Read MoreEdinburgh, Stirling and Urquhart castles to reopen
HISTORIC Environment Scotland (HES) has unveiled plans to reopen Edinburgh, Stirling and Urquhart castles on 1 August, while Blair Castle will hold a family fun day this Saturday. The three HES castles will be the first of its ticketed sites to reopen. A further 23 venues – including Fort George, Glasgow Cathedral, Skara Brae, and…
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