Stories from the National Trust for Scotland

Tales from the

National Trust for Scotland

Drawn from the annals of the Trust a small collection of stories and events that will inspire and interest all who come to explore this amazing land wreathed like the mist in mystery and intrigue.

photo by Martin Bennie - Unsplash 2023   - Balmoral, Ballater, Cairngorms

Photo by Martin Bennie - Unsplash

The most fabulous whisky, the 21 year old Balvenie

The Story of Whisky

The story of Scotch begins as early as the 15th century. The earliest documented record of distilling in Scotland occurred in 1494 in the tax records of the day, the Exchequer Rolls.


An entry lists “Eight bolls of malt to Friar John Cor wherewith to make aqua vitae.”


Friar John was in luck – this was enough malted barley to produce almost 1,500 bottles of a potent spirit which would be refined and improved in the years ahead.


Courtesy: The Scotch Whisky Association


A 21 Year Old Balvenie Malt Whisky


The barley is still malted in-house, and Balvenie is only one of six distilleries with its own malting floor out of the 100 or so distilleries in Scotland.

Pioneering Spirit a project delivered by the National Trust for Scotland in partnership with Glenlivet

There’s a rich history of townships and farms on what is now Mar Lodge Estate in the Cairngorms.  Now uninhabited, these areas were once places where people went about their rural lives, producing and exchanging the things they needed to see them through each year. Many of these places have been mapped, but for the first time the National Trust for Scotland and The Glenlivet are investigating how whisky (both its making and smuggling) formed a part of life in this region.


The packhorse bridge at Carrbridge, built in 1717, said to be the oldest stone bridge in the Highlands, would have formed a route for whisky smuggled from the illicit stills of Mar Lodge.


Discover more about the illicit whisky stills at Mar Lodge


At all Trust locations admittance is free to members.

Photo by Welmoed Wigarda- Unsplash

Pioneering Spirit Sustainable? Naturally


In 1824 Samuel Morewood wrote An Essay on the 'Inventions and Customs in the Use of Inebriating Liquors'. In it he described the discovery of an illicit whisky still:


‘Perceiving, however, some brambles loosely scattered about the place, he proceeded, to examine more minutely, and on their removal, discovered some loose sods, under which was found a trap door leading to a small cavern, at the bottom of which was a complete distillery at full work, supplied by a subterranean stream, and the smoke conveyed from it through the windings of a tube that was made to communicate with the funnel of the chimney of the distillers’ dwelling-house, situated at a considerable distance.’


From the Cairngorms to the Western Isles the National Trust holds a rich resource of records and tales of yester year. 

Inverewe Gardens

Rare species thrive in this heritage garden as the effects of the Gulf Stream meet the Highlands. Created over 100 years ago by a father and daughter, they understood how the warm waters would help them create a wonder of beauty.


The gardens create a setting that inspires art and creativity. At its heart is Inverewe House, a museum with a twist, and its adjacent Sawyer Gallery, which hosts exhibitions that reflect the characteristics of the garden and surrounding environment. 


Set at the head of Loch Ewe the gardens are a short distance from the pictureque village of Poolewe where the Northern Lights are occasionally visible, more often in winter when the skies are at their darkest.


Click here to discover the delights of this amazing garden set on the shores of the Atlantic Coast.

Loch Ewe Wester Ross

photo by Simon Wiedensohler Unsplash

Inverewe Gardens - Photo National Trust for Scotland

From bare rock a luscious garden grew

Plants from across the globe thrive here, including rare Wollemi pines, Himalayan blue poppies, Californian redwoods and a fantastic variety of rhododendrons from China, Nepal and India. We have a rhododendron in flower every day of the year.


At all Trust places admission is free to members

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