The Cabrach Hairst Weekend

The dust has settled on The Cabrach Hairst Weekend…

It’s been a very long time since we’ve enjoyed a September weekend quite like it in The Cabrach.

Across three days, we gathered to recognise Alan Winchester and the extraordinary contribution he has made to The Cabrach Distillery; we welcomed more than 70 visitors through the distillery doors; and we came together for our Community Hairst Supper, which proved to be a heart-lifting highlight of the weekend.

The Supper packed out The Acorn, bringing folk together through beautiful hospitality, music, stories, laughter, and great company. There was a strong sense of tradition about the evening, but also a real warmth and energy in the room.

We were incredibly fortunate with the evening’s entertainment. Huge thanks to Allan Taylor, John Whyte, Neil Dawson, The McBain Band, plus special guests, who brought the room to life and helped create such a memorable atmosphere.

A particularly lovely part of the night was the revival of an old harvest tradition, with contributions from the hairst offered for people to take home with them at the end of the night. The display of produce, so generously provided by local farmers, was quite something; a simple but powerful connection to the farming traditions that have shaped The Cabrach for generations.

And then, of course, there was The Inverharroch Band. A band absolutely nobody asked for, consisting of members of the Trust team and our Chair, making an unexpected debut to what might most generously be described as enthusiastic and occasionally humorous applause.

But the feedback afterwards captured something of the weekend.

Others reflected on remembering what The Cabrach once was, feeling emotional about what they had experienced on Friday evening, and seeing how the Trust was now helping to inspire its regeneration.

Perhaps the most touching feedback came from someone who told us they had, at one point, lost hope for The Cabrach, but now felt that hope was returning and that progress was becoming more and more real.

There is still a huge amount of work to do, but weekends like this are ultimately about something very simple: people coming together, enjoying the place, and enjoying one another’s company.

A busy Distillery. A packed room. Music, laughter, food, stories and a tradition brought back to life. Aye, a pretty special few days in The Cabrach.