Edinburgh Cocktail Afficianados, Panda & Sons, Fix International Mixers to Toss the Caber, Celebrate Scottish Culture and Sample One-off Whiskies
On a warm, sunny day at the end of May, Winton Castle near Edinburgh was delighted to welcome back their friends from Panda & Sons for the second annual Panda Highland Games, a Scottish away day of caber-tossing, croquet, cornhill, BBQ, beers, whiskies and kilt-making. The Panda flag flew again from the castle’s tower and all guests had to wear Panda ears!
This was a four-day celebration of ‘hospitality, culture, friendship and seriously good drinks’ for the world’s leading bartenders from as far afield as Argentina, Mexico, Singapore and Ghana.
‘Uniting the clans’ was the theme for the second annual Panda Highland Games. Sixty guests travelled to Winton Castle in East Lothian for the Scottish gathering – a full day of caber tossing, tug-o-war, Highland dancing, welly-wanging, whisky sampling, a hog roast and plenty of competitive spirit.
The celebration was the brainchild of Panda & Sons owner and internationally acclaimed bartender Iain McPherson:
“The Panda Highland Games is about bringing people together, creating friendships and giving local and international bartenders the chance to connect through something uniquely Scottish.
“Seeing bartenders from all over the world in the Scottish sunshine at Winton Castle, dancing terribly and competing in tug-o-wars with my family… that’s exactly what it’s all about.”
The international guests were treated to a traditional hog roast BBQ and a programme of immersive Scottish experiences at Winton Castle.
Iain’s idea for the Highland Games came from various trips overseas, when he has taken part in bar takeovers. He wanted to do something that was more cultural, more Scottish and with “more of a festival feel”.
“So, I thought, Scotland’s got such a rich history: Scotch, tartan, some very iconic things that people have heard of but may not really understand.”
Limited-Edition Blind Summit Whisky Unveiling Highlight
A highlight of the gathering was unveiling the second collaborative whisky release between Panda & Sons and Blind Summit Whisky.
The independent Leith-based whisky company specialises in their own one-off bottlings of single cask whiskies and blended malts from distilleries across Scotland, each featuring an original image by a local artist.
The limited-edition bottling, created especially for the event, will once again raise funds for Wildcat Haven Scotland, helping support conservation efforts for the endangered Scottish wildcat – a species that’s renowned for being rarer than the giant panda.
In addition to learning about Scottish whiskies and competing in the Highland Games, the visiting bartenders learned about the history of tartan and kilt-making.
Summing up the day, Iain McPherson said:
“The Winton team looked after us really well as always and the feedback from everyone on the day was excellent.”
You can learn more about corporate events, gala dinners and meetings and conferences at Winton Castle on their website.
Photography credits to Tiago Maya (Mayuka), a ‘mixed media mixologist’.
