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A Wee Dram at the Fringe

 
Stuart Mckenzie Review by Stuart Mckenzie 4 Published: 23 Aug 2025 Cask and Vine Show Dates: 8 Aug 2025-22 Aug 2025

Established in October 2024, Cask and Vine present their Fringe Festival debut with an insightful and informative act that delivers a succinct history lesson on Scottish whisky. Our host for the evening, Chris, is as enthusiastic as he is knowledgeable, reflecting his 20 years of experience within the industry. He saves his funniest anecdotes for the latter part of the evening – good timing, given that everyone is merrier by that point – and shows great ad lib in the pockets of open chat that emerge more steadily in the second half of the event. Sparing us the long-winded introductions typical of many whisky tastings, Chris cuts straight to the point by instructing us to simply take a drink to begin.

A succinct history lesson on Scottish whisky

We start with Loch Lomond Spearhead, a young and, some might say, prickly whisky, unpeated with notes of vanilla and nutmeg. Unlike the other whiskies we’re offered (and most Scottish whiskies at large), Spearhead is a single grain – a rarity in Scotland that forgoes malted barley to use cereals instead, typically wheat or corn. Perhaps archaic for our setting, it’s a nice inclusion that allows Chris to comment on Scottish refinements to whisky making from its grain-based roots in Ireland.

Glen Scotia Double Cask follows to present a Campbeltown classic: lighter in hue, but with a more oily texture reflective of its coastal location. It boasts sweet, spicy undertones of dark chocolate and toffee with whispers of salt. This is succeeded by our penultimate dram, the more mature Glen Scotia 18: a wonderful follow-up to its youthful counterpart. Compared to the Double Cask, the 18 has a bold honey nose with a sweet body and salted caramel finish.

Structurally, the inclusion of the two Glen Scotias is an effective bridging point that gives pause to the history of Prohibition and the Great Depression’s impact upon the once 30-strong distillery bosom of Campbeltown, reducing the Kintyre settlement to just three working distilleries today. Finally, we return to the Bonnie Bonnie Banks with Loch Lomond 18: dark gold in complexion, with a honey-raisin nose and softly peated finish – a brilliant way to round off the evening.

The shape of the show is more last-third heavy than an even quartet, with an elongated run-through of distillation between drams one and two. By the end, we’re left with a few filled Glencairns and only 10 minutes to go. But we’re not under pressure to neck these or rushed out the door; rather, we’re given the opportunity to finish at our own pace upstairs. Chris is approachable and coaxes the small group of strangers into getting to know each other better, where even the quietest of dram-lovers will be chatty by the end. The act delivers beyond the billing of a ‘wee dram’ to gift us four tipples in a convivial setting.

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Hidden beneath the Royal Mile, discover the untold stories sealed in casks and whispered through whisky in our Cellar Tasting. A Wee Dram at the Fringe is an intimate tasting experience where every whisky is presented by your expert whisky host, you'll explore four exceptional whiskies, including two 18-year-old whiskies, from the Loch Lomond and Glen Scotia distilleries and enjoy stories and fun along the way, leaving with a nice little buzz. Access is via stairs.