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This piece first appeared on The Offside Line on 17th May 2026 The Scottish Rugby Union (SRU) have announced sweeping changes to their Match Official National Panel and pathway as it seeks to improve the experience and quality of match officials in charge of rugby fixtures across the country. The overhaul was announced during an…
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This piece appeared on The Offside Line on 29th May 2026 Spring in Scotland is the time for 7s or 10s rugby with tournaments held all over the country, and this weekend, one unique tournament takes place in Glasgow. The inter-islands 10s tournament, featuring ten different island rugby clubs, takes place on Saturday 30th May…
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The 13th February saw the release of the latest UK export figures released for December 2024, and by extension, the export statistics for the whole year of 2024. It made good reading for some exports, but Scotch whisky was one of the industries that were a slightly less joyous. Although it remains the UK’s largest…
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Every industry will work through boom-and-bust cycles, it is just part of business. Scottish whisky is no different and whilst we are currently amid a boom, it has not always been like this. Positive years bring about high sales, distillery openings, scores of jobs, and plenty of drinking options. Lean years are sadly different, and…
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For the majority of single malt drinkers, we are used to bottles of whisky displaying a clear age statement. By law, Scotch whisky must be at least 3 years and a day old, and if there is a number of whiskies blended together, any statement of age has to be based on the age of…
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November brings us the Autumn Nations Series as international rugby makes a welcome return to soften the blow of darkening days and worsening weather. In years gone by, it was simply just known as the Autumn Internationals and often covered 3 weeks, but over time, it’s developed into a more structured “series”, primarily guided by…
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Whisky festivals are great. Not exactly a hot take but they can be looked down on by some. Surrounded by lots of like-minded people, with plenty of interesting and excellent whisky (and other options) to try, and numerous clever, witty and knowledge of people serving said drams. They allow whisky enthusiasts and novices the chance…
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Have you picked up a bottle of whisky recently and seen the statement “non-chill filtered” blazed across the front? Maybe you’ve just heard a bartender, a whisky drinking buddy or a magazine mention chill filtration. Or perhaps you’ve never heard of it but now I’ve piqued your interest. Chill filtration is one of those terms…
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Another Super Rugby season is in the books and it’s the Blues who take home the title after a very convincing 41-10 win over the Chiefs in the final. The victory marked the Blues first title since 2023, taking them to a total of 4 Super Rugby competition wins (not counting the Trans Tasman title…
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Peat. Heard of it? You almost certainly have if you have any interest in whisky (or gardening, or the environment for that matter). Peaty whiskies are perhaps the most polarising topic in whisky. Many people fall into a category of either seriously disliking it or becoming a full-blown enthusiast (a peat-head or peat-freak if you…
Sean black - Freelance writer 