MBar & The Still

02/05/2022

A great mention by some recent visitors to The Still - thank you!

https://www.tailormadeitineraries.com/post/tailor-made-top-9-whisky-related-activities-in-speyside-that-do-not-involve-visiting-a-distillery

Enjoy a list of our favourite whisky-related activities to do in Speyside that do not involve visiting a distillery.

15/04/2022

is always about meeting people who are as passionate about whisky as you are and, over the years that we have been based in Speyside, we have had the opportunity to meet some wonderful people who we now are fortunate enough to call friends.

Our Slainte Sessions have these friendships in mind and offer an opportunity to meet those in the industry who you may rarely get the opportunity to meet at any other time. Join us over the long Festival weekend to meet representatives from The GlenAllachie , , , Larkfire, Martine Nouet, amongst others!

Expect new whiskies straight off the press and firm favourites - see you there! From 12-4 each day, get in touch for more details.

14/04/2022

is all about fun and our Star Wars and Drams event that we're hosting on Friday the 29th of April at 12pm is definitely fitting in with that theme!

Although it is definitely going to be fun, it will also have a serious note to it which is that 25% of the ticket proceeds will go to Cancer Research in honour of aka Brett Ferencz who sadly lost his battle with cancer last year. His goal was to entertain linking two passions of his: Star Wars and Whisky and we are delighted to follow in his footsteps.

There are only a few tickets left so make sure to get yours before they're all gone (available via www.spiritofspeyside.com).

28/03/2022

Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival is only a month away! We cannot wait to see you all there for the first full festival back after a few years - it's going to be great! Slaìnte 🥃

15/03/2022

What could be better than an evening of exceptional drams from Craigellachie Distillery’s core range, paired with some of the best cuts of Scottish meat from our local butcher Stewart Mackie? We are incredibly excited to showcase how whisky can uniquely enhance the incredible flavours of Scotland’s world renowned and expertly produced meats while also giving you the opportunity to chat with and ask questions of your hosts who know Craigellachie Distillery and its whiskies better than anyone else! Join us on Friday evening at the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival for what promises to be a great night!

14/03/2022

Whisky and chocolate has been a well-loved pairing for a while now, but why not join us for a tasting on the Friday of the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival with a bit of a difference! This interactive experiment with Professor Barry Smith (Head of the School of Advanced Studies at UCL) and writer and broadcaster Rachel McCormack, in association with luxury chocolate company, Cocoa Runners, aims to gather data on the experience of tasting Speyside whisky and craft chocolate both separately and together. Exploring the best flavour combinations, the how and the why of chocolate with whisky, this sounds exactly like our kind of science experiment!

13/03/2022

The founders of Tamdhu Distillery secured their first shipment of precious sherry casks from the finest bodegas in Spain back in 1898, and since then they have continued to produce delicious whisky exclusively matured in the finest sherry oak casks. At the Dowans Hotel on the Thursday evening of the Festival, we would love you to join us and the Tamdhu team for an evening of some of the best of Tamdhu’s extensive collection, paired with some delicious Iberian-inspired dishes produced using the very best of Scottish produce! It’s sure to be a night of stories, exquisite drams and delectable dishes, helping to bring the sunshine of Spain to Speyside!

12/03/2022

Have you ever wondered about how important the splash of water that you might add to a dram can be? This Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival, we have teamed up with Larkfire Wild Water for Whisky to test out how crucial adding water to some whiskies can be – and if you can really tell the difference! Join us on the Thursday for a blind taste test with Mitch Coppercairn Bechard to see if you can tell the difference between adding Larkfire or tap water to a dram, and you could even win some fantastic whisky-related prizes!

11/03/2022

We are delighted to be hosting Hans Offringa (and his wonderful partner in life and, of course, whisky, Becky!) for an autobiographical event from Thursday of the SoS festival until Sunday; we can't wait!

Here's what he'd like you to know about the event:

'I did it Malt way' Don’t be afraid, Hans promises not to croon like Ole’ Blue Eyes. Instead he will take you on an entertaining journey through his more than 30 year career as a whisky writer and connoisseur. Along the way, he will let you enjoy 7 liquid ‘illustrations’ that come from Speyside and that have shaped his knowledge and profession as one of the most prolific and well known whisky writers of today. There is limited availability, so don’t hesitate to book at your earliest convenience and participate in an entertaining afternoon with superb storytelling and great drams to match. Hans appreciates audience participation, so questions are more than welcome during the event.

As an added extra, his bestselling book 'A Field Guide to Whisky' will be for sale at the Dowans and
you may wish to twist Hans' arm to sign it for you!

08/03/2022

As it is International Women's Day, we couldn't let the celebration go by without speaking about one of the events that we are hosting over the Spirit of Speyside weekend: our legendary Whisky Afternoon Tea which will not only be conceived of and created by our wonderful Pastry Chef, Shona, but will also be paired with BenRiach 12, created by Rachel Barrie, an esteemed Master Blender. Come and join us for what is always a delicious and perfectly harmonious combination of savoury bites, sweet treats and whisky!

07/03/2022

We are so excited for this year's Spirit of Speyside Festival and, from today, we wanted to start sharing some of the events (over the long weekend from the 27th of April until the 2nd of May) that we will be hosting so that you can purchase tickets in enough time before they're all gone!

First up is our Slaínte Sessions which will run every day from 12-4pm from Wednesday to Sunday. Throughout the festival, we have invited key members of the whisky industry to join us and make themselves available to all of you! It isn't often that you get to speak to Global Brand Ambassadors, Whisky Makers, Brand Directors and lots of others that make the whisky industry tick so we thought we'd make it slightly easier! Very informal, you can pop in, grab a dram and ask any questions that you can think of.

See you there?!

04/03/2022

**ANNOUNCEMENT**

Spirit of Speyside Preview is LIVE today!

Take a look at the website: www.spiritofspeyside.com to see all of the amazing events that will be available for you to buy tickets for. We cannot wait for you to join us over the long weekend from the 27th of April until the 2nd of May for some drams and chat!

22/02/2022

‘If life gives you limes, make Margaritas’ - Jimmy Buffett

We couldn’t agree more Jimmy, especially as today is

Join us today and for the whole of the next month (22nd of February - 22nd of March) for our takes on classic and tropical Margaritas with Patrón Tequila!

Have a look below for what we will have on offer:

🍹 Classic Tommy’s
🍹 Mint & Cucumber
🍹 Blood Orange
🍹 Pineapple & Passionfruit

Which will be your go to?

30/01/2022

💞💞 Galentine's Day Definition - Takes place on the 13th of February and celebrates platonic friendships. Created by Parks and Recreation 💞💞

In honour of this 'holiday', on Sunday the 13th of February we will be hosting a Galentine's Day event which will focus on all things fun and friendship.

Beginning at 2pm you will receive the following:

💗 Complimentary glass of fizz on arrival (sparkling mocktail for the non-drinkers)
💗 Valentine's inspired sweet and savoury treats
💗 Entry into our Chick Flick themed quiz with prize for the winning team
💗 Specially created Sharing Cocktail Menu
💗 Goody bag to take away with you

Tickets are priced at £30 per person and tables seat up to a maximum of 6 people.

Spaces are limited and advance booking is required with payment upon booking. Please either call us on 01340 871 488, email us at [email protected] or send us a facebook

28/01/2022

Feeling low this Friday lunchtime?!! Well, we have the best pick me up for you!

Our £6 cocktails are back by popular demand and start this evening so why not get your friends together and pop in for a tasty cocktail or 2…

Tag your friends below so they don’t miss out!

22/01/2022

We are gearing up for a busy evening of cocktails tonight! We still have some spaces left for drinks in MBar so why not grab your friends and make a night of it?!

17/12/2021

As we are celebrating our 9 year anniversary tomorrow we wanted to share the love with you all!

Join us throughout this weekend and enjoy one of our Chocolate Orange Espresso Martinis for £5 to help us celebrate.

Make sure to take a snap of you enjoying a cocktail in front of our tree to help us feel extra festive!

As a reminder, we would ask you all to wear a face covering when entering the hotel and walking around (unless you are exempt) in order for us to best protect our team, our guests and our wider community.

01/12/2021

It's the 1st of December and what does that mean?! Our Festive cocktails start today so, if you have been waiting all year for a Grinch 💚(our ever popular contribution to the Festive season in drink form!) then here is your opportunity!

We look forward to welcoming you over the next few weeks leading up to the BIG DAY!

🎅🎄🎁

27/11/2021

We are open and have power!

If you are looking for some food today we are serving 12pm-2pm / 5pm-8.30pm.

If you are just looking for somewhere to charge your phone, get online or warm yourself by the fire whilst having a cozy drink then we are the place for you.

Give us a call on 01340 871 488 or message us on here if you have any questions.

20/11/2021

What a tasting!

Last night was our latest Speyside Vintage tasting; this time, focusing on international winemaking regions. Wines from Israel, India, Uruguay, Portugal and Canada were all present and, to add an extra little bit of enjoyment to the evening, we paired each wine with a dish from the same region - it was a great success!

If you're interested in joining us for our next tasting (scheduled for the 10th of December), get in touch and we'll give you all the details!

Inniskillin Wines

Food 📸:

11/11/2021

Are you interested in wine but always been worried that your knowledge wasn't good enough to visit a wine club? We're here to tell you that the only criteria that you need for joining us at our Speyside Vintage tastings is that you can look at a glass of wine with as much love and reverence as Steph in this photo! Beyond that, we just want you to have a good time whilst drinking some delicious wines and eating some great food.

Our next tasting is on the 19th of November - why not join us to see what it's all about? £40 for 5 wines from around the world and 5 small dishes to accompany them, can you think of a better way to spend a Friday night?!

07/10/2021

⭐️A N N O U N C E M E N T⭐️

We are extremely excited to announce that our new cocktail menu will launch on Friday the 15th of October.

A lot of time and effort has gone into creating a menu that will tantalise your taste buds!

Cameras at the ready 📸

05/10/2021

Know anyone special joining us this weekend or in the near future?

Why don’t you get in touch and pre-order them a welcome cocktail, or even treat them to a bottle of bubbles or homemade chocolates?

Today is national ‘do something nice’ day so what better way to celebrate?!

28/09/2021

We are extremely excited to announce that we now stock Whisky, Gin, Vodka & Liqueurs!

Cardrona in New Zealand holds a special place in the Murrays’ hearts as this is where we used to spend our summers growing up. The distillery is situated at the bottom of the beautiful Cardrona Mountain, which is a famous ski resort.

Having met the owners while they were over in Scotland purchasing their Stills, we always said we would proudly support their products. Like us at the Dowans Hotel, they are also big supporters of charity and for every bottle of The Source Gin bought they donate £3 to the Bra Fence and breast cancer research.

We have taken the opportunity to taste all the bottles (it’s a hard life!) and they’re fabulous! We are particular fans of the vodka and 3 year old whisky - delicious!

But don’t take our word for it, why not pop in and try their wide range of products for yourself!

26/09/2021

Fancy something special for a free afternoon either when you're staying with us or just passing by? Why not join us for a chocolate and whisky pairing (or just a whisky tasting for that matter!)? With prices flexible as per your whisky knowledge (starting at £25 per person for a beginner's knowledge), we promise that it won't disappoint!

We would please ask for no less than 48 hours' notice for a tasting just to make sure we've got enough time for tempering the chocolate!

Give us a call on 01340 871488 to book and we'll get all of the key information from you then 🥰

25/09/2021

Our Rainy Day Dreams cocktail has been one of our most popular since re-opening but despite its orange-y Autumn colouring, it will soon be coming off the list so make sure to have one before that happens early next month!

Are there any cocktails you'd like to see on our new list?

25/08/2021

So, we heard it is national Whisky Sour day?
What a great excuse for mid week, post work drinks!!
What’s in a whisky sour? We’ve got you covered:

50ml of your choice of whisky, we like to use Chivas Regal 12 year old
25ml fresh lemon juice
12.5ml 1:1 sugar syrup
Egg White

Vigorously shake and double strain.🥃

06/08/2021

It's International Beer Day!

We have some stellar offerings behind the bar from local breweries of which Windswept APA is one - a refreshing American hopped Pale Ale. Invite a pal, come on in, grab a pint and let the day's stresses just fade away....🍻🍻🍻🍻🍻

29/06/2021

This photo was taken a few years ago by (hence the gaps in the bottles on the shelves!) when we hadn't long opened The Still, our whisky snug. Since then, it has probably been our most photographed room - have you taken any pictures of The Still that you'd like to share with us?