Hairst (noun, Scots) : Harvest
Those who have visited us here at Lindores have undoubtedly spied the Newburgh Bear. Emblazoned on the hill overlooking the Distillery, the 300ft tall Bear and Staff is ploughed into the land by local farmers and represents the insignia of Guido, the First Abbot of Lindores. Each year, we “burn the bear” to celebrate the Fife barley harvest, in tribute to the land, our heritage, and the spirit of Lindores.
This year, we have an exciting addition to this celebration. Introducing our limited-edition release “Hairst ’25” – bottling the spirit of this fiery tradition.
Aged in some beautiful rejuvenated Australian red wine casks, it is a dram to be celebrated. The spirit is a dark mahogany colour with mellow fruity blackcurrants, caramelised brown sugar, layers of almonds and baking spices on the nose. On the palate you can expect fruity blueberry jam, dark cherries, pleasant peppery notes, some cinnamon and touches of dark chocolate ganache. All of this plays on the palate, mingling with roasted almonds to produce a high complexity dram. With a balanced and velvety texture, the finish persists on and on.
For those who are joining us at the Bear Burning event this weekend, we look forward to raising a dram of Hairst with you. And for those further afield, we shall be toasting to you as well, and we hope to welcome you to Lindores soon.
So sláinte – to harvest, to heritage, to legacy, to Lindores.
