Scottish Food News – May 2014

This month’s food news is dominated by whisky. It’s ‘whisky month,’ you see, so there are innumerable whisky-based events going on in both Edinburgh and Glasgow. We’ll subtly mix the whisky stuff in with the rest of the news though, so we don’t have to be constantly talking about whisky.

First, whisky! In an abandoned condensed milk factory in Edinburgh, Create:Eat:Whisky falls somewhere between art installation, ‘food experience’ and booze tasting. It’s in a kooky location, with specially-commissioned lighting and pieces of art, but there will be some drinks and nibbles, so it should all be fine. 14-20 May, Nestle Condensed Milk Factory, 4 Wellington Pl, £20.

Next, coffee! Competitive coffee, no less, with the Scottish Aeropress Championships in Glasgow. Coffee enthusiasts from across Scotland will battle it out to prove that they make the best coffee using that weird device that looks like it came from the set of The Crystal Maze. For the entrants it will all be very serious and methodical, but for the reader who likes their weekend cuppa with a side of mild panic it should be great fun. 11 May, Old Hairdressers, 20 Renfield Ln.

Now, whisky! The Whisky Stramash returns to Edinburgh’s Surgeons’ Hall for a third year of entertainment, intrigue, and brown liquids that could strip the paint off a barn door from ten yards away. The surrounding will be opulent and old-timey, and the activities should be fairly mad if the murder mystery and molecular experimentation of last year are anything to go by. And if none of that has you convinced, just remember that the Stramash has signed up just about every distiller and brand imaginable. Seriously, so much whisky. 24-25 May, Surgeons’ Hall, Nicolson St, from £26.

Moving on, haggis! It may look a bit odd, but that hasn’t stopped Innis & Gunn from teaming up with haggis supremos Macsween for an evening of beer and various configurations of animal innards at the brewery’s Edinburgh base. James Macsween will talk you through the ins and outs of the mythic dish, but with four courses and four beers on the menu one hopes he won’t go into too much detail. A simple flow chart, with animals at one end and a cross between a sausage and a rugby ball at the other, will suffice. 6 May, 6.30pm, Innis & Gunn, 6 Randolph Cres, £20.

Finally, whisky! But not just whisky, whisky attached to a 'multi-sensory journey!' Marrying Malts And Molecules will delve deep into the science of taste and hopefully bring a new insight to the world of nosing and holding glasses up to the light. Set at the Merchants House on the corner of George Square, prepare to bring a crazy new way of thinking to one of Glasgow’s most esteemed institutions. Take the system down from the inside, whisky first. They’ll thank you in the long run. 24 May, 7pm, Merchants House, 7 West George St, £45.