Licensees look back on Scottish pubs’ changing spirits selection
"IT WAS take it or leave it back in the day," recalled Peter Ross of his time serving local steelworkers in The Railway Tavern in Motherwell. “You came in and there was no choice. You drank beer and you drank whisky.”
Black pints aren’t the only way to celebrate St Patrick’s Day this March
Irish whiskey has earned a reputation for its quality over hundreds of years – and there’s arguably more of it available to Scottish publicans now than at any time in recent history.
Arthur Bell & Sons’ care for licensees is alive and well in Bob Taylor
The famous ‘green blazer brigade’ – the Bell’s sales team named after the distinctive green blazers they would wear at industry events – were a common sight in Scottish pubs as well as industry events.
Looking back on 60 years of seismic shifts in Scottish hospitality
A lot has changed in hospitality since SLTN entered the fray back in 1964. But what do industry figures regard as the single biggest upheaval they’ve seen during their time in the sector?
Founder of zero-ABV spirit Talonmore has his sights set on the on-trade
The core ingredients in Talonmore are ‘superfoods’ including prickly pear, hawthorn berry and Assam tea, with ginger providing a warming burn akin to what you’d find in a spirit.
Maybe it’s time to try an alternative to the traditional Burns Night?
While there is still an appetite for addressing the haggis, and joining hands for Auld Lang Syne, there’s no reason each and every Burns Night has to follow the tried-and-tested formula.
A year of celebrations ahead as SLTN marks its 60th anniversary in print
In what’s sure to be another eventful year for the Scottish hospitality industry, we’ll be looking back at some of the biggest developments in the trade over the past six decades...
SLTN Award-winner Zach is a champion for Scotland’s bartenders
Zach Sapato, who was given the 2023 SLTN Hospitality Hero Award, started his bartending career in Illinois, going on to win US-wide cocktail competitions for Amaro Montenegro and Angostura.
Simon Keane’s strategy for Malone’s pubs and spirits – go big or go home
At a time when many hospitality businesses have battened down the hatches against the economic storm, the Malone family has correctly read the conditions and steered a course to success.
Edinburgh’s Copper Blossom relaunches looking towards 2024’s cocktail trends
The George St venue now boasts contemporary decor, revamped lunch and dinner menus and a ‘buzz for bubbles’ feature where a button summons a bottle of prosecco to their table.
Columns
Luke Richardson
William Woodburn
