News

Edinburgh’s city centre based, Holyrood Distillery, has unveiled a fresh new look with a bespoke bottle for its multi-award winning Height of Arrows Gin. 

Height of Arrows Gin uses minimal ingredients to produce layers of texture, for a smooth yet full-bodied favour; inspired by whisky-thinking in its creation.With juniper as its singular botanical and enhanced with two modifiers – Isle of Skye Sea Salt and beeswax from Edinburgh Honey Co – the new bottle looks to reflect the adventure and ambition of the experimental distillery.

The new bottle takes inspiration from the city’s famous extinct volcano, Arthur’s Seat which overlooks the distillery. ‘Height Of Arrows’ is the literal translation of ‘Àrd-Na-Said’, the Gaelic name for the iconic landmark. Standing at 251m, the Height of Arthur’s Seat was said to be the furthest distance an archer could fire an arrow – literally, aiming higher and breaking boundaries. 

Distillery Manager, Calum Rae, said: 

“Height of Arrows elevates gin to new levels, and we wanted to make sure that a bespoke bottle was also a reflection of that. 

“The sloping shoulders of the bottle are reminiscent of the peak of Arthur’s Seat, while its green hue is a nod to the resilient lichen that adorns its rocks. The bottle uses a tactile sea-glass effect to represent the texture of the spirit, and serves as a reminder of the unstoppable forces of both time and nature which are both synonymous with Arthur’s Seat and Holyrood Park.”

Nestled at the foot of Arthur’s Seat, Holyrood Distillery was founded in 2019 and is dedicated to producing spirits that are truly worthy of Scotland’s capital city and its proud past as a centre of brewing and distilling. 

Following its release in 2022, Height of Arrows went on to be recognised with multiple awards including Gin of the Year by Whisky Exchange, New Product of the Year by Scottish Gin Awards, medals at the IWSC and ISC and Gold at the World Gin Awards.

In October 2023, the urban distillery launched its inaugural single malt, Arrival, one of the first single malt whiskies produced in Edinburgh in a century.

New bottle is on sale from Friday 10 May from https://holyrooddistillery.co.uk/shop/ and online retailers.

For further information on the full product range and newsletter subscription, visit https://holyrooddistillery.co.uk/

High-res images available here

Holyrood Distillery
19 St Leonard’s Lane,
Edinburgh
EH8 9SH

0131 285 8977 

For media enquiries, please contact:

Nikki Whyte on nikki@soundbitepr.co.uk

Abie Dobie on abie@soundbitepr.co.uk 

On Wednesday the 15th of May, The Prancing Stag, kicks off its series of seasonal tasting menus with a Spring inspired menu in partnership with Wine Importers Scotland.

The menu will feature six courses showcasing the best of modern Scottish cuisine, with a focus on celebrating the abundance of fresh produce sourced from local producers like John Vallance Seafood, Greenheart Growers, Ochil Foods and Campbell’s Prime meats. Each dish will be expertly paired with exquisite wines from renowned regions such as Italy, France, and Chile, as well as intriguing selections from Tasmania, Hungary, and Portugal.

Rory Cox, Owner of The Prancing Stag said, 

“We’re thrilled to team up with our incredible wine suppliers, Wine Importers Scotland, for a toast to Spring at our first seasonal tasting menu event. At The Prancing Stag, we particularly love curating our menu for Spring because of the abundance of fresh produce we get here in Scotland at this time of year. Our Head Chef Neil Keevil has curated a tasting menu that perfectly complements this season’s offering that will be paired with some amazing wine sourced from some of the best wine regions around the world.”

Menu

Canapés

Cucumber Cappuccino

Mackerel Tartare

Rabbit Rillette

Paired with Jansz Premium Cuvee, Tasmania

Charred Denhead Farm asparagus & crispy egg yolk

Paired with Pinot Blanc, Dunavar, Hungary

Chilled fillet of sole with vichyssoise

Paired with Bardolino Chiaretto Classico, Ca’Preella, Italy

Orkney crab cannelloni with heritage tomato consommé

Paired with Frascati Org, Italy

Rump of rose veal, wild garlic & snail risotto

Paired with Clairet de Bordeaux, Chateau Grand Tuillac, France

Nettle & Hebridean blue cheese rarebit

Paired with Graham’s 10yo Tawny, Portugal

Iced Leadketty strawberry parfait, strawberry soup, poached meringue

Paired with Late Harvest Viognier Sauvignon Blanc, Chile

The event will start at 7PM and is priced at  £75 per person. 

To secure your place; call 0141 959 9666 or book online here. 

About The Prancing Stag 

The Prancing Stag is a 36 cover neighbourhood restaurant that focuses on delivering exceptional food and service in the heart of Jordanhill in the West end of Glasgow. Led by Head Chef Neil Keevill, The Prancing Stag celebrates the best of modern Scottish fare by collaborating with local producers to offer a premium dining experience. As a family-owned establishment, The Prancing Stag prides itself on offering a relaxed and welcoming setting for guests.

Images here. 

Balgove Larder has announced the vendor lineup for its milestone 10th annual Night Markets. The lineup for the monthly markets includes some of the best local traders from Fife and beyond and kicks off on the 7^th of May.

The Night Markets, held within the distinctive Steak Barn with its walls crafted from wooden potato crates and a central wood-fired barbecue, offers a unique atmosphere for attendees to shop local, learn about food production, enjoy hands-on crafts and more. Alongside browsing vendor offerings, guests can enjoy a variety of street food from a changing lineup of food trucks, including The Wee Churros Corner, Stag Bites the Hogg, The Rolling Stove, and Wild Fire Pizza. Visitors can also enjoy street style food from the Steak Barn and the Eat Out hut. Additionally, they can treat themselves to a sweet experience with marshmallow toasting.

The Night Markets are free to attend and take place on the first Tuesday of the month from 5pm- 9pm between May and September.

The dates are:

–      7^th of May

–      4^th of June

–      2^nd July

–      6^th August

–      3^rd September

Live music will accompany shoppers as they explore the finest local offerings. From Scottish sweets, award-winning honey and wine, artisanal preserves, baked treats, and handmade crafts, this is a showcase of the very best local produce. This year will see the return of the popular butchery and cookery demonstrations, as well as floral workshops at the Garden Shed and engaging talks and demonstrations led by local producers. Furthermore,  The farm shop at Balgove Larder will remain open giving guests the chance to try out various samples.

Some of the vendors joining Balgove this season are Angus-based chocolatiers, Chocolatia and Plump Gourmet Marshmallows; honey producers like Kin Bees, Scottish Bee Company and Webster Honey; and local favourites like Barnett’s Bakery, Growers garden and Wee Knob of Butter. Drink suppliers from the nearby Tayport Distillery and Perth based winery, Cairn o’ Mohr will also be joining.  Other highlights will include food and drink offerings from Scottish Honeyberries Growers,  Little Birdie Coffee Co and  Hungry Squirrel. Additionally, guests can shop creations from local makers like recycled woollen animals from Wooltide, greeting cards from illustrators at  Joy Nevada and   Little Paper Soul, luxury handmade soap from  Oir Soap and more.

Will Docker, founder of Balgove Larder said,

“This year marks a decade of our Night Markets and we’ve put together a programme of truly outstanding vendors. Balgove Larder is all about celebrating the very best of local produce and these events provide a special opportunity to meet and chat to the people behind these outstanding food and drink businesses. This year we’re enabling visitors to explore even more of what we do with new demonstrations and workshops.” 

Founded in 2010, Balgove Larder has become a destination for locals and visitors alike, who are able to shop for artisanal Scottish food and drink from Fife and beyond, including  seasonal produce direct from their own farms and award-winning meat prepared by their team of traditionally skilled butchers. By converting former farm buildings, Balgove Larder has developed The Farm Shop, The Steak Barn, The Butchery, The Garden Shed, The Homestore, The Café and Eat Out on the Strathtyrum Estate.

For more information on Balgove Larder call 01334 898145, email info@balgove.com or visit www.balgove.com.

Balgove Larder is open daily 9am to 5pm. The Steak Barn is open seasonally and does not take bookings.

Like Balgove Larder on Facebook

Follow Balgove Larder on Instagram @balgovelarder

Skua, tucked beneath St Stephen’s Street in Stockbridge, is celebrating its first birthday this month with some notable staff promotions. In just one year, Skua has garnered remarkable recognition, including listings in the Good Food Guide and the Michelin Guide and built an impressive team of talent.

An unassuming hangout, only the glowing neon sign hints at the hidden away  basement bar  which serves up small plates and cocktails using locally sourced and foraged ingredients. The stylish interior is stark, with colourful art, dark furnishings, soft candle light and a few more hints of neon.

As it enters its second year, James Aikman will assume the role of head chef, continuing to bring his expertise and creativity to the kitchen. Following his time at Michelin starred Timberyard, Aikman has spent the last year at Skua collaborating on the menu with owner Tomás Gormley.

Sinead Power will be stepping in to the general manager role as Katie Messer shifts focus to operations manager, overseeing Skua, Cardinal & Messer – ‘Messer’ being the team’s latest addition to St Stephen Street – Scotland’s first artisanal knife and kitchen supply store due to open this May. Having previously managed a handful of  Edinburgh restaurants, Katie is determined to help create and nurture a new generation of hospitality talent. 

Together, Katie and James have travelled widely and take inspiration from the ruin bars of Paris and New York blending welcoming service, daily menu changes and a relaxed atmosphere and hope to bring that to the city.

Taking full rein of the drinks menu, head bartender, Jacob Thunder will introduce a selection of inventive cocktails perfectly suited to complement Skua’s personality. Skua’s cocktail menu is taking a fully sustainable approach, like the food, preserving the best of Scotland’s natural larder for house-made liquors, syrups and fermentations. Jacob’s latest addition, a comically named ‘Paulie Walnuts’ highlights just that with house concocted Vermouth, Toasted Walnut infused Brandy and Maraschino Liqueur.

Wine available by the glass will be listed on a blackboard in chalk, with diners being encouraged to ask for recommendations from the team, who have curated an expansive collection of low intervention and natural wines from across the world. 

To accommodate its growing popularity, Skua will extend its service to six days a week, opening its doors from Monday to Saturday from 5:00pm to 10:00 pm, with drinks served until late into the evening. Bookings encouraged, walk-ins welcome. There’s also a trade discount for people working in food and drink of 10%.

Working closely with suppliers such as Free Co, Phantassie, Coure Sauvage and David Lowrie, this month, the menu will include:

Housemade Brioche Boule brushed with an Infused Lemon Thyme Brown Butter

Gougere with Fermented Ramson and Alp Blossom

Cured Trout with Taramasalata and Aji Amarillo 

Hen of the Woods Agnolotti with a Nettle Sauce and new season Spruce

Sustainably caught fish and regeneratively farmed pasture for life meat cooked over coals

To stay updated on more exciting announcements and developments in Skua’s second year, follow them on Instagram @skua.scot and visit the website, skua.scot. 

Skua, 49 St Stephen Street, Stockbridge, Edinburgh EH3 5AH

ENDS

IMAGES AVAILABLE HERE.

Maison by Glaschu is set to open later this month in Princes Square. It is the sister venue to renowned restaurant, Glaschu in Glasgow’s Royal Exchange Square. 

Situated on the second floor of the Princes Square shopping mall on Buchanan Street, MAISON by Glaschu will be a restaurant and champagne bar, offering an affordable yet luxurious dining experience to the people of Glasgow. The new venue will fall under the Superlative Dining Collection group, which includes Glasgow favourites: Glaschu, Gost andThe Duke’s Umbrella..

MAISON by Glaschu will offer a 120 cover bar area, where guests can enjoy drinks and snacks, seven days a week. A refined yet relaxed 85-cover restaurant area towards the back of the space has views out east of the city, with its own 45 cover terrace, and serves lunch and dinner all week long. A private dining space of up to 25 is available to book for private dinners and events, and is an ideal city centre location for any daytime boardroom brunches or meetings, with a projector and screen available. 

Open from 10am daily, with freshly baked pastries and premium Italian coffee, MAISON by Glaschu’s city centre location offers an ideal retreat for remote workers, inviting them to “Work from MAISON”, with ultra fast Wi-Fi and complimentary still/sparkling water until 12pm.. MAISON will be serving up a Sunday Lunch  – Le Repas du Dimanche – offering a fresh lunch concept that’s new to Glasgow’s city centre, serving up French Pousin and Short rib a la Bourguignon with a unique French twist on a traditional Sunday Roast.. 

The kitchen will be headed up by Director of Food, John Molloy, who has been with the group for five years. MAISON by Glaschu’s menus are heavily inspired by classical French and Mediterranean inspired cuisine, with local Scottish produce at its core, that will evolve with the seasons. Some standout dishes include: fresh Scottish lobster, French onion soup, beef bourguignon, and confit duck leg lasagne. Celebrating, or just want to indulge? Any of the dishes on the menu can be spruced up with black or white truffles, hand-shaved at the table. 

A strong, hand-picked front of house team will ensure outstanding levels of service across all aspects of the venue. At its helm is General Manager, Clare Johnstone, who spent the last seven years as General Manager at Glasgow’s much-loved Côte Brasserie. The bar will be headed up by Group Executive Mixologist, Ewan Angus, who will curate a menu of cocktail classics with an exciting Glasgow twist.

Director of Food, John Molloy, says:

“MAISON  will be a game changer in the city centre – a brasserie perfectly tailored to the all day dining needs of Glasgow. The food has a classic French brasserie feel to it, while taking inspiration from our sister restaurant, Glaschu, and really utilising the outstanding Scottish produce we have available on our doorstep. I can’t wait to open our doors and for people to see what we’ve been working on.”

General Manager, Clare Johnstone, added:

“I cannot wait to share MAISON by Glaschu with the people of Glasgow..  We promise a culinary experience that is both timeless and innovative. Maison believes in delivering more than just great service – we aim to create memorable experiences for all.”.”

MAISON by Glaschu is scheduled to open at the beginning of May, collaborating with their Champagne partner, LVMH, to offer the first 100 diners a complimentary glass of Moet & Chandon. Bookings can be made now at www.maisonglasgow.co.uk/reservations.  

For updates, follow their Instagram: 

High-res images can be accessed here

Café Cùil on the Isle of Skye, and Fhior in Edinburgh – are teaming up on Saturday the 4th of May to bring a fine-dining supperclub to the Isle of Skye for one night only. 

Chef-owners Clare Coghill (Café Cùil) and Scott Smith (Fhior) will collaborate on a six-course menu that will infuse Clare’s island produce-inspired dishes with Fhior’s clean, precise, and seasonal cooking, to bring something new and exciting to the island for one night only. The chefs will alternate courses, using local Skye produce and ingredients foraged by the chefs themselves, creating a unique menu served at Café Cùil. Clare and Scott will be on hand to chat guests through the creation and innovation process, ingredients and inspirations, as well as to add the finishing touches to dishes at the communal table.

Priced at £90 per person for 6 courses with a welcome drink provided by Isle of Raasay Distillery.

The menu –

Welcome drink – Isle of Raasay gin dirty gooseberry martini

Venison – smoked egg- wild herb

Beremeal sourdough – aged butter – brunost

Dunvegan crab ravioli – whisky bisque – dill 

Asparagus – sunflower seed – wild garlic

Scallop – douglas fir – kohlrabi

Hebridean Hogget – jerusalem artichoke – anchovy

Rhubarb – white chocolate – gorse – blood orange

Finishing dram – Rowan shoot schnapps

On the event, Clare Coghill from Café Cùil says:

“I am really excited to have Scott up from Fhior to demonstrate the best of Scottish cooking. I admire his work and look forward to sharing my Cùil kitchen with him for the evening! Skye’s seasonal produce is in abundance at this time of year, so it’s going to be a really special dinner”

Scott Smith, Fhior, added:

“The Isle of Skye is one of my favourite parts of the world, and I’m looking forward to joining the talented Clare at Café Cùil to give the island a taste of what we get up to at our restaurant in Edinburgh. Skye’s produce is some of the best in the world, and I can’t wait to get my hands on it and work with Clare to create a showstopping menu and put on an unforgettable evening!”

Café Cùil began its story in the heart of Hackney, East London in 2019, where Clare’s passion for Hebridean produce created a unique café space in London that allowed her to showcase the fantastic ingredients that reminded her of home. Now based back on the Isle of Skye, the café has been reborn in the idyllic setting of Carbost. Nestled at the foot of the Black Cuillin Mountains, floor to ceiling windows give stunning views over the glimmering Loch Harport and hills. 

Fhior, which opened in June 2018, is a fine dining Scottish restaurant, co-owned by husband-and-wife team, Scott and Laura Smith, with Scott heading up the kitchen. Since opening, the restaurant has won numerous awards and is listed in the Good Food Guide and Michelin Guide.  Fhior’s ethos lies in showcasing Scottish produce and elevating the flavours that the country has to offer. Guests visiting the restaurant can choose between a seven or ten-course tasting menu – a dining experience that delivers a constantly evolving series of dishes.

The collaboration supper club will be taking place on Saturday the 4th of May at Café Cùil in Carbost on the Isle of Skye. Welcome drinks commence at 7pm, for a 7:30pm start. The communal dining experience is limited to just 30 guests, and advanced booking is necessary.

Six-course dinner – £90

Unfortunately, due to the nature of this event, dietary requirements or allergies cannot be catered for.

To secured a booking, contact Café Cùil on info@cafecuil.com or call 01478 640575 

High-res images available here

Mingary Castle – a unique restaurant with rooms in a 13th century Scottish Castle, on the remote Ardnamurchan Peninsula was awarded 3 AA Rosettes last night at the AA Awards at RAK Ceramics Design Hub, London. Run by chef owner Colin Nicholson, and co-owner Jessica Thompson, Mingary Castle was one of just two restaurants awarded 3 AA Rosettes last night.

Mingary Castle receiving the Rosettes coincides with the publication of the AA Restaurant Guide 2024. Three Rosettes is given by the AA to restaurants that have “achieved culinary standards that demand national recognition well beyond their local area. The cooking will be underpinned by the selection and sympathetic treatment of the highest quality ingredients. Timing, seasoning and the judgement of flavour combinations will be consistently excellent. These virtues will tend to be supported by other elements such as intuitive service and a well-chosen wine list.”

Receiving the award is a huge achievement for a restaurant, with Mingary Castle being one of only two Scottish restaurants to gain such accolade this year. Taken together, restaurants with 3, 4 or 5 Rosettes make up the top 10% of venues with an AA award. 

The 13th century Mingary Castle was restored to its former glory in 2016 and in 2021 its drawbridge dropped and reopened as a stunning restaurant with rooms, with seasoned hospitality professionals, Colin and Jessica, at its helm. It was awarded 5 gold stars by AA in 2022 and recognised in The Times Top 100 Places to Stay in Britain’s list. This year it won Best Restaurant Newcomer at the Scottish Excellence Awards and winners of the Good Hotel Guide Editor’s Choice Awards for Restaurants with Rooms. Jessica has recently been awarded CODE Hospitality’s Pioneer Award, and a prestigious Acorn Award.

Upon achieving Three Rosettes, Colin Nicholson says,
“We are both delighted to have received such a prestigious accolade.  It means so much to be able to bring this award home to Ardnamurchan, helping to place this remote part of the country firmly on Scotland’s culinary map. To be listed amongst some of the UK’s most renowned restaurants is such an honour. I want to extend my thanks to the hardworking team here at Mingary Castle, whose ambition and passion for hospitality has helped us reach this goal, as well as our loyal customers – both local and from afar – who have supported us ever since we opened”.

Chef patron, Colin Nicholson’s, restaurant serves a five or eight course tasting menu in the intimate 20 cover dining room. The daily changing menu showcases the best produce that the west coast of Scotland has to offer. Fruit, vegetables and herbs are sourced from the local community garden that Colin and Jessica are involved in, fish is sourced from Tobermory Fish Co and Iain Stewart’s in Fort William and a local fishing boat for langoustines, crab and lobster, and Highland based Great Glen Charcuterie is used for cured meats. They work with a local farmer who provides the pork for their homemade sausages for breakfast. Colin’s tasting menu is designed to use the ingredients to their full potential, simple dishes bursting with flavour are at the heart of the cooking. A complimentary wine pairing, featuring old and new world wines, is available.

Jessica has skilfully curated the drinks menu and wine list. All of the gin is sourced in Scotland, including three gins from her home, the Isle of North Uist; there are plenty of whiskies on the menu sourced from across the country, from the Highlands to Lowlands and the Ardnamurchan estate’s own distillery. 

Mingary Castle’s restaurant is open Tuesday-Sunday between 6.30pm-8.30pm for residents and non-residents. Guests can select either a five-course (£60 per person) or an eight-course tasting menu (£90 per person, or £140 including paired wines). A  lunch menu is served on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, and a table d’hote lunch is served every Sunday from 12pm-2pm (two courses for £36 or three for £46).

You can read more about Mingary Castle’s listing in the AA Guide here.

High-res images can be accessed here

For media enquiries, please contact:

Abigail Dunn on abigail@soundbitepr.co.uk

The Isle of Skye’s favourite brunch spot, Café Cùil, will re-open its doors for the 2024 season this weekend and, to celebrate, they’ve partnered up with their island neighbours, Isle of Raasay Distillery. Working together to host a series of collaborative supper clubs throughout the year, a new menu of distillery-inspired drinks and dishes will also feature on the spring menu at the cafe.

The first supper-club, The  Spirit of Spring dinner, will take place at the Café on Saturday 23rd March with a four course dinner prepared by Clare with paired serves and drams by the Raasay Distillery team. 

Two of the most exciting businesses on the West Coast of Scotland, the distillery is based on the neighbouring island of Raasay, which is just a short ferry journey from Sconser on Skye. Clare has been working with the makers of award-winning whisky and gin since she opened her business, and they share the same ethos of using the best local ingredients, with Clare foraging for her menu and the Distillery inspired by location, distilled, matured, bottled and shipped from the island, with all products using water drawn from their own well on site, Tobar na Ba Bàine (The Well of the Pale Cow).

Founded by Skye native and Gaelic speaker, Clare Coghill, Café Cùil draws inspiration from the wild and natural larder that the Hebridean island has to offer, using locally-sourced, sustainable ingredients. The Café’s unique brunch and lunch offer revolves around a menu that combines Scottish heritage with global influences from Clare’s travels. 

The Spring Menu for Café Cùil will include:

‘Beans on toast’ with veggie haggis, spinach & foraged wild garlic pesto,

Scotch pancakes with rhubarb, ginger nut crumble & gorse flower mascarpone,

Crispy chicken sandwich, Strathdon blue mayo, fermented hot sauce, house pickles & Cuil slaw,

Whipped smoked mackerel on sourdough with blood orange, cucumber & fresh mint 

The Café began its story in the heart of Hackney, East London in 2019, where Clare’s passion for Hebridean produce created a unique café space in London that allowed her to showcase the fantastic ingredients that reminded her of home. Now based back on the Isle of Skye, the café has been reborn in the idyllic setting of Carbost. Nestled at the foot of the Black Cuillin Mountains, floor to ceiling windows give stunning views over the glimmering Loch Harport and hills. A modern building with slate grey exterior and distinctive red tin roof, inside is a welcoming and comfortable dining space with Gaelic signage, natural wooden benches, fluffy white sheepskin rugs from local maker Skyeskyns and posies of wildflowers and plants. Last year saw the addition of a concept store within the building, with Clare curating local and Scottish artisan makers of food, drink, homeware and gifts, with coffee, candles, drinks, books, art, skincare and ceramics for sale.

Café Cùil is open Wednesday-Sunday from 10am-4pm, from Friday 1st of March. The Café operates a walk-in only policy. For large and private bookings, contact info@cafecuil.com 

Menu and tickets for The Spirit of Spring Dinner will be available soon, for booking information keep an eye on the social media channels of both businesses. 

You can read more about Café Cùil, including sample menus, on their website – https://www.cafecuil.com/ 

Café Cùil,Satran, Carbost, Isle of Skye, IV47 8SU

Website: https://www.cafecuil.com/ 

Instagram: @cafecuil

Facebook: Café Cùil

An insect farmer, a tallow producer and a beekeeping group are seeking to base themselves at Balcaskie Estate in the East Neuk of Fife through Scotland’s first Pitch Up! project. 

The trio of businesses have been announced as finalists of Pitch Up! The innovative scheme enables small businesses’ access to rural areas, providing opportunities to use land in a way that would not otherwise have been possible without renting or buying land. Launched in Scotland for the first time in October, Pitch Up! invited applications from a diverse range of businesses with sustainability at their heart. 

The finalists for Balcaskie Estate Pitch Up! 2023 season are:

• Fife Insect Farm: Helena is aiming to found the first insect farm in Scotland to produce feedstock for pet, poultry and fish food. There is a growing demand for sustainable, high protein feed, which is almost exclusively imported from abroad at present. 
• The Scottish Tallow Co: Tallow is an ancient source of healthy fats, treasured for its nutritional benefits and stability at high temperatures. Mostly lost as a kitchen staple in the rise of industrial seed oils, it is slowly coming back into mainstream awareness as a high-value food product. Right now, most of the fat removed during the butchering process is a waste product, and The Scottish Tallow Co seeks to reduce this waste by rendering and purifying it into a shelf-stable, long-lasting and nourishing culinary must-have.
• Fife Beekeepers Association: Association members of the Scottish Beekeeping Association. It is hoped that the Fife Beekeepers Association will build a number of hives across the Balcaskie Estate and teaching apiary, supporting biodiversity and pollination. The beekeepers would also lead educational tours and supply businesses based at Balcaskie and beyond with local honey and beeswax.

The finalists will now be invited to the Pitch Up! panel, enabling them to present their business plans in more detail, draw on the panel’s expertise to evolve these plans, and discuss the best ways of bringing their visions to life.

Pitch Up! provides opportunities for sustainable businesses to use fertile land and join a community of makers, benefiting from shared resources, expertise and retail opportunities. Founded in 2021 by Tim May of Kingsclere Estates in Hampshire, Balcaskie is the second partner estate (and first in Scotland) to join the project – and it is hoped that more land owners across the UK will join for the 2024 season. 

Each finalist has been shortlisted for its potential contribution to the circular economy approach demonstrated at Balcaskie. Collaborative ‘enterprise stacking’ allows businesses to work together, sharing knowledge, experience and resources to make the best possible use of the land. This allows for the redistribution of waste materials for use in other businesses’ sustainable production. The creation of such a group of businesses supports year-round rural employment and contributes to thriving communities.

Sam Parsons, estate manager at Balcaskie said: 

“We were blown away by the diversity of applications we received as part of  Pitch Up! and are looking forward to moving forward with these three finalists. I know that we were all heartened by the number of passionate people who are working to create a more sustainable future for Scotland. This process really shows the scope for new and improved approaches to farming and production in our area and beyond.” 

Balcaskie Estate covers 2,000 acres in the East Neuk of Fife. With an organic and regenerative focus, farming practices include mob grazing, actively working to improve soil health, native wildlife conservation and the reintroduction of heritage breed livestock. At the heart of the estate is Bowhouse, a growing community of producers, which works to transform local ingredients into artisan food and drink. The Bowhouse Market Weekends have become a well-established fixture, welcoming around 4,200 members of the public every month.  

The Pitch Up! team is calling for other farms and estates across the country to get involved in 2024 as Pitch Up! partners. For more information and to sign up to email updates, go to pitchupandgrow.com

Holyrood Distillery launches its 2nd single malt whisky, Embra, setting the stage for an exploration into peated whisky on Friday 15 March.

Embra is the first in a series of single malt whiskies set to release in 2024, with each unique expression designed to demonstrate the independent distillery’s creativity and barrier breaking approach to whisky making. 

Distillery Manager, Calum Rae, said, 

“At Holyrood Distillery, we are relentlessly focused on experimentation and innovation to produce exceptional, interesting and flavourful spirits. We won’t be creating a core range of whiskies, instead we’ll be focusing on small batch releases – this means each expression will let our whisky makers push the flavour boundaries.

“Edinburgh is the gateway to Scotland for many people and this is the idea at the heart of the first of this series. Embra is triple-cask matured with a variety of yeasts and malts  including chocolate malt, heavily peated malt and passion fruit wine yeast. This combination creates the perfect balance of bold smoky flavours and textures of peated whisky, while still being accessible to a new whisky drinker.”

Embra also reveals the illustrative ‘lino-cut’ label design style, which takes inspiration from iconographic images of St Leonard – not only is Holyrood Distillery located in St Leonard’s Lane in Edinburgh’s southside but St Leonard was the patron saint of barrel makers. 

Founded in 2019, Holyrood Distillery is dedicated to producing spirits that are truly worthy of Scotland’s capital city and its proud past as a centre of brewing and distilling. 

In October 2023, the urban distillery launched its inaugural single malt, Arrival, one of the first single malt whiskies produced in Edinburgh in a century.

Embra is priced at £67 and will be available via Master of Malt, Whisky Exchange, Hard to find Whisky, Royal Mile Whiskies as well as Holyrood Distillery’s online shop. 

For further information on the full product range and newsletter subscription, visit https://holyrooddistillery.co.uk/

High-res images available here

Holyrood Distillery
19 St Leonard’s Lane,
Edinburgh
EH8 9SH

0131 285 8977 

For media enquiries, please contact:

Nikki Whyte on nikki@soundbitepr.co.uk

Abie Dobie on abie@soundbitepr.co.uk