The 5pm blog was invited to a weekend of Highland indulgences by Glenfiddich whisky and it proved to be the perfect tutorial on how to be a Highlander.
1. Attend a Highland Games
Glenfiddich has been sponsoring the heavy athletics element of the Braemar Gathering for over 30 years.
The 5pm blog hadn’t been to a Highland games before and we certainly experienced the top dog with the 2015 Braemar Gathering. Not only is it the biggest Highland Games, this year saw the 200th anniversary of the Braemar Royal Highland Society organising the Games.
Especially for its 200th year, over 200 Lonach and Atholl Highlanders marched 16 miles along the same path of their clan ancestors to Braemar where they joined 12 pipe bands for the Gathering.
The Braemar Gathering gets worldwide coverage due to its regular royal spectators (the Queen has visited every year since 1952) but despite the media attention, the Gathering remains firmly rooted in the local with children and athletes from the surrounding areas taking part in most of the events.
Heavy athletes
From Highland dancing and the tug of war to the sack race, there’s something going on in every part of the field to enjoy but of course, the heavy athletes bring the biggest awe with their feats of strength and record breaking throws. Hammer throws, putting heavy stones and of course caber tossing are classic heavy sports of Highland games.
As if not heavy enough the special Braemar caber has been soaked for a week in the local River Dee to make it even weightier. Imagine throwing a caber that’s 19ft 9” tall and 132lbs? It’s some feat but these types of activity have been happening in Scotland for over 1000 years as a way to determine the fittest and strongest men for the king’s soldiers and messengers.
This connection to the past, the land the games take place in, and ancestors, is palpable and it’s no wonder Highland games are replicated across the world.
Attending the Braemar Gathering certainly gets you a huge step closer to becoming a Highlander (although perhaps being able to toss a caber would help even more).
2. Visit a Highland estate
After a day of Highland games, what better way to cement yourself in the Highland way than to visit a Highland estate.
Glenfiddich kindly took us to Mar Lodge. Now owned by the National Trust of Scotland, its estate is in the heart of the Cairngorms and offers a first class example of a Highland landscape.
3. Explore the best of Scottish produce
Our evening at Mar Lodge was brought together by a three course meal showcasing delicious Scottish produce.
You couldn’t get more local or more ‘Highland’ than the starter of ‘Deeside Surf & Turf’ – smoked venison and Deeside salmon.
Scottish salmon is famous the world over and the River Dee in fact is one of the world’s top salmon rivers.
Lamb shank
The main course of Scottish lamb shank with redcurrants and sloe gin shows off another classic Scottish ingredient, lamb.
We recently had Gregg Wallace on the blog talking about Scottish lamb who said ‘the quality of Scottish meat is extraordinary’ and this dish was a fantastic example of Highland reared Scottish lamb.
Deliciously ripe Scottish redcurrants accompanied the lamb and Aberdeenshire is a key berry growing area of Scotland. Its cool summers and long daylight hours are perfect to ripen the fruit and maximise flavour.
4. Enjoy a single malt…
A tutorial on being a Highlander screams to have whisky included in the lesson plan and what better an education than a Glenfiddich single malt from Speyside.
We were very lucky to have a few drams of a 30 year old Glenfiddich. Aged over 30 years in sherry and bourbon casks gives it a beautiful rich colour with hints of sherry in its complex taste – a very smooth finish and an experience not to forget.
Age of Discovery
Another Glenfiddich we sampled was the 19 year old ‘Age of Discovery’ so called because it was inspired by 15th century Portuguese explorers and the ageing and taste definitely reflect this. The whisky has been aged in Madeira wine casks giving it a hints of figs and marmalade, spicy notes and a deep aroma.