World Bee Day with Morrison Distillers and Bruadar

In celebration of World Bee Day (20th May) we were incredibly chuffed to be invited by Morrison Scotch Whisky Distillers to learn about Bruadar, their delicious whisky liqueur.  Full disclosure, we’d never heard of Bruadar before, but since being at the distillery and learning first hand how it’s created, we’re seeing it everywhere! Lot’s of our own retailers also have Bruadar on their shelves.  

This delicious drink is a carefully crafted recipe of single malt whisky, sloe berries and honey taken from their on-site hives. It’s not only a unique drink but also extremely versatile. During the day, we were able to sample cooking and cocktails created with this sweet and rich blend.

The whisky people reading this will know the Carn Mor and Mac-Talla brands, and their much-anticipated Aberargie Distillery which began production in 2017. Morrison Distillers are quietly going about their business, laying casks down until they feel their single malt is ready to release. Bruadar however is an incarnation of the companies heritage that stems right back to Morrison Bowmore buying the Murray’s Scottish Highland whisky liqueur brand.

So that’s what brought us here, to their 300 acre farm outside Perth. First we were treated to an incredible breakfast made by Sarah Rankin, MasterChef finalist who showcased Braudar in her infused recipes. It’s difficult to explain just how delicious everything was! We were joined by Graeme Mackeddie, head of production who gave clarity on the essential balancing act played between the ingredients in Bruadar - the sweetness of the honey and the bitterness of the sloe berries while retaining the whisky core.

We were very pleased to have received a tour of distillery, it’s still all top secret, so no photos in there. The distillery itself is all on one level – you could see everything standing in one spot -mill, mash tun, washback and stills and through the window a gorgeous view to the fields that had grown the barley. It was pretty impressive.  Next, the warehouse – about 100,000 litres currently resting in there and we did spot a few gems, a Caperdonach, Lochside and one or two Macallan casks caught the eye.

The superstars of the show, the bees, live in their on-site hives and are cared for by Denrosa Apiaries. We were suited up before going anywhere near them. Each hive holds around 50,000 bees and they can fly up to 3 miles to collect pollen from local flowers to create their honey. And what they forage can have a big influence the taste of the product. We met the Queen, who can birth up to 800,000 times in her short 4 year lifespan.

Wrapping things off at a nearby idyllic artists studio, we were treated to another meal by Sarah Rankin which was flawlessly matched to Bruadar Cocktails by Thomas Cuthbert, the Morrison Distillers brand ambassador.