REVIEW: House of the Dragon wine

Drinks blogger James Robertson reviews the House of the Dragon wine from Wolf Blass. I AM a self-confessed Game of Thrones addict and had read all the books way before the series came to our screens. Therefore, I have to admit I was a touch sceptical about the launch of a red wine to coincide…

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Royal Banks’ ‘Red Guinea’ notes hits auction

THE Royal Bank of Scotland’s “red guinea” banknote from 1777 is going under the hammer next week. The red guinea is thought to be first tri-coloured note to be issued in Scotland and possibly in Europe. The banknote promises to pay “Archibald Hope” one guinea. Hope is believed to have been Sir Archibald Hope, who…

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First Edinburgh music map is released

VENUES, bars, record shops, and other “musical places of interest” are being featured on the first Edinburgh music map. Around 50 locations are listed on the map, including about 20 of the city’s main music venues. Featured venues include Sneaky Pete’s in the Cowgate, where local band Swim School launched the map. Summerhall, the O2…

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University of Aberdeen Zoology Museum reopens

THE University of Aberdeen Zoology Museum is reopening, with a special history and heritage festival organised for September. The museum has featured in many school trips and family days-out since the 1970s. Refurbishment work and then the coronavirus pandemic led to the site being closed for several years. Having now reopened to the public, the…

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Scottish Pipe Band Championships hit high note

ORGANISERS hailed Saturday’s Scottish Pipe Band Championships at Levengrove Park in Dumbarton as the “best ever” Some 20,000 spectators flocked for the first staging of the event since the pandemic began. A total of 117 bands gathered for the championships, with pipers travelling from as far away as Australia and Texas. Field Marshal Montgomery from…

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Dollar Academy unveils design for ‘Futures Institute’

PLANS have been unveiled to build a home for the Futures Institute at Dollar Academy (FIDA). Andrew Whalley – a former pupils at the academy and the architect behind the Eden Project, the international terminal at London’s Waterloo train station, and the Experimental Media & Performing Arts Center in New York – has designed the…

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What’s up with whisky: June’s review

Mark Littler returns with his monthly look at the world of whisky auctions. WELCOME back. It’s been a month of highs, with plenty to talk about in the world of whisky investing. Last month we signed off with speculation about The Macallan jubilee bottling and, against all expectations, it is now pretty fair to assume…

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Jousting sells out at Linlithgow Peel

LINLITHGOW Peel hosted its first jousting tournament over the weekend since the start of the pandemic. Organiser Historic Environment Scotland (HES) all of its tickets for the show, which is part of the public body’s summer events programme. Caerlaverock Castle in Dumfries, which is also managed by HES, will host a jousting tournament on 30…

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Guided wellness walks launched in the Cairngorms

GUIDED wellness tours have been launched in the Cairngorms by the entrepreneur behind an Aboyne lodges and bothies business. Gordon Drummond, who runs Cairngorm Lodges and Cairngorm Bothies, has begun guided walks around Loch Kinord and Loch Muick. Drummond said: “I hope that those who take part in the walks will indeed get a great…

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Jute: its hidden history revealed

THE hidden history of jute is being explored in an exhibition that’s opened at the Victoria & Albert Museum’s branch in Dundee. The display tells the story of jute workers in Bangladesh and India. Artist, curator, and writer Swapnaa Tamhane has taken inspiration from the archives held at the University of Dundee and Verdant Works,…

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