End of an era

COULD it really be 13 years since Belhaven was acquired by Greene King?

We were reminded of the £187 million deal this week when it was announced that Greene King boss Rooney Anand will be stepping down.

Not long after the Belhaven tie-up was sealed in 2005, Mr Anand and Stuart Ross, then chief executive of the Scottish brewer and pub firm, invited journalists to the City Walls in Stirling to hear about the rationale of the deal. Both men were in ebullient form and their enthusiasm for the acquisition has since proven to be well-founded.

With Mr Ross having quit the Belhaven hot seat in 2008, it will truly be the end of an era when Mr Anand leaves in the spring.

Anyone for… gin?

TENNIS is a big tradition at Peebles Hydro.

Discussing the hotel’s move into distilling – working title Peebles Pavilion Gin - boss Stephen Leckie revealed that at one time the Hydro had more tennis courts than Wimbledon. He admits he isn’t exactly sure how many courts SW19 had at the time...

Dram-atic play

WHISKY is no stranger to the arts. Compton Mackenzie’s 1947 novel Whisky Galore! has twice made it into film, while the water of life is also central to the plot of Ken Loach comedy drama The Angels’ Share.

More recently, Glasgow Distillery Company hosted the world premiere of Navigate the Blood, a new opera written by Sian Evans and composed by Gareth Williams and Scots band Admiral Fallow.