Raising a glass to this year’s whisky festivals

SCOTLAND’S whisky festival season is getting underway, with The National Whisky Festival returning to SWG3 in Glasgow tomorrow as part of Celtic Connections. The festival began in 2015 and has grown from its Glasgow base to include events in Aberdeen, Edinburgh, and Inverness. Gareth Croll, the festival’s coordinator, said: “After such an incredible year touring…

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Burrell collection brings in £20m for Glasgow

THE Burrell Collection has welcomed half a million visits since reopening in March and has injected £19.9 million into Glasgow’s economy. That’s according to Glasgow Life, the organisation set up by the local council to run arts venues in the city. The economic benefit generated by the museum rises to £21.1m for Scotland as a…

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Tiso hosts its first mini-festival

CLIMBER Leo Houlding will visit Glasgow next week for outdoor equipment store Tiso’s first mini-festival. Houlding will read from his new book, Closer To The Edge. The company is erecting tents in its car park to welcome 100 guests to the event on 26 January. Inside the tents, Tiso is placing a cinema screen, theatre…

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Restaurant Andrew Fairlie tops UK list

DINERS have selected Restaurant Andrew Fairlie at The Gleneagles Hotel in Perthshire as the best in the UK. The restaurant topped Harden’s “Top 100 Best UK Restaurants” list, which was based on 30,000 reports from 3,000 diners. Leith trio The Kitchin, Restaurant Martin Wishart, and The Little Chartroom reached fifth, 14th, and 31st respectively. In…

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The Machrie

The Machrie: On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love gave to me… the gift of golf Nestled in the dunes of a pristine seven-mile beach on the Hebridean island of Islay lies The Machrie, a modern, relaxed hotel with a world-class golf links, where the finest Scottish produce and warmest of welcomes await.…

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Hotel du Vin, Glasgow

Hotel du Vin, Glasgow: On the eleventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me… the gift of festive lunch for two and Champagne Our stunning iconic Hotel du Vin Glasgow at One Devonshire Gardens is set in a tree-lined Victorian terrace in the fashionable West End of Glasgow. Offering remarkable, unique bedrooms, heart-warming…

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Restaurant Review: The Loveable Rogue East End

Keith McIntyre discovers the wonders of brunch at The Loveable Rogue East End restaurant in Glasgow. WHEN Joe Lazzerini and Amalia Colaluca opened the original Loveable Rogue in 2020 in the midst of a pandemic, it looked like a risky proposition for everyone involved. Fast forward two years and not only has the West End…

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Rower Jamie Douglas-Hamilton prepares for Antarctic trial

SCOTTISH adventurer Jamie Douglas-Hamilton is preparing to row from Antarctica to South Georgia to raise money for the British Heart Foundation and honour Sir Ernest Shackleton’s carpenter. Douglas-Hamilton is undertaking the row just months after undergoing open heart surgery at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh to repair a leaking aortic valve. The 950-mile expedition is…

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Whisky news round-up: Deacon Blue, festivals, and more

Peter Ranscombe sticks his tongue in his cheek to round-up the latest news from the world of whisky. THE National Whisky Festival of Scotland returns to Edinburgh tomorrow. The festival is back at Summerhall, the arts centre in the former Royal Dick Vet School near the Meadows. Gareth Croll, the festival’s co-ordinator, said: “It’s such…

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Tayport Distillery

TAYPORT Distillery is a family business, born out of love for fine food and drink and a mission to use the best locally sourced ingredients for great tasting spirits. Kecia McDougall was inspired on a holiday to France, where she watched farmers use fruit at the end of growing season to produce eau de vie.…

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