InchDairnie Distillery recently announced its latest experimental offering, a Scottish ‘Pot Still’ whisky inspired by the traditional method of old pot still whisk(e)y-making in Ireland and Scotland.
The remarkable success of a Fife estate in turning round the fortunes of grey partridges has been highlighted by the GWCT. Grey partridges are among the most threatened of all the UK’s breeding bird species, and their numbers have declined rapidly over the past 50 years in response to agricultural intensification. However, with help from the GWCT, Balgonie Estate has been working to change those statistics. To help bring the birds back on the estate, the team created nearly 7km of four-metre wide strips of chicory and mustard. This has given the birds cover and, by providing seeds and habitats for insects, has helped feed them. Dr David Parish, the GWCT’s senior Scottish lowland research scientist, explained how they monitored the scheme’s success: “In spring, we drive around as many fields as possible, counting pairs, and then in autumn we record coveys seen in stubble fields. This provides an estimate of the breeding population and breeding success. If we’re doing a go