THE WINTER SERIES

Celebrate the spirit of the Ceilidh

Whisky is a pleasure year-round, but it has to be said that as the nights draw in, there’s nothing better than cracking open a bottle for a dram or two. Whether you’re going for a bit of cold weather walking, or you’re a fan of an armchair dram by a roaring fire, we have something special for you this season with our new Winter Series

WORDS: MADS SCHMOLL PHOTOS: MIKE WILKINSON

If you’ve ever been to a festive event in Scotland, chances are that you may have experienced a ceilidh. If you haven’t had the joy of being whirled around the dance floor to traditional music, there’s nothing quite like it.

Everyone is welcome to take part – whether you’ve practised the dances since primary school or you’re just now learning the steps for the first time. It’s a tradition, although admittedly it’s one that’s changed over the centuries. While today you would expect a lot of traditional music and dancing, historically ceilidhs included almost every type of literary element you could imagine. Music was just one method used to tell a tale…

In 1900, folklorist Alexander Carmichael wrote in Tome 1 of the Carmina Gadelica: “The ‘ceilidh’ is a literary entertainment where stories and tales, poems and ballads, are rehearsed and recited, and songs are sung, conundrums are put, proverbs are quoted, and many other literary matters are related and discussed.”

Depending on your company we’d say this version is not so different from a night of dramming with friends! The months ahead are about coming together to create memories and experiences. It’s catching up with old friends and family and raising a dram together. Whisky is for sharing – and that’s what the spirit of this Winter Series is all about. We’ve picked four easy-drinking whiskies, selected for convivial settings – the what and the where is up to you.

To help get your creative juices flowing, we’ve enlisted the help of our very own ‘Whisky Bard’, the one and only Robin Laing. You’ll know him as a singer, a storyteller, a Tasting Panel chair and a well-kent face at our events. Robin has captured the essence of each of these four whiskies with a series of fireside tales.

Expect songs, poems and stories to bring the bottles to life – each one comes with a QR code on the back which will take you straight to his whisky tales.

We start with Hallowe’en, followed by Christmas, Hogmanay and Burns Night. And because we’re all about sharing, each collection of these four bottlings is being released globally.

We’ll be releasing a limited number of quartets featuring all four bottles on 18 October. You’ll also be able to purchase each bottle individually as we head through each season.