WHISKY
Dram fi ne dramas Two new novels and a play provide some whisky-themed entertainment
whisky loving friends from Edinburgh who decide to go to Islay for a lads’ weekend. At fi rst, they get into a bit of trouble with the
I
local constabulary then, in a mix of whisky- and drug-fuelled chaos, everything that could go wrong seems to go wrong for the four lads from the mainland. With chase scenes and illicit activities, this story will get you hooked right from the beginning. Fanatics of Islay malts are known as ‘smoke
heads’ and anyone who has visited the island will thoroughly enjoy this book. Even if you haven’t been to Islay, the story will take you to the whisky-soaked island. The descriptions of landmarks and distilleries are so accurate you will feel like you are there. Johnstone paints a vivid picture of the island
and the islanders that really brings the book to life. It is a gripping page turner and would make a fantastic summer read. I also think that it would make an incredible fi lm, like Angels’ Share meets Jo Nesbø’s Head Hunters. If you are more of a fan of Scottish crime and
detective novels then you’ll love Whisky From Small Glasses by DA Meyrick. Set in the fi ctitious town of Kinloch on the West Coast – which is obviously meant to be Campbeltown – a dead body is washed ashore, which sparks a series of twists and turns, and more gruesome murders. DCI Daley is sent down from Glasgow to solve the murder and get
normal. However, as an outsider, don’t make it easy for him to do his job.
the town back to the locals
The writing transports you to the West Coast and you really feel for DCI Daley and how cut off and insular the community is there. Things take a turn for the worse when it
high-value drug smuggling is involved and DCI Daley’s wife gets caught up in the whole mess. It is an excellent example of a gritty Scottish crime novel and a lot of whisky is consumed in the plot too.
Finally, I recently went to see the opening
performance of Whisky Kisses at the Pitlochry Festival Theatre and can say that you whisky
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f you enjoy Scottish thriller novels then I would highly recommend Smoke Heads by Doug Johnstone. It starts off with four
fans and families would enjoy this show. The play is on regularly throughout the summer until late October, and it’s defi nitely worth a visit to see this excellent musical, plus Blair Atholl Distillery is on the theatre’s doorstep. The story starts somewhere in the High-
lands. One of the last surviving family-owned distilleries has a mountain of debt. There are only two options: sell the distillery, but ruin the livelihood of the town; or sell the last bottle of 100-year-old Glenigma single malt, one of the most coveted whiskies in the world. Mary McGregor – the daughter of the owner,
who has been burdened with the debt – knows that closing the site would ruin so many live- lihoods in the town that it is not an option. Instead, she posts a notice online to say that the last bottle of Glenigma is to be sold. Whisky collectors from around the world
arrive to participate in the auction. Among them, two obsessive collectors – Ben Munro, a Wall Street big shot, and Yomo Yomostushi, a Japanese industrialist – each need the Glenigma to complete their collections. But something in the air, or the water, makes
the two whisky collectors fall in love with the Highlands and locals and, when the time comes for the auction, things don’t go totally to plan. With excellent music and very likeable char- acters, the story gets you on the edge of your seat and tapping your feet. The incredible set and fantastic props – the copper pot still looks incredibly convincing – create the scene for a whirlwind story of music, dance and laughs. An excellent night and I think I’ll go and see it again before the end of the summer.
WORDS BLAIR BOWMAN
‘Something in the air, or the water, makes the two whisky collectors fall in love with the Highlands’
turns out
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