Named after Glasgow’s local patron saint – and a brewer himself – in typical WEST style, this packs more flavour in than you might think while still sticking to all-important German 16th-century beer purity laws. The sub-title – pure heavenly – seems appropriate. This is refreshing, with a light bitterness…

Brewed to commemorate 250 years since the Jacobite revolution, Traquair’s Jacobite Ale is rich and malty, full of spiced dried fruits, and oodles of food matching potential.  8%

Scottish brewing success story, Innis & Gunn, is releasing its Original on draught for the first time. Light amber in colour, the smell transports you to the kitchen: aromas of rich honey and caramel from the brew’s time spent maturing in specially chosen oak barrels dominate. Banana splits, more honey…

Peter’s Well is the flagship beer of the Houston Brewing Company, and has a string of awards to its name, including SIBA Champion Best Bitter of Scotland, as well as taking third place in CAMRA’s 2011 Champion Beer of Scotland competition. It certainly looks the part, a dark gold colour with…

This is a big braw* whisky, the one you’d want in your hip flask on a wintery walk. The first impression is of dry peat smoke, but that quickly gives way to lots of fruitcake character, along with a sophisticated woody note which seems as elegant as a fine cognac.…

One of Scotland’s oldest distilleries Glen Garioch (pronounced Geery) has been re-born with a new pair of regular whiskies and the first of a selection of small-batch bottlings, the 1991.  Founded in 1797, the distillery is located in the picturesque town of Oldmeldrum, north-west of Aberdeen. Shut in the late…

Until as recently as 2003 there was no official standard bottling from Clynelish, and even now there are only three. The 14 Year Old is the most widely available. It is an elegant medium-bodied whisky, neither peaty nor overly malty, and thus a good all-rounder. When you nose the whisky…

A classically light Laddie, with cereal and citrus notes and a subtle spiciness from the casks, this is the only organic whisky from Islay, and one of only two organic single malts. What’s more, we are told the names of the farms which produced the barley for this whisky, and even…

Light, elegant, and clean, the Bruichladdich 12 Year Old combines delicacy and intensity. It’s pale looking beside other whiskies; no sherry casks here to darken the malt, just light, sweet ex-bourbon barrels. The nose is fairly complex, dominated by ripe fruity notes – we found a hint of peach –…

Brora, a rare dram from a long closed distillery, is one of history’s happy accidents. The old, mothballed Clynelish – renamed Brora to avoid confusion with the newly rebuilt distillery – was brought back into service in 1969 making heavily peated whisky to bolster blends like Johnny Walker. Only after…

Bowmore is certainly a peated whisky, but not ferociously so, and it has plenty of other aromas to offer. The peat smoke is balanced against a gentle toffee sweetness and maybe a wee bit of lemony citrus. Sometimes a waxy note suggests that maybe the toffee you’re smelling was made…

Amber in colour, with hints of hazelnuts on the nose, the organic Red Kite is delightfully cleansing, with a gently, light carbonation on top of a refreshing lightly roasted malt. Almost mandarin skin on the finish.

A sweet malt, the Arran 14 year old has plenty of fruity notes, given weight by the woody, spicy cask flavours. Mid-amber in colour, much like the 10 year old, there are an array of fruits on the nose – red fruits like raspberries all the way to tropical (bananas!).…

Ty Gwyn Medium Dry CiderThis medium dry offering is Ty Gwyn’s flagship cider, and it’s easy to see why it has wide appeal.  It’s a very lightly sparkling cider with subtle notes of apple jam. A blend of late harvested Vilberie and Brown Snout apples provide a hint of sweetness…

It’s all about the zesty sparkle with this offering from Gwynt Y Ddraig (which translates from Welsh as ‘the dragon’s breath). Sharp tangy bubbles hit the back of your throat, giving way to a crisp but fleeting aromatic apple aftertaste. 4.9%/500ml/£24.00 for a case of 12. Available from Middle Farm…

This little bottle can claim to be the first ever Welsh cider producer to achieve a Gold medal from CAMRA in 2004. It might have been a while ago now, but it’s still doing well. A far bolder cider than its little brother Gwynt Y Ddraig Orchard Gold, reviewed here, it…

Fantastically aromatic, with violets, cloves, cinnamon, vanilla, it’s incredible to think that this all comes from the blend of hops.  The palate sports a complex mix of dark roasted malts, with vanilla coffee flavours, spicy fruitcake, and bitter coffee on the finish. We’re in casserole country here. Or rich tangy…

Mahogany in colour, Wye Valley Brewery’s Country Ale is almost halfway between a stout and an ale, with a malty nose and rich, full-bodied palate. With beers like this, it’s not surprising this small independent wowed the BBC Food & Farming Awards’ judges. A great food beer, with sweet, malty,…

Seriously blackcurranty with the the merest zip of ginger, this is rather like adult Ribena, with the ginger calming the sweetness. Made with 60% blackcurrant juice from Edward Thompson’s fruit-haven of a farm, the ginger quotient of Pixley’s Blackcurrant & Ginger has been upped since its first appearance in 2009.…

Another delightful first from Simon Day at Once Upon a Tree, this is the UK’s first “ice” pear wine. Using techniques from the wine world, he froze the pear juice, concentrating it before fermentation. Simon chose Conference and Comice pears for their sweet yet subtle pear character, instead of traditional…

Rich both in colour and flavour, this cider is bursting full of sweet, caramelised Cox apples, balanced by a sherbet tang. Smooth and uplifting. 7.5%/500ml/£36 for a case of 12. Available from Middle Farm Cider & Perry Collection, direct from Gwatkin Cider’s online shop as well as from selected local outlets