DRAM August 2012

DRAM

264 DRAM MAGAZINE AUGUST 2012 ISSN 1470-241X

DRINKS RETAILING AND MARKETING

TORRANCE LENDS A HAND • PUB MONTH LAUNCHES

264 259 DRINKS RETAILING AND MARKETING

WELCOME

C

ould we be in for an Indian summer?

Here’s hoping. July was certainly flat when it came to trade, and although the Olympics have proved to be exciting, it hasn’t really done the pub industry any favours this month. However what will do the pub industry a power of good is the forthcoming Pub Month in September. This is the biggest initiative ever undertaken to drive footfall to Scotland’s pubs, but you have to participate to benefit. So if you have not already registered, do so now. See page 21 for registration details and for more information see our news pages.

This month we have a feature on ten of Scotland’s licensing chiefs. These are the guys that officiate, and who often have the last vote... when it comes to licensing applications.

See pages 14-16. Jason Caddy has also been out and about. He visited The Inn at Torbrex, The Paper Mill at Lasswade and Jamie’s Italian in Edinburgh.

Meanwhile I had a chat with Brian and Frank Murphy, the father and son team behind The Pot Still.

Our cover features Sam Torrance. See Roundup for more info.

This month we also introduce the first of our industry blogs, with John Gemmell of Heineken in the hot seat. Next month it’s John Gilligan of Tennent’s turn. See page 13.

By this time next month Pub Month will have kicked off and by then I hope as many of you as possible will have signed up.

Susan Young Editor susan@mediaworldltd.com

CONTENTS

August

2012

FEATURES

13 14 18 25

THE BLOG SPOT

John Gemmell from Heineken UK gives us his unedited views on the trade.

ACROSS THE BOARD

DRAM profiles ten Licensing Board Chairs from across the country.

LICENSEE INTERVIEW

Susan Young meets the Murphy family who have taken over the Glasgow whisky institution, The Pot Still.

DESIGN – INN AT TORBREX

Jason Caddy takes a look at one of Stirling’s new bars.

REGULARS

04 07 32

NEWS

All the news on pubs, bars, restaurants and hotels.

BRAND NEWS

All the latest brand news.

Sue Says

Straight talking from our very own Editor.

AUGUST 12 DRAM 3

NEWS

ALL THE NEWS ON PUBS, BARS,

Ayr of Sophistication

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ampbell Inns’ John and Senga Campbell have finally managed to persuade South Ayrshire Council to sell the freehold on Belleisle House in Ayr, which the couple plan to redevelop into a hotel and spa complex. Prior to sealing the deal, the 18th century Mansion House had only been available for leasehold, and repair work is expected to get underway this month, with planning permission in for the redevelopment. GM Louis MacCallum told DRAM, “As the council sold us the property, we know that they are very keen to give the project the green light, so we don’t envisage any problems.”

Once sanctioned, the redevelopment is expected to take around two years to complete and will reopen as the Belleisle Mansion Hotel and Spa with 70 guest suites, and spa, including a 20m indoor swimming pool, and a ballroom capacity for up to 400 guests.

The planned work will take place in two stages, with phase one focusing on the renovation of the main building, expected to be finished and opened to the public by Summer 2013. The remainder of the work, involving the building of a completely new building on the site of the former function suite, will open the following summer. The current golf clubhouse will move out of the main house in January 2013.

John Campbell said, “This is a fantastic opportunity and a landmark moment not just for us as business owners, but for Ayr and Ayrshire as a whole. I am committed to developing a high quality hotel and spa facility that will attract both domestic and overseas visitors and breathe new life into this magnificent building and make the most of the fantastic setting.”

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Paperino’s Ducks Out Have you heard...

Plans for a £60m luxury golf course, The Angus, designed by reigning Open Champion Darren Clarke in Broughty Ferry have been unveiled by developers, Kingennie. The development will include a five star hotel plus a leisure complex, spa and lodgestyle accommodation, alongside the 18-hole championship golf course. The initial plans for were approved by Angus Council in November 2010. It could create 200 full-time jobs after completion.

Duke’s wins Euro bid The Old Course Hotel, Golf Resort & Spa in St Andrews has announced it is to host the world’s leading amateur stroke-play championship, the International European Amateur Championships at The Duke’s, the resort’s award-winning heathland course, overlooking the home of golf in 2014. The tournament – in its 25th year - has been staged in countries across Europe including France, Germany, Sweden, Italy, Finland, Belgium, Portugal, Wales, Switzerland, Spain, England, The Netherlands and Ireland.

David Scott, Manager at The Duke’s Golf Club is “absolutely thrilled” with the announcement saying: “The last time Scotland hosted the Championships was at Nairn in 2003, so we are delighted to see the event come back to Scotland.” It will take place from Monday 4th to Saturday 9th August 2014.

www.dramscotland.co.uk RESTAURANTS AND HOTELS TOO!

Malmaison Dundee to open They say that it’s unlucky for some, so here’s hoping this doesn’t ring true for the Malmaison Group whose 13th hotel, and the first for Dundee, opens in the city next year. The new Dundee Malmaison is expected to open in May 2013 on the site of the former Tay Hotel on Whitehall Crescent/Dock Street, and forms part of a reported £1 billion regeneration of the city’s waterfront.

The group has taken out a 35-year lease on the hotel, which is currently vacant, and it will be developed by M.E.C. Services (International) Ltd. Joseph Todd has taken the leasehold on the site at 185 Hope Street, Glasgow and plans to turn it into a New York style bar and dinner called NYC. Over the last few years it has been a number of businesses including latterly Heavenly, but originally it was the Candy Bar. Todd, a former doorman worked in the security business for eight years, and has just completed an HND in Event Management. This is his first outing as a lessee. He told DRAM, “We will open at the end of the month following a slight re-fresh of the interior, although we haven’t done anything structurally. The interior was an ugly shade of green which has now been replaced with two shades of grey. There’ll also be a big red apple lampshade taking pride of place, and some digital prints of New York city landmarks.” The food side of the business will concentrate on American classics like burgers, fries and steaks.

Neave-ho A

n otherwise quiet corner of Edinburgh, Old Fishmarket Close, just off the Royal Mile, has been a hive of activity of late with two new outlets opening in as many months. The first was the brainchild of one of Scotland’s youngest entrepreneurial chefs, Michael Neave, who unveiled his first bar and restaurant.

The 21-year-old opened Michael Neave Kitchen at Old 21 Fishmarket Close, on the site of the former Mai Tai, at the end of June. Neave, a previous runner up of 2010’s Young Scottish Chef of the Year also spent some time working for his father, David Neave. Michael told DRAM, “I worked for my father in the Amber Restaurant for a while, although I trained at Edinburgh’s Bonham Hotel.”

The two-storey former Mai Thai hasn’t altered all that much from its previous incarnation, with the ground floor now a whisky bar and the basement a restaurant.

Meanwhile, Pierre Levicky, founder of the old Pierre Victoire chain, opened a new 70-cover restaurant called Passepartout, at 5/7 Old Fishmarket Close in early July. Pierre told DRAM, “It is based on a simple idea where we serve trays of food for sharing that isn’t limited to country of origin, but instead tailored to what we think customers want to eat, and some would call this fusion, although I don’t like to use that term.”

The interior design is simple, with, explains Pierre, “a trio of different styles.” He says, “There are three ambiences. The first is opulent with low-level tables and seating. The second has a cinema screen showing old movies and the third is what you’d call shabby chic.”

n.b. bar & restaurant

Café India’s Tony Hussain has acquired Paperino’s on Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow and changed the name to Papa Tony’s. Apart from the name change, the rest of the operation will remain pretty much unchanged. A spokesperson told DRAM, “We are in the middle of a slight re-fresh as far as the décor, but we are keen to maintain continuity with the past. All the staff have been kept on, and the menu has changed only very slightly. The opening hours have also been extended and we will now be open all day serving teas, cupcakes, Prosecco and antipasti.” Former owners the Giovanazzi’s still own Paperino’s West End and Paperino’s in St Vincent St, as well as Parmegiana. They have also just launched Scotland’s first prosecco bar at Paperino’s West End. Said Stefano Giovanazzi, “We are delighted to introduce Scotland’s first prosecco bar to Glasgow, offering customers an ideal place to enjoy a superior quality Fantinel prosecco at a sensible price.”

Angus Council is looking at proposals to redevelop the empty Golf Inn pub in Park Avenue, Carnoustie into a 76-cover Mediterranean restaurant.

The premises closed last year, and the application has been submitted by James Paul Associates in Broughty Ferry, on behalf of the applicant, who has not been named.

JD Wetherspoon’s plan to open a bar in Stirling’s former tax office will be debated for a second time by the Licensing Board.

The initial attempt to gain a provisional premises licence for the Spittal Street premises was refused by Stirling Licensing Board, by four votes to two in February. A hearing was held late last month that resulted in the company’s application.

Oloroso in Edinburgh may close shortly and could re-open as a Chaophraya Thai restaurant with a cocktail bar. However the PR company who handle Chaophraya wouldn’t confirm the rumours as we went to press. Proprietor Tony Singh posted a comment on the Oloroso website saying, “’I’m extremely proud of what we have achieved at Oloroso over the last ten years.

Running my own restaurant has been an unforgettable experience; however the current economic climate is incredibly challenging and in all honesty it has made me question my future, as well as the future of my staff and suppliers.”

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NEWS n.b. company

AB Inbev has suffered a doubledigit sales slide in the UK, blaming wet weather. Its lager volumes fell by 10 per cent. Beck’s and Stella lost share, although Budweiser was boosted, perhaps by its sponsorship of the FA Cup. These were partially offset by a 20% rise in sales of Stella Artois Cidre.

As the DRAM went to press, Heineken’s £2.6bn bid for Asia Pacific – the makers of Tiger Beer – has taken an unexpected twist. Thai firm, Kindest Place, has now offered to buy a stake in the brewer. It wants a 7.3% stake in the company, currently owned by Fraser and Neave, which is 10% higher than Heineken’s offer.

F&N’s board had accepted Heineken’s bid but it requires shareholder approval, now Heineken may have to up its offer if it wants shareholder approval. If successful, it would give the brewer a greater presence in the fast-growing Asian market. It has so far failed to gain the scale that rivals AB InBev and SAB Miller have built in China, the world’s largest beer market by volume.

Scotch whisky producer, Isle of Arran Distillers, is switching UK distribution to Indie Brands from the beginning of August. Following a record year for the distillery, Arran is moving distribution to the ambitious new business with the brief to build the UK distribution.

Indie Brands, run by Chris Bowen and Douglas Cunningham, will be tasked with developing the brand in both the on-trade and off-trade markets.

Commenting on the new partnership, Euan Mitchell, Managing Director of Isle of Arran Distillers, said: “Indie Brands is a new business that is looking to make progress. They share our ambitions for the Arran Malt and backed by Chris and Douglas they are a great fit for our business.

This is an exciting development for Arran.” Arran Distillers previously distributed through Blavod.

Calling all pubs...

Get ready for Scottish Pub Month 2012

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cotland’s MSP’s are lending their support to Scottish Pub Month, the initiative supported by Media Scotland, the newspaper group behind the Daily Record, and Scotland’s top drinks company’s, Belhaven, Diageo, Heineken UK, McEwan’s, Molson Coors and Tennent’s, as well as the Scottish Licensed Trade Association and industry magazine DRAM. The aim of the initiative is to drive footfall this September, and remind people how good their locals are.

Already MSP’s including Willie Coffey, Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley; Sandra White Glasgow Kelvin; Richard Baker, North East Scotland; Annabel Ewing, Mid Scotland and Fife; Gordon Macdonald, Edinburgh and Pentlands; Christina Mckelvie, Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse; Mike Mckenzie, Highlands and Islands; Jamie Hepburn, Cumbernauld and Kilysth, and Tavish Scott MSP for Shetland, have pledged their support.

Says DRAM Editor Susan Young, “The aim of Pub Month is to get people to revisit their locals and check out what pubs have to

offer throughout Scotland. Now publicans have to do their bit and get involved.”

Newspapers in the Media Scotland group, which includes the Ayrshire Post, Kilmarnock Standard, Perthshire Advertiser, Hamilton Advertiser, East Kilbride News and some twelve others will be carrying editorial features on Scotland’s great pubs and they are looking for stories. The Daily Record is also promoting the campaign with editorial and with a dedicated website. And publicans are urged to register (for free) at www.dailyrecord. co.uk/pubmonth. Participating pubs will get special promotional packs which will include posters to promote what they are doing for Pub Month, and beer mats.

Allan Rennie, Editor in Chief at Media Scotland, comments, “Pubs are as important to local communities as libraries, and we will back Scotland’s pubs all the way.”

So if you want to be part of the biggest PR drive ever to get people back into Scotland’s pubs register now. Your local community needs YOU! Check out page 21.

Another record breaking year Belhaven owner, Greene King has reported another record year with substantial growth in sales, profits and earnings. Revenues were up 9.4% to a record £1,140.4m with operating profit before exceptionals at £236.2m, up 6.4%. Profit before tax and exceptional items was a record £152m, up 8.6% with Belhaven products in total growing 3.9%.

Last year the company invested £850,000 in the brewery at Dunbar, upgrading and extending capacity, and despite the ale market falling 5.3%, Belhaven Best continues to outperform the market, achieving volume growth of 3.9%. The company also won an award recently at the Scotitsh Business Awards - Belhaven Best winning Marketing Strategy of the Year. This follows on the back of Belhaven launching two new TV ads - which reinforced the Scottish credentials and consolidate the position of the nation’s Belhaven Best and to drive awareness and trial of its Belhaven Black.

AUGUST 12 DRAM 7

BRAND NEWS

ALL THE L ATEST BRAND NEWS

Gin

Whisky

Darnley’s View Gin Launches New Spiced Gin

Accolades for Highland Park

Darnley’s View Gin has launched a new addition to its range with Darnley’s View Spiced Gin – a small-batch London Dry gin with warming spice botanicals.

The new Darnley’s View Spiced Gin is distilled with a total of ten botanicals with juniper, cinnamon and nutmeg coming to the fore. Darnley’s View Spiced Gin has been bottled at the unusual strength of 42.7% ABV to best present the new combination of warming spice botanicals. The original Darnley’s View Gin was launched in 2010 with an emphasis on the botanicals of juniper, elderflower and citrus and has won several product awards including a Gold Medal in Spirit Business Magazine’s Gin Masters 2011. William Wemyss, Managing Director of Wemyss Malts, who own the brand said, “Darnley’s View Spiced Gin will provide a unique, yet complementary addition to the Darnley’s View range and bring a new dimension to the dynamic premium gin market.’’

Bombay Sapphire’s Ultimate G&T Experience Bombay Sapphire is helping consumers to enjoy the Ultimate G&T Experience with the launch of its new balloon glassware. Backed by a £1.5m campaign, the glassware will enable consumers to enjoy a heightened, premium drinking experience, while offering full enjoyment of Bombay.

“With 95% of flavour coming from your sense of smell, aromas trapped by the glassware’s balloon design are allowed to linger, offering consumers a more intense, fuller flavoured experience,” say the company, while the stemmed design keeps the liquid cooler for longer. The new balloon glasses will be seeded nationwide with over 30,000 glasses going into the on-trade alone. Sharon Reid, Bombay Sapphire Marketing Controller said, “Now consumers can enjoy both a heighted experience of both the brand’s taste and unique sense of style with our equally iconic glassware.”

Highland Park, distributed by Maxxium UK, has clinched a total of seven new awards for both Thor and Highland Park 50 year old. Thor, the first edition of Highland Park’s Valhalla Collection, has been awarded the first ever Spirit Design Masters Award at The Spirits Business 2012 Awards. The 16 year old single malt, which is the newest edition to the Highland Park family, also secured Gold, Best in Class at the at the International Spirits Challenge 2012. Highland Park’s oldest ever island single malt whisky - Highland Park 50 year old - also collected four awards. As well as winning Best Design at the World Whiskies Award 2012, it also took home the Best Limited Edition at the World Whiskies Design Awards. Peter Sandstrom, Marketing Director for Maxxium said, “To receive recognition from these respected industry bodies is a great honour.”

Liqueur

TV ad first for Chambord 8 DRAM AUGUST 12

Chambord is to roll out its first ever TV advertising campaign, which will target women between the ages of 25 and 35. The advert will appear across channels such as E4, Sky and ITV Digital, as well as Channel 4, following its sponsorship of US drama ‘Revenge’, broadcast on E4. Charlotte Ashburner, Senior Brand Manager for Chambord, said, “The response to our

sponsorship of Revenge has been fantastic and the TV show has really struck a chord with our Chambord consumers. It was a great TV debut for us, and these new adverts will take us even further, reaching out to more of our target market and cementing the Chambord brand and its messaging in the minds of consumer.”

AUGUST 12 DRAM 9

BRAND NEWS

ALL THE L ATEST BRAND NEWS

Beer

Bourbon

Deuchars set to quench Festival thirst

Red Stag by Jim Beam, the first ever cherry infused bourbon from Maxxium UK, is cementing its links with music, as part of this year’s £500,000 Fresh Tracks campaign. Red Stag by Jim Beam is the headline alcohol sponsor and also Best Album sponsor at this year’s Q Awards, the annual celebration of what’s best in music. The association with Q is part of a high profile four-month campaign from August, with advertising across a spectrum of media including television, radio, online and print. The media campaign reinforces Red Stag by Jim Beam as the music infused bourbon. In the on-trade, 75,000 scratchcards will promote the Q competition, offering the chance to win tickets and also subscriptions to Q magazine. Fresh Tracks point of sale kits will be used to increase brand visibility and further on-trade kits will offer instant giveaways to high footfall venues for Freshers’ Week. Since launch just over one year ago, Red Stag by Jim Beam has been sampled by 60,000 1824 year olds and is now listed in more than 2,300 on-trade outlets across the UK.

Deuchars IPA, is aiming to double sales during this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe as one of the main sponsors for the third year running.

In addition to having a strong presence in the capital through branded signage in over 250 venues, there will also be a number of billboards and bus shelters with the message ‘Long Day at the Fringe?’, encouraging festival goers to reward themselves with a pint of Deuchars IPA. Stephen Crawley, at Caledonian, which brews Deuchars IPA, said, “The Fringe is a brilliant way for us to promote Deuchars IPA, our flagship beer, to residents and visitors alike at the world’s biggest arts festival. Our aim is to have as many people as physically possible sampling and enjoying our ale. Like the Fringe, Deuchars IPA is known for its Edinburgh roots. It’s brewed only in Edinburgh’s Caledonian Brewery and we believe reflects the best of the capital’s combination of historic tradition with modernity.”

International Beer Challenge Awards for Tennent’s In amongst all the Olympic fervour, Tennent’s has scooped gold, silver and bronze medals of its own at what are considered two of the toughest global beer challenges - the Monde Selection (Belgium) and the International Beer Challenge. The Wellpark Brewery was recognised with five medals for Tennent’s Original Export (UK market), and Tennent’s Scotch Ale and Tennent’s Extra (Italian market). Master Brewer David Shearer said, “Our decision to enter some of our beers into global competition for the first time in a number of years is reflective of a renewed confidence and ambition around the Tennent’s brewery at Wellpark. We are really pleased to have been recognised in two of the world’s most prestigious awards this year and I’d like to commend our team for consistently producing the highest quality products for our home market and abroad.” A total of 26 countries competed this year, and The International Beer Challenge has rewarded and promoted excellent beers for 16 years, and is judged by licensees, retailers, importers, brewers and writers.

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RTD Maxxium UK have launched a new RTD, Ginger Grouse, a new 4% ABV alcoholic ginger beer, which will be available from the Autumn in 500ml bottles and on draught in selected bars.

Vodka Scottish-based Marblehead Brand Development has launched a new addition to its Davna range of Polish vodkas, Davna Bizon. Made to a traditional Polish recipe, Davna Bizon captures the unique taste of bison grass. Bison grass has been used to flavour Polish vodka for hundreds of years. Dave Steward, Business Development Director says, “The timing was right to launch Davna and bring a range of crafted premium brands to the UK. We launched Davna Czeri, flavoured naturally with Polish cherries, last year to much acclaim and we are delighted to bring Marblehead’s years of experience in the Polish vodka market to bear, with the launch of this second flavour in the Davna portfolio.”

- THE

BLOG SPOT Intrdducing the first of our new blog spots. industry professionals get their opportunity to put their unedited views on the trade into print. this month john gemmell, heineken uk trading director north.

S

o I have finally managed to let Susan allow me to write my own article free of editorial control.

The only agreement was that I have to avoid corporate speak and making a sales pitch on behalf of Heineken.

We hear a lot about the demise of the on-trade in recent years, so I got to thinking about how much change I have seen since I joined in 1989. The truth is that the landscape is both similar yet very different.

When I think back there are customers who have come and gone, brands which were successful but are now no longer, and change in almost all of the major brewers, so it feels quite different. No doubt there has been some very significant change imposed on the on-trade including the Beer Orders, the Smoking Ban , and the never ending growth in taxation.

But the core of what we do is still unchanged. It is about providing fantastic social occasions for our consumers to spend their leisure time.

So whilst many are keen to talk about the demise of the on trade in Scotland we should all remember that it remains of significant size. This year we will all sell 350million pints of beer and cider in the on-trade in Scotland, getting close to almost a ÂŁ1bn worth of retail sales.

One of the most invaluable pieces of marketing advice I have ever received was this : What do you want when you buy a 2inch drill?.... the answer is of course a two inch hole. If you can get something that gives you that solution better than the drill, then of course you will move your custom.

This is the key issue for the on-trade to tackle.

Consumers today are awash with choice on how to spend their disposable income. Even during times of economic difficulty, you just need to drop in to the Apple store in Glasgow, to see what happens when you create real consumer desire. Our collective challenge is how to make the on-trade a more desirable place to be. How do we persuade people to come to Scotland and how do we persuade our own people to use our bars and restaurants?.

We have has seen the closure of many pubs that have failed to adapt to changing consumer needs. It has become almost impossible to survive on purely a local wet-led offering. As a result it is depressing to travel around some of our provincial towns and see so many pubs now boarded up. Perhaps if we are all honest there has been over-provision in certain areas.

But there are also many success stories across different parts of the on-trade.

I travel all over the UK and I think that some of our independent multiple operators in Scotland are putting forward a retail offer that is as good as anything else that you can see in the UK. But I also get bemused by the innate snobbishness sometime shown by the free trade when thinking about the good things that the national retailers do. Every town has a Wetherspoons, a Nandos, a Wagamama’s and I think they do a brilliant job. They have a very clear proposition and the consumer trusts them. Yet for some reason some don’t like to think of them as part of the on-trade.

So the industry is evolving all of the time and we see a lot of fragmentation in to all sorts of different outlets and different occasions. The On-Trade is an event led business whether it be sporting or food led.

In two years time we all take centre stage with the Commonwealth Games and Ryder Cup coming to a country that has to decide on its political future. The eyes of the rest of the UK will be on us so we should seize the opportunity to showcase our industry.

AUGUST 12 DRAM 13

ACROSS THE BOARD From a beautician, a keeper of show poultry, one-time licensee, and a former postie, there are a wealth of characters heading up Scotland’s Licensing Boards. This month DRAM profiles ten Licensing Board Chairs from across the country.

Malcolm Nicol Falkirk Malcolm’s May re-election means that he has been Falkirk’s Licensing Board Convener since 2000. He has been a councillor since 1983, when he represented the Grangemouth ward, and is now the Conservative Member for Lower Braes. He is also Depute Leader of the Council but, as Malcolm explains, he has a passion that transports him away from the pressures of work, “My main hobby is keeping hens and exhibition poultry. I don’t get the time to show them anymore, but I still breed them to show standards and it’s a pastime that I love. After a hard day at work there’s nothing more relaxing than spending time with the hens in the field. They all have their own idiosyncrasies and I can’t really remember life without hens.”

Malcolm, who lives in Old Polmont, is optimistic about the trade, despite the economic downturn. He says, “The recession has hit the trade hard, but there are bright spots in the form of new innovative people bringing their ideas to life in the form of new venues in the ward.” Malcolm says that he also likes visiting new premises in the area, although he was tight-lipped on his favourite pub.

Maxine Smith Highland Council Beautician Maxine, SNP Highland Councilor for the Cromarty Firth Ward, was appointed Convener of the Highland Licensing Board and also Vice Convener of the Highland Council in May. Maxine is able to juggle the responsibilities of public life by having less involvement in her beauty business, with three salons throughout the highlands, leaving the day-to-day running to her daughter, Hayley. Maxine has lived in Invergordon for the last 25 years, moving up from Inverness, and before that, growing up in Nottinghamshire. She currently chairs the Invergordon Environment Group, and was recently nominated as the SNP’s female councilor to serve on the European Union’s Committee of the Regions, but is still awaiting her first meeting. She also enjoys walking her dog, socialising and campaigning for Scottish Independence. Maxine also has a son, David, aged 27, a chartered electronics engineer. She lives with her fiancé Ian Hendry, a sales manager, and loves family time – and walking her dog.

14 DRAM AUGUST 12

Malcolm Cunning Glasgow City Originally from Fife, Malcolm grew up in the small fishing town of Macduff in the north east of Scotland. He was reelected in May this year, after being off the council since 2007. Prior to his time away, he had been vice chairman of the Licensing Board from 2003 until 2007. He also brings with him a wealth of experience of working in the licensed trade. He says, “My background is in student union management, as the General Manager, I was effectively licensee of several large student unions.” As for time away from the job, Malcolm has what he describes as a nerdy pastime. He says, “I am a genealogy nut, so I have a collection of death certificates and parish records around the house. I have always been interested in social history, which I know is considered as bit strange by others.” Although when it comes to socialising, Malcolm prefers his home comforts. He says, “I’m not a huge visitor to pubs, I prefer a glass of red next to the fire. That said, there is a marvellous bar not 20 yards from my house, The Old Smiddy, in Cathcart, that I do like to visit from time to time.”

Eric Milligan Edinburgh City Labour Councillor Eric Milligan is Convener of Edinburgh City Licensing Board. He was appointed Lord Provost of Edinburgh on two occasions, and has been Councillor for Sighthill/Gorgie Ward, in West Edinburgh, serving as a Councillor since 1974. He is also a member of the Planning, Economic Development and Culture and Leisure Committees. Away from his political life, Eric is currently President of the Edinburgh International Jazz and Blues Festival, and Board Member of the Royal Yacht Britannia Trust. He is also a Former Chairman of the Edinburgh Festival Society and of The Edinburgh Military Tattoo Ltd. He lives with his wife Janis, in Colinton, in the west of Edinburgh, and away from public life his interests include football, as a supporter of Heart of Midlothian FC, Boroughmuir Rugby Club and music, and he is a keen gardener. His favourite pub is the Canny Mans in Edinburgh. Eric has been conferred with Honorary Doctorates from Edinburgh Napier University, Royal College of Surgeons and Heriot-Watt University and is also Honorary Consul for New Zealand in Scotland.

Marie Boulton Aberdeen City Independent Alliance Group councillor for Lower Deeside Marie Boulton is into her second term of office. Marie was appointed Licensing Board Convener in May and is originally from Aberdeen, latterly attending Cults Academy Marie sees anti-social behaviour as the biggest blight on Aberdeen.

She says, “Front loading is the biggest issue facing most cities. It results in increased frequency of antisocial behaviour, which is detrimental to the financial viability of the night time economy, has a clear effect/impact on health and places additional demands on the emergency services.” Away from the job she likes to socialise and cites a few favourite destinations. Says Marie,” I like to eat out. My favourite places in the city are Sam’s, The Albyn, The Milton Crathes and Kippie Lodge. I tend to go for the dining experience when I do go out.

Between my work as a Councillor and a wife and mother of three sons, there is very little time or energy left to fit in any unwinding time. However, when the chance arises, I do enjoy the odd game of golf, reading a book and catching up with friends. They are all rare treats.”

George Smith Shetland Council A Shetlander born and bred, George worked as an independent councillor for Shetland Council for 30 years representing Shetland South before taking early retirement in February 2011. He says, “I was also latterly principal of Shetland College, and came out of retirement when I was re-elected in May as Chair of the Licensing Committee in May of this year.” George spent ten years living in Edinburgh as a student, and still has many connections with the Capital. He says, “There are many Edinburgh restaurants I like to frequent, particularly First Coast and Martin Wishart’s place, I do after all like to support my fellow Shetlanders. There are also some fantastic places on Shetland, of course, like the Galloway Hotel.” George is married to a primary school teacher, has a son who works for the European parliament and a daughter who works for the Scottish parliament. Reading, walking and politics and the family cat called Chester keep him occupied in his spare time, although since May work has eaten up much of his leisure time. He is also a proud lifelong supporter of his beloved Greenock Morton FC.

LICENSING EXPERTS PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS SCOTLAND WIDE STRAIGHT TALKING For licensing advice, solutions, representation (or just a bit of info) contact...

Joanna Brynes jeb@businesslaw.co.uk T : 0141 428 3871 M : 07747 653417 Tom Johnston T: 01383 721621

tgj@businesslaw.co.uk F: 01383 722080

www.businesslaw.co.uk AUGUST 12 DRAM 15

ACROSS THE BOARD Ronnie McNicol North Ayrshire North Ayrshire’s Licensing Committee Chair is Dumfries-born Ronnie McNicol.

Prior to being elected as a councillor, he served in the Police for 13 years before becoming a licensee, as joint owner of a hotel in The Maxwell Hotel in Galashiels. He then moved to Saltcoats in 1985 where he ran The Bay hotel in the town for 11 years. He was elected as independent member of North Ayrshire in 2007, representing Saltcoats and Stevenson. He was reelected for a second term in May this year and is a member of the Three Towns Independent Group on the Council. Ronnie also sits on a number of Council committees and external bodies, including the Appeals Committee and the Planning Committee.

Before his election as a Councillor, he also worked as a volunteer speaker for the Children’s Hospice Association Scotland (CHAS) for many years. He is married with two children and he follows a wide range of sports and supports Dumfries team, Queen of the South FC. Sandy Taylor Argyll and Bute From staring his career starting point in 1973 as Aberdeen Town Council Environmental Health Officer, Sandy quickly progressed up the ladder to head up Occupational Health and Safety. He moved to Argyll and Bute Council in 1990 as Depute Director for Environmental Services and was made Head of Public Protection in ’96 as part of a reorganisation, where some licensing functions came under his remit. Then Sandy decided to shake things up a bit. He explains, “In 2009, I decided to take what I call euphemistic retirement and then worked as a postie for 18 months, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.” Then, earlier this year, Sandy was ‘humbled’ to re-enter public life. He explains, “The opportunity arose to stand for re-election in May this year and I was voted in as SNP candidate for Mid-Argyll and Licensing Board Chair, which was a great honour.” He doesn’t favour any particular licensed premises, as he explains, “In such a small community I like to support all of the small businesses in my constituency.” Sandy also believes in helping young people achieve their true potential. He says, “I am a Rotarian and work a lot for other people, particularly younger people, giving them opportunities in life that they otherwise wouldn’t have had.” Sandy is also a keen cyclist and plays guitar and saxophone. “I have risen to my level of incompetence on both instruments,” he says.

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Henry Anderson Perth and Kinross As of May, local businessman and taxi firm operator Henry Anderson became the new SNP Councillor representing Almond and Earn, and Perth and Kinross Licensing Board Chair. He may be new to the job, but has enjoyed a high public profile in the area for some time.

He explains, “I was a Bridge of Earn Community Councillor and have always taken an interest in local politics, as an SNP party member for the last seven years.” Henry describes himself as very ‘family-oriented’ although much of his spare time in the last few months has been taken up by council affairs. He says, “Aside from family time, I haven’t been able to pursue my other interests which include music, and a wee bit of socialising in some of the great pubs this area offers.” Henry is also very upbeat about licensees in his constituency fighting back in the face of economic turbulence. He explains, “We are lucky to have some immensely professional, hard-working licensees, who have equally as dedicated staff, keeping standards very high.” Henry lives with his family in Bridge of Earn village outside Perth, but is Aberdeen born, and was raised in Banff.

Christine Simpson Stirling Stirling’s newly appointed Licensing Board Chair and Labour councillor for Stirling East, Christine Simpson, has lived in the area all her life and now lives in Bridge of Allan. She comes from a Child Protection background, latterly as a Child Protection Training Consultant.

Christine says, “I worked for Forth Valley prior to consulting where I was responsible child protection training and education, working closely with the health board, social work and police. My background has therefore equipped me with a knowledge of public services, policing and health issues.”

Christine is a graduate from both Edinburgh and Stirling Universities, and she also holds a certificate in Child Protection Studies from Dundee University. And it would seem that the academic bug has bitten one again, as she is six months into a Spanish course at Stirling University, where she also plays tennis. As for socialising, Christine prefers to dine out, over going to the pub. She explains, “I prefer to drink when I eat, so I tend not to go to pubs. Bridge of Allan, near where I live, has many terrific restaurants and I also enjoy going to the River House in Stirling.

LICENSEE INTERVIEW When the Murphy family took over the Pot Still at the tail end of last year whisky lovers around the country heaved a sigh of relief, because this Glasgow whisky institution was in dire need of some TLC. Susan Young reports.

W

hen Frank Murphy sets his heart on something he doesn’t take no for an answer. So when he realised that there was an opportunity to take over the lease on his old stomping ground, The Pot Still in Glasgow, he decided to approach his father Brian. And the two them admit, Brian’s first answer was a straight-out ‘No’. But that was before a family conference, and now The Pot Still is under the stewardship of the Murphy clan.

But father Brian is certainly no stranger to the trade. In fact he had been in the trade for 30 years before opting out. He explains, “I started out managing a pub in Springburn called Rockafella’s.

I spent two years there before taking the lease on the Hyndland Bar in Partick, now Cafe Rio. I ran that for a number of years before buying The Arlington. I had both pubs for a while, but then sold the lease on the Hyndland, and kept the Arlington which was a freehold. I ran that for 12 years but eventually got an offer that was too good to refuse, and which came at the right time.”

They say a break is as good as a rest, and while son Frank or as his father calls him, Francis, carried on the family tradition of working in the trade, Brian has spent the last five years out of the industry completely, as a foreman in a shopfitting company.

This is also not the first time father and son have worked together.

Says Frank, “I worked with my dad for a year when he had the Arlington. Obviously the pub industry was in my genes… although when I was much younger we didn’t really work that well together.

So, after working with my dad, I left the pub industry and spent a while working in offices, as a bouncer even in the off-trade, but the pull of the pub industry was too much.”

Before long he was back but this time working at The Clockwork on Glasgow’s Southside. Says Frank, “I started there the week after it opened, and that’s where I met David Fyfe, the Clockwork’s head brewer at the time. I made a lot of new friends, and it was good to get the experience of working outside the family business. It was also the first time I really began to understand the importance of having the right products in the bar. I was introduced to Belgium and German beers and my knowledge of beer really increased. The owner, Robin, also liked whisky and he had reasonable selection at The Clockwork. But it wasn’t pushed upon us. He bought from Gordon & MacPhail, and had a variety of whiskies I hadn’t seen before. In fact I was in The Clockwork one night celebrating a friend’s birthday and I hadn’t bought him a present. So I ordered a Highland Park 25 year old for him. He let me taste it. And my love affair with whisky began. I then started to read about whisky – instead of polishing the bottles, I read the labels too!”

Frank continues, “The next pub I worked in full-time was The Pot 18 DRAM AUGUST 12

A famil affair

Still. I had been considering going for a job in Ireland, but then I met Ken Storrie who owned The Pot Still. I realised that in The Pot Still I had found a pub that I could really connect with. There I met loads of people who have really influenced my life, and I still know most of them today. You can’t work in a pub like The Pot Still and not become passionate about whisky. (Even my dad who doesn’t drink whisky is becoming more knowledgeable.) I spent three and a half years at The Pot Still, before moving to OranMor. And although I really enjoyed the job there running the whisky bar, I couldn’t handle the 3am finishes, but it did foster my continuing relationship with whisky.”

He continues, “This is where fate played a hand. Davie broke his knee at The Clockwork, and I stepped in as his assistant. I spent half my time behind the bar, and the other half of the time working in the brewery. He taught me a lot about the technology and chemistry of brewing. Although a man of few words, I learned

family air

just by watching him. He also allowed me to experiment. With a different brewer I couldn’t have done that. He acted as my brake, and definitely stopped my wilder ideas.”

However in the space of three months Frank lost two of the men who had mentored him. Davie collapsed from a brain haemorrhage and Ken Storrie died of a heart attack. Says Frank, “I realised how short life is, and that you have to go for what you want. And I knew that I wanted to run my own pub.”

Frank started looking around, and considered a few options. Then he heard that The Pot Still may be up for lease. A quick email to the owners and it was all systems go. But Frank realised that he couldn’t do it without his dad’s input. Not just the cash injection but the business acumen too.

Says Frank, “Initially he wasn’t for it. We had worked together before and he wasn’t sure we would be able to again. But with the help of my sisters Geraldine and Katie, we persuaded him.”

Brian comments, “We’ve both changed over the intervening years. And Frank has certainly grown up a bit. I am definitely more business orientated while Frank is the character behind the bar.”

He continues, “I was also ready for a change. I had been out of the business for five years, and I missed it. Owning a pub is a way of life, and at The Arlington the customers had, over the years, become my friends. It was a real community hub. And although The Pot Still is a town centre pub, I think it still has the feeling of a community style pub.”

He adds, “Some things however don’t change. Frank is still ‘organised chaos’! I don’t think there is any changing him. It’s probably my fault for not buying him a Meccano set when he was a kid – I bought him lego, and you can’t break lego! But the difference is that the whole family is involved here... Geraldine is the practical one, and Sean is also supportive, and my sister’s son has also just done his first few shifts... although that has mainly involved cleaning out the cellar!”

Both Frank and Brian agree that at the moment the development of The Pot Still is very much ‘work in progress.”

Says Frank, “Our first priority was to get the stock level of whisky back up. Now we have around 410 whiskies. I’ve kept away from the very top end, at the moment. Although we do have Tobermory 32 year old, which sells for just over £28 a nip, and we have just finished a MacPhail 40 year old, so we will need to get a new bottle of that.”

Dad, Brian agrees, “It was definitely our first priority, but now our shelves have no more space, and I would like to get on with reorganising the back of house area and getting the space right so that we can offer more than just pies and soup. Although business is good, I think it could be better if we had more food on offer.

I think we could certainly benefit at lunchtime and on Sunday’s.

There are other issues too. For instance we need a new bar top, and we need to rewire. There is ventilation issue and so on. I’m chomping at the bit to move onto the next phase, and we need to have it completed in time for Christmas. But there are still items to iron out with the landlord.”

Franks comments, “I am really pleased with how things are working out. Dad and I will still have our disagreements, but I certainly appreciate how important the business side of things are.”

While Brian comments, “Frank is a real showman. He loves nothing better than bringing 20 bottles down from the gantry and teaching people about whisky. While he is doing that Geraldine and Sean beaver away behind him serving folk. But that’s what team work is all about. We all have our strengths.”

He concludes, “The great thing about having a family business is that we are all in it together. We have each others back, and there is a huge amount of trust. I think when people come into The Pot Still, they can tell that this is a family that cares about the business and about the customer. Recently someone said to me, “Thank you for bringing my pub back to life, which tells me we are on the right track.”

They certainly are.

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KING GEORGE George Greenshields has been a leading light at the Coalburn Miners Welfare for nearly 40 years. Jason Caddy met with him to talk about how he turned round the fortunes of the Coal Miners Welfare by expanding the club’s offers.

G

eorge Greenshields is a man who’s used to the spotlight.

The president and manager of the Coalburn Miners welfare Charitable Trust has been involved in public life in the South Lanarkshire for some 36 years, as committee member, vice president for eight years, and president of the club for 25 years to date, and manager for five years and counting. He has also been a consultant on steering groups and committees, campaigning in favour of both Open Cast Mining and Wind Farm technology in an area that has been hard hit by the decline of the coal industry.

George was installed as manager in 2007 when he took redundancy from Scottish Coal. He is pretty much a one-man-band, apart from his full time administrative assistant, Helen, two part time post office assistants and a part time cleaner.

He says, “Our role is to bring services to the village and make it a better place to live in, and we are well supported by the local community. Last year, the social club made a profit of £25k which was then hived off into the charity for community benefit, and in June 2012, a total of 3376 people utilised all of our services. As a non-profit making organisation all monies are ploughed right back into the business of course.

The Coalburn Miners Charitable Society belongs to all the lands and the building. The social club pays an occupational licence and gift aids all the profits right into the charity, so we pay no corporate tax, and there are two committees, the charitable and the social.”

He continues, “We are also lucky to have the support of Heineken and, considering our size, we have a fantastic deal, and an equally as fantastic sales rep in the form of Teresa Bannon.”

Perhaps George’s proudest moment was the setting up of the One Stop Shop to provide services under the one roof, like the post office. He explains, “The Coal Industry Social Welfare Organisation asked us to take on the One Stop Shop initiative we then negotiated with various bodies to decide what services to provide. This all took shape between 2000 and 2004 and as well as a Post Office and food co-operative, we also built a charity shop, heritage centre and conference facility.” George took the One Stop Shop’s income from £16k to £41k in five years immediately after being installed as manager in 2007.

He continues,” I was a supervisor for Scottish Coal at the time

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got time off for meetings as part of the steering committee that eventually led to the project coming to life. I had worked in the building trade before so I was used to dealing with quantity surveyors, architects, structural engineers and the like.”

And in the years since, he set about a programme of streamlining. He explains, “I removed the role of treasurer which is now administered in house by Helen. For example, all the banking is done in the post office within the building whereas we used to have to do bank runs. The installation of the solar panelling saved us £1800 a year for starters and now the building heats up and cools down very quickly so there is no need for air conditioning either – another cost saver. Lloyds TSB also rent an exterior wall space for a cash machine, the only free one in the village, and we of course have about 30 functions per year in the Bankend Suite, as well as weekly social events, like live bands in the Westoun Suite. The local council and CAB also make use of the conference and meeting room facilities, as well as fitness classes and drama groups.”

And the club has also had its fair share of celebrity clientele from the worlds of sport and entertainment. George explains, “Jockey Wilson played his first game in here after winning the world championship and I think he was still high on his success, as he scored three bulls-eyes in a row. Harold Lauder, once the world’s highest paid entertainer, in the 1920s, also performed on the stage in the Bankend Suite.”

Despite his achievements George is showing no sign of slowing down, and after being elected as a local councillor in the 3rd May local elections, he now serves as Depute Chair of Community Services for South Lanarkshire council. “Everything that I set out to do, I have achieved and I am still based here at Coalburn and can manage my council duties without affecting my commitment to the club,” he says.

Since 2007, George and his colleagues have managed to raise over £400,000 in five years for capital projects, like a new extension and car park.

George’s family are all in the vicinity including his three grown up children and five grandchildren, and George and his wife love travelling – particularly to the USA.

DESIGN FOCUS: JAMIE’S ITALIAN, EDINBURGH

J

amie Oliver’s £2.3m Edinburgh restaurant has just opened. The 196-cover restaurant called Jamie’s Italian is located in the old Assembly Rooms’ ballroom on George Street and has enough of a WOW factor to knock the celebrity chef’s Glasgow eatery into a cocked hat. Although to be fair the Grade-A canvas was already quite beautiful to begin with, as a former 18th Century Supper Room complete with all the grandeur you’d associate with a bygone era. Inside had been lacking care and attention in recent years, so it was in need of some TLC. It was enriched by the combined design vision of Jamie Oliver himself, his associate Justin Hardy, and Martin Brundski of MBDS Design, although the lion’s share of the design concept was devised by the man himself. Explains Jamie Oliver’s Opening Manager, Hamish Goldie, “We do most of our design in house and the key to this one hinged on being sympathetic to the original interior and what Jamie did was pimp up the design a little. It’s a classic Italian with his own unique twist, and we are immensely proud of the result.”

This, Jamie’s second Scottish concern, is his 27th and doesn’t just have one entrance but two. As well as the George

BY JASON CADDY

Street entrance – there’s also a Rose Street entrance which serves as a second entrance to the restaurant. This leads you into the first of three areas, The Edinburgh Suite, with lots of natural light, from a wall of huge windows, in front of which is a food prep area and servery with hotplates. A combination of stainless steel, white tiling and marble all sit very neatly together, topped off with some copper pendant lights.

This looks out onto the seating area with a relaxed café vibe, and red leather banquettes and dark wooden tables and chairs take up the mainstay of the space. The dark wooden floor contrasts with the white painted walls and ceiling, and some beautiful and very imposing chandeliers look instantly impressive. Reclaimed wood slightly above halfway up the walls gives this area its down-to-earth feeling, and you’re also left in no doubt as to where you are, with a shelves lined with various of Jamie’s cookbooks and other related products right at the doorway, next to which is the entrance to the kitchen.

The Edinburgh Suite leads into the largest part of the restaurant, The Lower Supper, which has at its heart the ‘antipasti island’, a staple ingredient of Jamie Oliver’s restaurants. It is located AUGUST 12 DRAM 23

in a central island marble-topped bar with ornate metal piping shelves, and white lighting. Despite the antipasti section, this former ballroom remains a huge expanse of space with its bold red walls, original pillars, ornate cornice work on a white painted ceiling, and polished parquet floor. They say that an all-red interior can make its inhabitants angry all the time, and this aside, the decision to make it so red is certainly a daring one. It works, though, and is fitting of a city that has so many architectural delights.

More huge chandeliers provide the lighting in an area starved of any natural light, along with some nifty wall glass oblong lights, and along the red panelled walls are antique mirrors and a total of eight blackboards. Also around the periphery of this area is the red velour-upholstered banquette seating, paired with dark wood chairs, with matching bar stools for perching at the antipasti bar.

This leads into the third, final and highest tier of the restaurant, the Upper Supper, which is essentially a mezzanine, complete with its own bar and all the same design attributes as its Lower Supper cousin. One major difference being the layout 24 DRAM AUGUST 12

of the banquette seating which is centrally located as the bar is along the wall on the left hand-side of the area that will be the main reception area from the entrance on George Street.

The design of the bar has echoes of the antipasti bar, with similar black metal piping forming an above-the-bar gantry, although the bar itself is made from wood, and the back bar is just a series of simple wall-mounted shelves and mirrors.

What will perhaps attract the most attention in this part of the restaurant is the Ferrari-red Bottene pasta-making machine, which at £18k a pop, is a rightful contender for the title of star attraction. This is what most of the staff seemed most impressed with, and I’m sure that this enthusiasm will be passed on to the clientele.

A sympathetic design to a Grade-A building’s original features that is classy without being too starchy of stuffy seems to have encapsulated Jamie Oliver’s personality. I’m sure the people of the Capital and Festival tourists alike will support it on the strength of both his reputation and no less the opulent and slightly cheeky design.

DESIGN FOCUS: THE INN AT TORBREX

BY JASON CADDY

T

he gleaming new look Inn at Torbrex in north Stirling delivers an oasis of vibrant colour that makes the surrounding houses, lovely though they are, look rather plain. Like a splash of colour in a black and white film. It’s located up a wee lane, right in the heart of a residential area, and what Michael Dunn of Design Build Deliver and co-owner Michelle Henderson have come up with should certainly appreciate property prices. Together with her husband Ross, and brother, Darren Mitchell, they are the people behind the Birds and the Bees on the other side of the city.

It was Darren who showed me around, and talking about the thinking behind the design, he said, “We wanted to create a venue with the same mark of quality as the Birds and Bees, but with its own unique identity. We are a family-run business, but we don’t want to fall into the trap of replicating what we have done before and opening a chain of outlets.

The Inn at Torbrex, given its residential location, has been

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“Congratulations to Ross and all his staff on the successful opening of The Inn at Torbrex from Donald Glass and the team at Inverarity Morton” Inverarity Morton, 137 Shawbridge Street Glasgow G43 1QQ tel 0141 649 9881 • fax 0141 649 7074 email sales@inveraritymorton InverarityMorton.com 26 DRAM AUGUST 12

designed with a firm focus on catering for families.”

The exterior is almost chocolate box picture perfect with clean whitewashed walls, teal woodwork and sculpted corkscrew trees and neat green Astro Turf either side of the immaculate flagging leading up to the doorway.

Inside, it’s over two floors with the bar and restaurant on the ground floor, with a continuation of the restaurant upstairs, via a brand new metal staircase, which was added as part of the refurbishment. Previously this was a function suite that was accessed via a separate entrance.

The first thing that hits you about the design is the hodgepodge array of furniture. The tables, both dark and light wood, smooth and reclaimed, are paired with all different kinds of chairs It’s perhaps the biggest mismatch I’ve ever come across, and on first inspection looks like no two chairs are the same. Darren tells me that they were slightly apprehensive about how this would look, but we were both in agreement that they have pulled it off a treat.

The bar is on the left hand-side as you enter and has been constructed using wood, a marble top and padded front, with brass stud detail. The back bar is fashioned from thick beams of light wood against a wall of grey tiles, that are illuminated. The bar stools have been upholstered in a reddish brown and very soft leather. The leather theme continues in the corner area to the left of the bar that contains a Queen Anne chair, circular mirror and standard lamp. In the area directly in front of the bar is an array of seating, split into three areas, by both shelving and the staircase, which is a half landing that acts as a kind of partition, creating a cosy back area at the back of the ground floor. The hodgepodge design extends to the booth seating down the right hand-side with different patterns and materials paired together.

There’s not much natural light downstairs so there are a few pendant lights and glass bird cage lights with the flickering candle bulbs exposed. Other highlights on this floor are the animal skull wall-mounted art works, and the trio of different shaped mirrors.

Up the carpeted stairs and the two landings are lit by three spherical metal cage lights, with matching metal wall clock. At the top of the stairs and overlooking the landings is the second tiny bar which, in a clever use of space, is tightly packed into the corner at the top of the staircase. It’s a dry bar servery so isn’t intended for customers to use, and is certainly an unusual set piece in the design. As you climb the stairs you’re confronted by the lager founts towering over you, yet only a giant could reach them. Like its downstairs cousin, wood dominates here.

The rest of the blue-carpeted floor space is a dining area, with light blue walls, white ceiling complete with wooden beams, lots more natural light than downstairs, and of course the trademark mismatch of chairs. At the far end of the space is a grey tiled wall with a long mirror, next to wish is a grey painted, wallmounted Welsh dresser.

Luckily the Inn at Torbrex is sign-posted from the adjacent main road, as I suspect that its reach will be far beyond its immediate locale.

We wish The Inn at Torbrex every success Est 1967 • Slating • Roof Tiling • Flat Roofing • Gutters & Downpipes • Lead Work • Insurance & Grant Work • All Work Carried Out By Qualified Tradesmen

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“Wishing Ross, Michelle and the team every success with the Inn at Torbrex”

HARRY WALKER REFRIGERATION “Congratulations to Ross and Michelle on the opening of their great new restaurant” 32 Cedar Avenue, Torbrex, Stirling, fk8 2pq Tel: 07850164449 harry.walker32@yahoo.co.uk AUGUST 12 DRAM 27

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DESIGN FOCUS: THE PAPER MILL

T

he newly-opened Paper Mill at Lasswade nearly ended up as mush when the adjacent river burst its banks after one of our summery downpours. Luckily for owners David Johnstone and business partner Karen Calvert the river levels quickly subsided and disaster was averted thanks to a few sandbags and serendipity.

The duo, who met when they worked at Montpeliers (in fact David remains a Director of the company), have spent the last 18 months and £430K on converting the former Chinese restaurant that had been derelict for nine years, and which was originally a paper mill. David says of the design, “It’s Parisian café meets Scottish industrial, with an open all hours vibe to it. By that I mean I want it to have an inviting and ‘local’ sensibility, and just like Montpeliers, the emphasis is on quality, locally sourced produce and we are of course service-led.”

Jim Hamilton, of Jim Hamilton Design, worked closely with David on the concept, leaving Karen to crunch the numbers.

Says David, “I guess I am a frustrated designer at heart and I am the more your lighting and fluffy cushion person, while Karen, who I have worked with since we were both 18, is terrific at ops whereas I’m not, so I was the one that sat down with Jim, and we worked on the design together. We wanted to create something contemporary for the people of Midlothian who travel in to Edinburgh anyway, drink cocktails, read style magazines, and not just a traditional pie and chips local.”

The results are as impressive as is the riverside location.

The one-storey space is divided into three sections, a bar, restaurant and private dining space, with a river view terrace outdoors. A revolving door leads you in to the bar area with a bar on the right and booth seating on the opposite wall.

Straight ahead is a fire place with a space either side for people to access the restaurant, a partition in essence. The colour scheme is various shades of grey (not quite 50) on the walls, paired with white ceilings. Beginning with the bar, lots of different types of natural wood have been employed with a simply constructed back bar shelf design, topped off with blackboards displaying menus etc. A string of exposed pendant lighting runs parallel with the bar and there are some lovely oak stools that have been rubbed and distressed to

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BY JASON CADDY make them look like they were imported directly from some Parisian backstreet. The rest of the furniture has also had the same treatment and they look superb, as well as oozing quality. The booths opposite are a kind of burnt orange, above which is one of the most interesting elements of the design, as David explains, “My father is an antiques dealer and he bought over a print works a few years ago and now makes up the kind of thing we have hanging on the wall, an artwork made from reclaimed print blocks.”

The flooring in this area features black and white tiles, and there are large green pendant lamps with large green metal shades which only add to the sophistication of the design.

Finally for this area is the fireplace, complete with working fire, storage for chopped logs and plasma screen which will eventually be masked by a two-way mirror. The fire is only usually lit in the afternoon/evenings, with the hearth covered by a chainmail curtain at other times.

Beyond the fireplace there is the restaurant area which has a central island of banquettes, above which is a cluster of lights with spherical white paper lampshades. A wall of windows runs along both walls and on the right-hand side are more horseshoe booths, while on the left are free-standing tables and chairs which look out onto the terrace, with its mixture of reclaimed tables and red and white coloured metal seating.

There’s wooden flooring in this area, and a continuation of the green metal pendant lighting too. At the far end of this space is a bookcase with book and other antique object ‘art courtesy of David’s father. This is the divider between the restaurant and the private dining space.

Up a few stairs to the right of the bookcase and the private dining area awaits. The colour scheme is a lighter grey, with the same white paper sphere lighting and wooden floor, although the furniture in this brightly lit space is darker wood. There’s also an alcove at the very end of the building with a curtain able to divide the space even further should the occasion demand.

This all adds up to a fantastic design so let’s hope the weather improves, although David’s mother, an astrologer, says that the stars are definitely in the right position and augur well for its future success.

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‘SUMER IS ICUMEN IN’

BY JIM ANDERSON

S

ing, cuckoo, sing! Shake thy dripping wings and sing thee merrie of gales and rain, darkened skies and stoves a-blaze in the middle of July, for summer in Scotland is in full bloom!

And if that’s not enough, these forbidding summer clouds bring with them winds of economic ruin, political indecision, ravenous beer duty, dwindling exports, erosion of the EU and -- to top it all off -- England’s beloved Olympics has a Dutch brewery as its beer sponsor. Doom or gloom? Take your pick!

Unfortunately, in the dreich summer of 2012, finding one’s winter coat may very take priority over slaking one’s thirst with a nice, cold beer. It’s no wonder the beer industry is having trouble enjoying what should be their most prosperous season.

It’s as if things have come full-circle from the time before the Industrial Revolution. In the Old Days (here we go again!), summer was the off-season for nearly all breweries. Until yeast was identified as a separate, controllable ingredient in beer, beer would inexplicably go “wild” in the summer. It was as if there was Beer God who was telling everyone to get out into the fields and make hay while the sun shone. The Egyptians must have thought so, as they prayed to deities that turned their barley soup into beer. Norwegians stirred their mash with a “magic stick,” not realising that the warm sugars were simply waking up dormant yeast that lived in the nooks and crannies of the wooden staff.

Only one style of beer has actually ever worked out better in the summer, a curious, sour wheat beer that depends on wild, airborne yeasts that are at their most productive during summer evenings. This beer, called Lambic, is exclusive to the Senne Valley outside of Brussels, and is still made today by traditional methods and only in the summer. Many examples of these beers are kept at the brewery for several years before release, and their age is measured not in years, but in summers. Oddly, Lambic was for hundreds of years the tipple of the working bloke of Payottenland; today, it is considered something quite special, only sought out by the connoisseur of adventurous palate and deep pocket.

Brewers everywhere else would spend the late winter brewing enough beer to last through the hot summer, most famously in Germany and France, where the last stores of this “March beer” would be consumed with much ceremony at September harvest festivals. Such is the case with Bavaria’s Maerzenbier, which has come to be known -- along with its eponymous little garden party -- as Oktoberfest.

In today’s world of central air conditioning, year-round tomatoes and entitlement to a summer holiday, the old, agrarian-based brewing schedule is less of a dictator than the personal whims and habits of the Me Generation. Whilst our great-grandparents had to be content with whatever beer was hanging around, we have the luxury of choosing from any style of beer at any time.

Longer days and thinner clothes call for lighter beers: icecold lager and bitter shandy come to mind. British breweries 30 DRAM AUGUST 12

who offer seasonal beers lean toward low-alcohol, refreshing recipes like wheat beer or ersatz IPAs. Real ale brewers can relax, warmer weather temporarily justifying their unimaginative efforts toward Blonde, Bland and Weak.

Summer seasonal beers, however, blithely assume Californialike conditions. But here in Scotland, what does summer really mean to the beer drinker? Is the tropical association of a bottle of Corona or Cobra really doing much to soothe the punter as he freezes his buns off in a leaky fag shelter?

It’s certainly not an image we’d want on a Scottish travel brochure.

For many of us in the Scottish licensed trade, summer means foreign visitors. We’ve seen plenty this season up here in the Black Isle, from all across Europe and North America, with a spattering of restless Aussies and Kiwis as well. How do we best sell them beer, both making a profit and giving them something memorable about their Scottish visit?

Maybe the best approach is to sell Scottish beers against other, more obvious beers. The market penetration of giant beer brands is literally global, something that leaves Scottish beers in the dubious position of invisibility to the traveler.

It’s our job to turn that invisibility into specialty or even cult appeal, beers you’ve got to travel to taste. How many times has one of your regular customers strolled in, still tan from his holiday in, say, Turkey, and asked for a bottle of, say, Efes.

Punter, Day 1 after Turkish holiday: “Yeah, in Turkey they had this Efes beer. It was all over the place, it’s a really great beer, the best I’ve ever had. I could drink it all night. [Publican’s eyeballs begin to recede back into his head] Why don’t you get some in? If you do, I swear I’ll drink it all.”

Punter, Day 2 after Turkish holiday: “Hey, did you get any Efes yet? [Publican inhales deeply and counts silently to 10] This Carlsberg isn’t anywhere near as good. I think I’m spoiled for life.”

Punter, Day 3 after Turkish holiday, tan beginning to fade slightly: “All right, you got some Efes! Pop one open! [Publican does so, tentatively] Hmmm. It doesn’t taste like I remember it. I guess this stuff just doesn’t travel well. Pint of Carlsberg, please! [Publican bites tongue until a small trickle of blood appears between his lips. He then reaches for his specials board to flog rest of beer for £1 a bottle] If this has ever happened to you, imagine how much satisfaction you’d get from completing the Kharmic circle by seducing a foreign visitor with some obscure Scottish beer?

Maybe suggest Belhaven Black instead of Guinness Stout?

Or West St. Mungo instead of Kronenbourg? Or Cromarty Happy Chappy instead of Timothy Taylor Landlord? Visitors who come to Scotland in the summer want a Scottish experience. Bad weather is guaranteed. The rest is up to you.

Jim Anderson is co-owner of The Anderson in Fortrose and is beginning to forget what sunshine looks like.

SUE SAYS P

ub Month is only a couple of weeks away and I really hope you have all registered. This could be a great opportunity for you to increase footfall to your pubs during September. The Daily Record and its regional titles are doing tonnes of editorial, have put up a dedicated website and are looking for good stories. So be sure and register. Put on something special and encourage your customers to come back to your pub. After all what is there to lose? Instead it could add significantly to your September turnover if you participate... and it’s free. This will be the biggest marketing initiative for Scottish pubs that has every been undertaken. Don’t miss out... And well done to Belhaven, Diageo, Heineken UK, McEwan’s, Molson Coors and Tennent’s for backing it. If this works, next year it will be even bigger and better. It’s a celebration of all that’s good and great about Scottish pubs... so please get involved.

Guaranteed to beat any other quote

Look out for pubs around the country starting to sell cupcakes!

Some already do, but they may be missing the latest ingredient... alcohol. Apparently the latest craze in London is ‘Caketail’s’ – alcoholic cup cakes. Bakers, it seems, are flavouring their cakey creations with gin, champagne, rum and amaretto and they are going down a storm. However this isn’t really a new craze, my mother has been doing that for years! And its not just cakes she adds alcohol too... she makes a mean alcoholic fruit salad too.

I caught up with the incorrigible Donald Macleod of CPL recently for a bite of lunch. He was definitely on good form, although he admitted business is not getting any easier. He did bring it to my attention thou’ the increasing number of 3am licences that had been granted in Glasgow suggesting it was a tad unfair (translation) on nightclub operators who have to adhere to much stricter health and safety regulations. He has a point.

An interesting discussion ensued at a Pub Month meeting recently regarding using images for promotional material.

Although it is not illegal to use pictures of people under 25 consuming alcohol on your facebook pages, websites or in your promotional material... it is frowned upon. And goes against the self-regulatory Portman code. Mind you there’s hardly a club or pub out there adhering to these rules. After all, their customers are usually under 25! But drinks companies are definitely nervous about it, particularly in the light of the antialcohol lobby.

Congratulations to Michelle Montague of Molson Coors.

She and hubby Michael have just had a baby son called Cameron.

I spent some time in Spain recently. It seems that they have some of the same service issues we have. I don’t think I got a drink, during the entire week, in the right glass and cocktails took an age... it was no wonder we ended up sticking to wine! This leads me on to new research (you know how I love research.) It seems that one or two glasses of wine a week is more useful that abstaining, when it comes to osteoporosis!

Experts from the International Scientific Forum on Alcohol Research have concluded that moderate consumption of alcohol - especially of beer and wine - improves bone strength in men and postmenopausal women, because moderate alcohol consumption can be linked with improvements in bone mineral density. Great news!

We had brilliant night recently at Dirty Martini in Edinburgh.

Curtis Stigers played there during the recent Blues and Jazz Festival, and what a great venue. And of course Billy Lowe played his part... supplying Curtis with a huge glass of Chocolate Box wine before the gig. He loved it and told the audience too. He also, obviously, enjoyed performing at Dirty Martini, promising to return! A great accolade!

32 DRAM AUGUST 12

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ROUND UP COVER STORY

Caledonia Best Hosts Customers at Gleneagles with Golfing Legend Sam Torrance Caledonia Best Clubhouse Captain Sam Torrance is pictured pouring one of the brands’s customers a pint, following a day of golf at PGA Centenary Course at Gleneagles.

The day was the latest stage of the tie up with the Scottish golfing legend, which was announced in March.

To win a place at the hotly anticipated Clubhouse Golf Day and tee-off with the Ryder Cup Hero and former winning Captain, Caledonia Best customers competed in three regional qualifying rounds. The winners of the rounds were then invited to a unique Clubhouse Golf Day where they pitted their skills against Sam on the revamped PGA Centenary course. In addition they enjoyed a lunch, a prize giving ceremony and a question and answer session with Scottish TV presenter Dougie Donnelly and Sam. European Tour great, Sam Torrance, commented, “It was great to be part of today’s event, and I have really enjoyed working with the guys from Caledonia Best to create a unique experience for their customers. The course was looking great and there were a few good players out there, well they certainly beat me on the Par 3 10th! The weather shone and I thought I’d help them relax at the 19th by pouring them a pint of

Caledonia Best!”

John Gilligan, Sales Managing Director of Tennent Caledonian, was delighted to host the event to thank customers, “Since Caledonia Best’s launch in October 2011, our expectations have been exceeded with the fantastic reaction to our new ale from trade and consumers alike.

Because of this, we wanted to give something back to some of our “Best” customers this summer and believe this was a unique and exciting experience for all involved. We have greatly enjoyed the whole event - from the three regional qualifying rounds through to the final today and would like to thank Sam Torrance for sharing his expertise, and everyone who has taken part to make this such a fantastic day.”

Guests at the event praised the whole experience, with one customer, Mark Milne of Spiders Web (Dyce), commenting: “It has been a great day’s golf which fell on one of the best days of summer. It was lovely to play the PGA Centenary Course, it was a tad challenging but we all played it in great spirit, with great company and finished it all off with a great pint of Caledonia Best poured by Sam Torrance! Overall a tremendous day.”

DRAM DRINKS RETAILING AND MARKETING PUBLISHED BY MEDIA WORLD LIMITED UPPER FLOOR / FINNIESTON HOUSE / 1 THE STABLES YARD / 1103 ARGYLE STREET / GLASGOW / G3 8ND t. 0141 221 6965 e. dram@mail.com web. www.dramscotland.co.uk Editor: Susan Young • Chairman: Noel Young • Production: Gareth Neil Advertising Executives: Martin Cassidy, Emma McDonald • Editorial: Jason Caddy • Administration: Cheryl Cooke Published by Media World Ltd. Subscriptions: DRAM is available by subscription for all other qualified persons involved in the Scottish Licensed Trade at the rate of £48 per annum including the DRAM Yearbook. The publishers, authors and printers cannot accept liability for errors or omissions. Any transparencies or artwork will be accepted at owner’s risk. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the copyright holder and publisher, application for which should be made to the publisher. Articles published in this magazine do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the publishers. © Media World Limited 2012. Printed

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