Edinburgh Castle reveals reimagined Scotch Whisky

Historic Environment Scotland (HES) has revealed its refreshed Edinburgh Castle whisky recipe, packaging design and bottle shape, introducing a modern edge to the landmark Scotch. 

Paying homage to the eponymous icon behind the single malt Scotch, the simplified label showcases a sketch of Edinburgh Castle, while allowing the russet-coloured liquid to speak for itself as it shines through the bottle. 

With the updated whisky launching off the back of Burns Night celebrations, HES views this as the perfect opportunity for people to try the Edinburgh Castle 10-Year-Old Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky. 

Natasha Troitino, head of retail at Historic Environment Scotland, which operates Edinburgh Castle, gives a hint of what people can expect from the new liquid: “On the nose, there are a myriad of shortbread biscuit notes with a hint of vanilla essence and honey.

“To taste, there are an abundance of earthy sherry flavours, orange peel with a vanilla, shortbread note, with just a hint of earthiness at the end from time spent in ex-sherry casks.”

In celebration of the launch, HES has also partnered with award-winning Scottish mixologist Sean Cavanagh to create a signature serve using the Edinburgh Castle 10-Year-Old whisky.

Using Sean’s expertise and flair for flavour, he has identified key ingredients to enhance the flavour profile and tasting notes of the Scotch to deliver a delicious signature serve – 

Edinburgh Castle Single Malt signature serve recipe: 

o   40ml Edinburgh Castle 10-Year-Old whisky

o   10ml Creme de Banane 

o   5ml Pedro Ximéne

o   25ml lemon juice 

o   10ml honey/agave (if vegan) 

o   1 drop orange blossom water 

o   25ml egg white/ 4 drops vegan foamer (if vegan) 

Simply shake, strain into a glass and garnish with 3 drops of angostura bitters.

Extending the range, the single malt – distilled and bottled in Scotland and exclusively sold at Edinburgh Castle shops and the Stòr online shop – is now also available in three sizes: 5cl (£7.50), 20cl (£24) and 70cl (£56). 

Natasha added: “We’re excited to launch our refreshed product which has completely transformed the look, feel and taste of our whisky, bringing it into 2023 while reflecting the history and heritage of its Scottish roots.

“Whether you try your hand at Sean’s signature cocktail serve or prefer it neat, we hope this brand refresh will both remind connoisseur of the quality of our Scotch and intrigue those new to the category as we invite them to give it a try.” 

The Edinburgh Castle 10-Year-Old Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky is available exclusively online at www.stor.scot and at Edinburgh Castle shops.

Burns Night cocktail recipe crafted by Scottish gin brand Caorunn

Caorunn

For those non whisky drinkers, why not look at some handcrafted, small batch Scottish Gin. Caorunn (pronounced ka-roon) Gin comes from the Gaelic name for Rowan Berry, which grows wild within a 5-minute walk from the distillery.

The Rowan Berry is infused with five other locally foraged botanicals including dandelion leaf, heather, Coul blush apple and bog myrtle along with six traditional gin botanicals and natural Scottish water. Fresh and floral on the nose, this gin is clean, sweet, full-bodied and aromatic with a long-lasting dry and crisp finish. 

Burns Cocktail (Cranachan Cocktail)

35ml Caorunn

15ml Calvados

15ml Honey syrup

15ml Freshly squeezed lemon juice

5 Fresh raspberries

20ml Pasteurised egg white

Top soda

Shake first 6 ingredients and double strain into hi-ball.  Fill glass with ice and top with soda water. Garnish with large cinnamon stick and cinnamon sugar dusting.

When I was looking into Burns Night drinks, I found that a lot of them were very focussed on quite masculine flavours and were generally whisky heavy (writes ELLIE TAYLOR).  

I looked into doing a savoury cocktail to sit alongside the traditional Burns meal but felt as though this was a little bit too obvious and wanted to do something that was a bit more relevant.  

Cranachan came up a lot as the most popular Scottish dessert associated with traditional meals so I thought I would play about with the flavours and ingredients found within that. Rather than using apple as a direct ingredient, I used Calvados (apple brandy) to bring apple into the recipe and also bring additional complexity and depth. Apple and raspberry is a really classic Scottish flavour combination.

This is a drink designed to appeal to a wide audience, to be enjoyed after your traditional Scottish meal and one which stays true to Caorunn.