Scottish Gold

The history of Scottish gold is as romantic as the jewellery into which it is crafted. One of the rarest forms of gold on Earth, Hamilton & Inches are one of only two jewellers in the world permitted to work with this precious material. Until recently, only tiny grains of gold were found glittering in riverbeds in the Scottish Highlands during the 1800s. It was enough to start a Scottish Gold rush, with many hopeful people searching and panning, though little was found and less survived.

"The Quaich: Scotland's Cup of Friendship , Trust, and Peace"

The loving cup, the cup of welcome, the cup of trust; why is the quaich such a powerful symbol of friendship, amity and peace? The simple answer is because these values were once rare in Scotland. Life north of the border was nasty, brutish and short, and our history makes ‘Game of Thrones’ pale by comparison.

Gavin Maxwell - The author & naturalist who found paradise at Camusfeàrna.

The name Gavin Maxwell is synonymous with the world’s best selling book ‘Ring of Bright Water’ published in 1960, about the otter Mijbil brought back from the Marshes of Iraq and in particular, a beautiful part of Scotland overlooking the romantic and rugged Isle of Skye. Gavin named this area the ‘Bay of Alders’ (Camusfeàrna) and for twenty years he considered this to be his spiritual home. Mijbil had been orphaned and rescued by the great explorer Wilfred Thesiger, who Maxwell had been travelling with through Iraq in 1956.

Scotland’s National Nature Reserves

There are 43 National Nature Reserves (NNRs) in Scotland, stretching from the Shetland Islands in the north to the shores of the Solway Firth in the south.Managed by a partnership that includes the National Trust for Scotland, Scottish Wildlife Trust and NatureScot, the majority are also Sites of Scientific Interest and Special Areas of Conservation.

Scotland’s Glorious Gardens

There are walled gardens, historic gardens, Victorian gardens, physic gardens and would you believe there is even a rather remarkable Garden of Cosmic Speculation.Add to the list the wonderfully idiosyncratic green spaces, which often defy labelling, and you start to understand the lure of Scotland’s horticultural works of art.With an everchanging canvas and a cracking story to tell, they are nature’s gifts, the perfect antidote to digital overload and city living.

The Stone of Destiny

In 1980 I was the designer of a BBC Scotland dramatised documentary called The Pinch. Written by George Reid it was the story of four young Scottish nationalists removing the Stone of Destiny from Westminster Abbey and returning it to Scotland. The film was made in monochrome to look like and included newsreel footage of the 1950 actual event. At that time, and since, I’ve wondered about the origins of the stone and if indeed it was the 'real' stone that Edward I of England, Longshanks, stole from Scone in Perthshire in 1296.

The Caledonian Canal and The Great Glen

The Caledonian Canal, the most beautiful of Scotland’s waterways, stretches 60 miles from Corpach near Fort William to Inverness. The canal, beginning at the southern end, connects Lochs Lochy, Oich, Ness and Dochfour, and in doing so creates a route from the Atlantic Ocean to the North Sea.

Charles Doig: the greatest of Scotland’s distillery architects

Charles Chree Doig was born in Alyth, near Blairgowrie in 1855. In 1882, by this time married, he moved to Elgin, a small town in what is today’s Speyside Scotch Whisky Region, to join a surveyor’s practice. Within a few years he became a partner in the business and by 1890, he had his own practice – a master of his own destiny. While his portfolio included a range of municipal buildings which remain largely forgotten, this talented designer will forever be known for his design of over 50 Scotch whisky distilleries and in particular the ubiquitous pagoda roof.

Edinburgh's New Town

Edinburgh’s New Town, rich in cultural and architectural significance, is filled with quiet green spaces, elegant squares, spacious streets and evocative memories of people and times long gone. Today this wonderful Georgian space, this “Athens of the North,” once frequented by Edinburgh’s literati, scientific thinkers, and celebrated men and women of the arts, is filled with historic houses, galleries, independent retailers and restaurants.

Your Safety and Security

At MacLean & Bruce we have built our business on a number of principles, chief among them is our commitment to the health and safety of our staff, partners and guests who join us in Scotland on one of our bespoke whisky tours. During the Coronavirus pandemic, aware that both medical advice and government regulations are subject to change, sometimes at short notice, our health and safety and travel procedures are constantly re-evaluated in order to ensure people’s safety.

Scotland’s clans and tartans: enduring symbols of national identity

You only need take a walk along Edinburgh’s Royal Mile, to discover shops and stalls selling ‘Scottish’ paraphernalia – eye catching heraldic designs and crests and coats of arms with tartan this and tartan that. Scottish clan names and accompanying septs add to what is often a confusing yet captivating mix. It’s a scenario repeated again and again on a myriad of sites on the World Wide Web.

The collapse of Pattisons’ Whisky

During the latter months of 1898, Pattisons’ Whisky, an established blending and distilling business based in Leith, Edinburgh announced record profits. In addition, the company agreed to the expansion of the Aultmore and Glenfarclas distilleries in which they had substantial shares. Today both still operate in Speyside, one of Scotland’s five Scotch Whisky Regions.

Exploring Scotland’s Five Scotch Whisky Regions

The Scotch Whisky Regulations (SWR) 2009 set out, among other things, to regulate how Scotch Whisky should be labelled, packaged and advertised. The five Scotch Whisky Regions defined by the SWR, are: Highland, Lowland, Speyside, Islay and Campbeltown.

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