It’s not only in literature and whisky that Scotland has brought its gifts to the world. From our music stars succeeding on the international stage to the creativity behind our art, cinema and scientific achievements, we’re incredibly proud of our wee country’s ability to punch above our weight.
Here’s a round-up of some of our full-flavoured, cask strength contributions to making the world a better, brighter, funnier and tastier place – always better appreciated with an inspiring and suitably paired dram of Society whisky.
Young & Spritely: Music
Scotland’s music reverberates all over the world, with new generations such as Lewis Capaldi picking up the mantle from a multitude of international stars such as Simple Minds, The Proclaimers and Calvin Harris who have come before.
Sweet, Fruity & Mellow: Art
It’s not all portraits of stags in a Highland glen….Scottish art is more about pushing the boundaries, with world-famous Glasgow School of Art producing no less than six winners of the prestigious Turner Prize since 2005 for their bold and wide-ranging forms of art.
Spicy & Sweet: Sport
Scotland’s national sport might be football, but we haven’t experienced much international success in that field for a while. Maybe we should change it to tennis, thanks to our national sporting hero Andy Murray. He’s a two-time Wimbledon winner, US Open champion and double Olympic gold medalist, a spicy character who is truly Scotland’s sporting sweetheart.
Spicy & Dry: Humour
If you’ve ever heard a performance by our leading comedian Billy Connolly, you’ll know that our language can be more than a little spicy…and our humour can also be quite dry. Scotland’s comedians, especially those from the home of our new Members’ Room in Glasgow, are definitely up there with whisky as one of our greatest exports.
Deep, Rich & Dried Fruits: Science
Scotland has a rich tradition of scientific achievement, from Dolly the cloned sheep to the Nobel Prize being awarded to Edinburgh-based physicist Professor Peter Higgs for his work in proposing the existence of the ‘Higgs boson’ particle. It doesn’t get much deeper than that.
Old & Dignified: Textiles
Of course we can do kilts and bagpipes, but those are mostly turned out for the tourists. For centuries, Scotland has produced incredible, complex textiles such as Harris tweed from the Outer Hebrides, traditional yet used by leading designers around the world.
Light & Delicate: Architecture
Scotland might be identified with iconic castles such as Edinburgh and Stirling, but architects such as Glasgow-born Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s innovative Art Nouveau style of design from the early 20th century epitomise an elegant new European style.
Juicy, Oak & Vanilla: Literature
There’s nothing Scots love more than a juicy detective story, a form pretty much invented by Edinburgh’s Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and his character of Sherlock Holmes, and brought up to date with a generation of Scottish ‘Tartan Noir’ writers including William McIlvanney, Val McDermid and Ian Rankin.
Oily & Coastal: Landscape
You can never fail to be astonished by Scotland’s landscape, but for a fully immersive experience there’s little to compare with the North Coast 500 route around the top of the country – as we found out on a whisky-flavoured tour for members’ magazine Unfiltered a couple of years ago.
Lightly Peated: Seafood
Scotland’s seas and lochs are rich in stunning seafood, from wild salmon, scallops, lobsters, langoustine and mussels. All fabulous on their own, but even better when paired with a Lightly Peated Society whisky.
Peated: Gaming
Some people might think of Scotland as a playground for hunting and shooting game, while decked out in tweed on a Highland estate. To be honest, we prefer to celebrate our role at the forefront of game creation and design that now plays a major role in the country’s economy, especially with the worldwide success of franchises such as Grand Theft Auto.
Heavily Peated: Film
Scottish cinema packs a punch, from cult classics such as The Wicker Man to Bill Forsyth’s coming of age classic Gregory’s Girl and the adaptation of Leith-born Irvine Welsh’s Trainspotting. Others have gone with a Scotch-flavoured storyline, such as Whisky Galore and The Angels’ Share, perfect to pair with a Heavily Peated dram.
