Podcast appearances and mentions of river spey

Send us a textFor this week's episode we are returning to Scotland as we embark on the growth of the whiskey region, Speyside, in the 1880's. It would be this decade that would put Speyside on the map and become the dominant region for whiskey in the country. Located in Northeastern Scotland, the region is located around the River Spey. So tune in as Kurt and Sarah take you back in time for another episode of Decades Distilled! 

Grab your hot chocolate (or mulled wine!) and get into the festive spirit with our Christmas special as we meet some reindeer, talk Christmas trees and explore a small but mighty wood with huge value for nature in the snowy Cairngorms National Park. We discover fascinating reindeer facts with Tilly and friends at The Cairngorm Reindeer Centre, and step into a winter wonderland at nearby Glencharnoch Wood with site manager Ross. We learn what makes a good Christmas tree, how the wood is helping to recover the old Caledonian pine forest of Scotland, why the site is so important to the community and which wildlife thrive here. You can also find out which tree can effectively clone itself, and is so tasty to insects that it developed the ability to shake them off! Don't forget to rate us and subscribe! Learn more about the Woodland Trust at woodlandtrust.org.uk Transcript You are listening to Woodland Walks, a podcast for the Woodland Trust presented by Adam Shaw. We protect and plant trees for people to enjoy, to fight climate change and to help wildlife thrive.  Adam: Well, today I'm in the Cairngorms in Scotland. In Scottish Gaelic, the area is called – I'm going to give this a go - Am Monadh Ruadh. Apologies for my pronunciation there, but we are in the midst of a mountain range in the Highlands, of Scotland obviously. Generally we're about 1,000 metres high here but the higher peaks I'm told get to about 1,300 metres odd, which is going on for, I don't know, 4,500 foot or so. So this is a very dramatic landscape. We have rocky outcrops, boulders, steep cliffs. It's home to bird species such as the dotterel, snow bunting, the curlew and red grouse, as well as mammals such as mountain hare. But the reason of course we are here this Christmas is because it is also home to Britain's only herd, I think, of reindeer. Now, the reindeer herder is Tilly. She is the expert here and I've been braving, I am braving the snow and icy winds to be introduced to her and the herd. And from there after that, we're going to take a drive to what I'm told is an amazing wooded landscape of Caledonian pine to talk all things pine, and of course, all things Christmas trees. But first of all, let's meet Tilly, who looks after the reindeer.  Adam: OK, we are recording.  Tilly: That's good. OK. I'd better not say anything naughty then.  Adam: I'll cut out any naughtiness, that's fine.  Tilly: This is a bit of a rustly bag. It's more rustly than normal but never mind.  Adam: What do the reindeer actually eat?  Tilly: Well, so. We're now up in their natural habitat and we're looking across a nice heathery hillside with sedges as well. You can just see them poking through the snow and they'll pick away at the old heather of the year and the sedges.  Adam: Right.  Tilly: But we manage the herd and we like to feed them. So what I've got in my bag is some food for them, which they love.  Adam: Right. And what's in your Santa sack of food now?   Tilly: Oh, that's a secret.   Adam: Oh, you can't tell me. Oh, God.  Tilly: No, no. I can tell you. So it's a cereal mix and there is something similar to what you would feed sheep. Bit of barley, bit of sheep mix.  Adam: That's awesome. So not mince pies and carrots? That's only reserved for Christmas Eve. That's probably not very good for them, I would have thought.  Tilly: Yeah, no, I hate to say this, but reindeer don't actually eat carrots.  Adam: Oh right okay, well, that's good to know.  Tilly: But if ever children bring carrots for them, I never turn them away because we're very good at making carrot soup and carrot cake.  Adam: Santa's helpers get the carrots.  Tilly: And I'm absolutely certain that Santa eats all the mince pies, so all good. So anyway, come on through here. We're going now into a 1000-acre enclosure. It just hooks on there, that's perfect, it goes right across. We could actually once we get close to these visitors are coming off from a hill visit this morning. So you'll be pleased to hear that I am the boss. I'm Mrs. boss man and I've been with the reindeer for 43 years. Now, their lifespan is sort of 12 to 15 years, so I've gone through many generations. I've known many lovely reindeer and there's always a favourite and you would have seen some real characters there today. And you couldn't see them in better conditions. Anyway, do get yourself down and warm yourselves up. Oh, you've done very well to bring a little one like that today.  Walker: He did pretty well until now!  Tilly: You've done extremely well. Of course they have. He's got very red, a bit like Rudolph. The thing is there's just that wind, and it's the wind that drops the temperature, that chill factor.  Adam: Yeah. So where are we going, Tilly?  Tilly: So we're heading out towards what we call Silver Mount. They're not in here all year. Different times of year, sometimes they're all free range, some of them are free ranging, some are in here.  Adam: When you speak about free range, literally they can go anywhere?  Tilly: Yes they can.  Adam: And they come back because they know where the food is?  Tilly: Yes they do. They know where the food is, they sort of know where the home is, but they do wander out onto the high ground as well, more in the summertime.   Adam: Right. And is that, I mean Scotland has different rules. There's a right to roam sort of rule here. Does that apply to reindeer? Is that the issue?  Tilly: That is a moot point.  Adam: Oh, really? We've hardly started and I've got into trouble.   Tilly: No. Well, we lease 6000 acres, right? So we lease everything out to the skyline.  Adam: So that's an extraordinary range for them.  Tilly: It is an extraordinary range, but they know no bounds. I have to say reindeer sometimes do just pop over the boundary.  Adam: And that causes problems with the neighbours?  Tilly: Well, some like it, some aren't so keen. And we herd them as well, so we can herd them home. And we herd them by calling them.  Adam: I was going to say, do you have a skidoo, or?  Tilly: No, no. Absolutely no vehicular access on the hill. It's all by Shanks's pony, everywhere.  Adam: Really. So you walk, and then you just ring a bell to herd them, or what do you do?  Tilly: And you ‘loooooow, come on now!' and they come to us.  Adam: Right. And so what was the call again?  Tilly: ‘Looow, come on now!'  Adam: Come on now, is that it? OK, very good. OK, I now move.  Tilly: Yes. But hopefully they won't all come rushing from over there.  Adam: I was going to say, yes, we've now called out the reindeer.  Tilly: We've just joined a cow and calf here, who have just come down to the gate, and you can see just for yourself, they're completely benign. They're so docile and quiet. There's no sort of kicking or pushing or anything. They're very, very gentle creatures.  Adam: And is that because they've been acclimatised because tourists come, or would that be their natural behaviour?  Tilly: It is their natural behaviour, bearing in mind that reindeer have been domesticated for thousands of years. We're not looking at a wild animal here that's got tame. We're looking at a domesticated animal.  Adam: Right.  Tilly: It's probably more used to people than some of the reindeer up in the Arctic. So we have domestication embedded in their genetics.  Adam: So what we're saying is, genetically, they're actually more docile. It's not because this particular reindeer is used to us. But originally then, if one goes back far enough, they were wilder?  Tilly: Yes so, it's a really interesting process of domestication of reindeer, which happened in the Old World, so Russia, Scandinavia, inner Mongolia, outer Mongolia. And that is reindeer and many, many reindeer in these Arctic areas, are domesticated. They're not wild.  Adam: And that started happening, do we have an idea when?  Tilly: Probably about 10,000 years ago. But if you go to the New World, to Alaska and North Canada, exactly the same animal is called a caribou. Caribou are never domesticated. The indigenous people of these areas never embraced the herding and enclosing of reindeer, which was caribou, whereas in the Old World it became very, very important to the men, the people's survival.  Adam: And then the caribou, do they have a different character?   Tilly: Yes, they're wilder. And it's a little bit difficult to show today – you see quite strong colour variation in reindeer, which you don't see in caribou, and colour variation is man's influence on selecting for colour. So you'd get very light coloured ones, you'd get white ones in reindeer, you'd get very dark ones, but in caribou they're all the same, brownie-grey colour. Yeah, they felt that the white reindeer were important in the herd for whatever reasons, Germanic reasons or whatever. Interestingly, the Sámi - and I'm not sure if there could be a white one up in the herd here at the moment - describe them as lazy reindeer, the white ones.  Adam: Why?  Tilly: Well, I didn't know why until I worked out why white reindeer are often deaf. So they sleep, they don't get up when everybody else gets up and moves, and this white reindeer doesn't realise that the herd has left them. So they're not all deaf, but certain white ones are.  Adam: Very important question, obvious but I didn't ask it to begin with because I'm a fool. Why are reindeer connected to Christmas?  Tilly: Well, that's a really good question, because actually they think it stems from a poet called Clement C Moore, who wrote a poem in America, he had Scandinavian Germanic connections, called The Night Before Christmas, where Donder, Blitzen, Cupid, Comet, fly through the air with Saint Nick in the sleigh, the little Santa.  Adam: Yeah.  Tilly: But, so that really set the scene of eight reindeer and the sleigh, and that was based on the Norwegian God Odin, who had eight legs and strode through the sky with these eight legs and eight reindeer. Then we have Rudolph, who turns up, but he doesn't turn up until the time of prohibition in America.  Adam: So Rudolph isn't in the original poem?  Tilly: Absolutely not. Rudolph is an impostor.  Adam: I didn't know that!  Tilly: He, so he, it was a marketing exercise for a department store during alcohol prohibition. And it was Rudolph with his red nose, and his red nose is because of alcohol.  Adam: Because he drank too much? So was it in favour of alcohol or was it going ‘what terrible thing happens to you when you drink'?  Tilly: I'm not terribly sure. But anyway, Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer was the song, so that adds to it. And then along comes Coca-Cola who used a red and white Santa to promote Coca-Cola at Christmas time. So the red and white Santa is Coca-Cola.  Adam: Right. And the red-nose reindeer is from alcohol and reindeer comes from an actual American poem, of which Rudolph wasn't part of anyway. That's all simple to understand then!  Tilly: Exactly. Perfect.  Adam: Well, we're moving up to some of the more exposed slopes. Tilly has gone ahead. I'm just going to catch up back with her, and ask how she started as one of UK's first reindeer herders. Well, certainly, one of our few reindeer experts.  Tilly: I came up to volunteer and I met the keeper who was looking after the reindeer for Dr Lindgren, who was the lady who brought them in with her husband, Mr Utsi, and he was quite good looking.   Adam: Is this a revelation you wish to make to them?  Tilly: And the reindeer were endearing, and the mountains were superb, and so I married the keeper.  Adam: Right, you did marry him! I thought you were telling me about another man other than your husband.  Tilly: So I married Alan. We married in 1983 and I've been here ever since.  Adam: And so the purpose of having reindeer here originally was what?  Tilly: Ah, good question. Mr Utsi came here and was very taken by the landscape and the environment, the habitat, because it was so similar to his own home country of north Sweden. And he begged the question where are the reindeer? Why are there not reindeer here? And it was on that notion that he and his wife, Dr Lindgren, devoted the latter half of their lives to bringing reindeer back to Scotland.  Adam: So that's interesting. So, it raises the difference of ecological or sort of natural question, of whether these are indigenous animals.  Tilly: Yes. So it's an interesting idea. Certainly, the habitat's available for them and they live in their natural environment. But when they became extinct, or not extinct, but when they weren't in Scotland, some people say as recently as 600 years ago and some people say as long as 2,000 years ago. If it's 2,000 years ago, they're described as a past native.  Adam: So OK, I didn't realise that, but is there any debate around whether they were originally - whatever originally is –  Tilly: They were definitely here.  Adam: So they are native? They're not sort of imported, they have died out and been brought back here.  Tilly: Absolutely. Yeah, yeah, they were reintroduced, but how, what that time span is, some people say sooner than later, and Mr Utsi certainly identified this as a very suitable spot for them.  Adam: Any idea why they might have died out? Do we know?  Tilly: Probably a bit of climate change and also probably hunting. Very easy animal to hunt. Are you OK with this chitter chatter going on?  Adam: Yes, it's all good, and a bit of, do you call it mooing?   Tilly: Oh no, the reindeer aren't making any noise, they're clicking.  Adam: Someone was mooing!  Tilly : I think it was the people.  Adam: I thought it was the reindeer making that noise.   Tilly: Not at all. They're very silent.   Adam: They'd have left this podcast thinking reindeer moo.  Tilly: They would have. Exactly. No, they are really, really silent animals.  Adam: There's a very large reindeer there coming down the road.  Tilly: Oh, that's OK, that's Akubra, he'll do nothing to you at all. He's an absolute genuine reindeer. He's lovely. But he listened to the clicking as they walk. You can't hear it because of your headphones.  Adam: OK, so I guess later on I'll put a microphone on a reindeer. That will be a first. One other thing I always imagined when you saw a set of antlers on a sort of grand Scottish mansion, I thought, oh well, they've killed that the reindeer. And actually, that's not true, is it? They fall off.  Tilly: They do. You're absolutely right. Having it depends how you see the antlers. If the antlers are still on a skull, that animal has been killed and there's nothing wrong with that. There is a, you know, the animals need to be controlled. But you're also right. Antlers are lost every year and regrown again, so they cast their antlers and they regrow their antlers. So in a reindeer's life, if a reindeer is 10 years old, he will have just grown his 11th set of antlers.  Adam: And the purpose of antlers is fighting? I'm a big girl, I'm a big boy, whatever.   Tilly: Yeah, mainly for fighting, a weapon. So for the big breeding males, it's for claiming harem for females, so in the breeding season. And those big breeding bulls will actually lose their antlers around about now, their antlers will fall off and then they won't regrow their antlers until next spring, right? The females, little females like this, keep those boney antlers all winter and they use them for competing for food, so they can jab another reindeer and push it off and they can get into the food as a result.   Adam: The other thing I can notice about some of them, but not the reindeer in front of us, but I think the one walking away, although this looks very bony, the other one has sort of felt on it, and what looks like blood. So what's going on there?  Tilly: Yes. So they are the velvet antlers on the Christmas reindeer that have finished growing, but they don't lose the velvet properly and there is still potentially blood in the bone, as it were.  Adam: So there's this sort of capillary underneath the felt.  Tilly: Yes, exactly, because the antler's a really interesting appendage because it grows from the tip. It doesn't grow from the base, so the blood supply has to go all the way to the tip to grow. And the velvet skin carries that blood supply.  Adam: Right. I see. So now the reindeer in front of us has no velvet so that can't grow.  Tilly: And no blood supply. Exactly. And the only way she can grow, get more antlers or bigger antlers, is to lose the whole thing and grow it again next year. Yes.  Adam: So any other serious facts we should note, to inform ourselves about reindeer?  Tilly: Oh, lots of serious facts. So they're the only deer species where the males and the females grow antlers. Every other deer species, it's only the males that grow the antlers. They are the only deer species that's been domesticated by man. All the other species of deer, we're talking about 40 different species, are all truly wild animals. They can survive in the coldest parts of the world, so in the middle of Siberia, the temperature can go down to -72 and reindeer are still living there quite happily.  Adam: It's cold today, but it's probably -2 or something.  Tilly: Exactly. Yeah, yeah. Man cannot live in the Arctic without an animal to live by, and it's reindeer that he lives by. Man would never have gone into these areas. Obviously now they're all digging up, you know, getting the oil and the gas and everything. But indigenous man can only survive in these areas if he has reindeer as his farm animal of the north, so they're really important to the indigenous people of the north.  Adam: And in that sort of role, then, you can clearly eat reindeer. Then what else does it provide us?  Tilly: Absolutely. So it provides with meat. There are indigenous people that milk them in season. They have these tremendous coats that are used for covering tents and for people's, you know, clothing. And the antlers? Not now, but the antlers would have been used as tools in the past.  Adam: And have you ever had reindeer milk?  Tilly: I have tried, yes, we have milked the odd reindeer for one reason or another. It's very rich, very rich.  Adam: You have! Rich, is that good or quite fatty? Is it drinkable?  Tilly: That's good. Yeah, it's totally drinkable. Totally nice.  Adam: Yeah, I think yaks or a drink made from yaks, which was disgusting, I found in Mongolia, but I really found it difficult. It wasn't my thing.  Tilly: But it wasn't the fermented one, was it? Because in Mongolia they're into fermented mare's milk.   Adam: That might be what I had.  Tilly: And that is revolting.   Adam: Yes, OK, that's maybe what I had. How unusual is reindeer milk then?  Tilly: Yeah. It's got a very high fat content. They produce very little milk, because if you had a great big swinging under in in freezing conditions, you'd have ice cream, you wouldn't have milk.  Adam: The other thing I noticed that we haven't talked about is their hooves which look quite large and they look, I mean just from a distance, quite mobile.  Tilly: Yes. They are very, very, very flexible animals and their feet, their hooves are very big. Of course, for snow. Walking on the snow, spreading the weight, but also great shovels for digging. So they dig. You know, if you're in two feet, three feet of snow in north Sweden, you've got to get to the food underneath and to get to it, they need to dig. So they're great diggers.  Adam: And your life now here. It's quite a change from where you grew up, I appreciate.  Tilly: Certain years, a very rural life I had then. I have an equally country-wise life now. I will go to my grave with reindeer. They are my complete nutter passion. They are the most wonderful animals to be amongst, they put a smile on your face. They live in a beautiful area. They're just, they're just lovely animals and they give me a lot of pleasure. Yeah, yeah.  Adam: Fantastic. And if people are in the Cairngorms and want to have their own trip to see the reindeer, they call the what?  Tilly: They call the Cairngorm Reindeer Centre. You could do it on the website, you can ring us up and they need to dress up. I'm sure you appreciate you, are your feet cold yet?  Adam: No, look, I stopped off and bought extra thermals on my way.  Tilly: Very good.  Adam: Well, thank you very much. It's been a real treat, thank you very much.  Tilly: Brilliant. Oh, well, thank you for coming.  Adam: Well, I'm afraid I'm having to leave the reindeer behind because we're now heading to a little lower ground to see what I'm told is an amazing forest of Caledonian pine. And to learn a bit more about the trees and their relative, the other pine, which we all know as the Christmas tree. And we're off to meet a guy who looks after the Glencharnoch Wood in Carrbridge, near the River Spey and Dulnain. And now, despite it, it's a quite a small forest, I think. But despite that, it's quite well known for being really important, really big on biodiversity. And it's home to a number of species including, but not just them, but including the red squirrel and the crested tit.  Ross: My name's Ross Watson. I'm the site manager for North Scotland for the Woodland Trust.  Adam: Brilliant. Ross, we have come on an extraordinary day. It has snowed. It looks picturesque, chocolate box, shortbread box maybe, type stuff, so fantastic. So just tell me where we are.  Ross: Well, we're in Glencharnoch wood. It's a wood that the Woodland Trust owns and it's part of a series of little woodlands on the back of Carrbridge between Carrbridge and the railway. And the Woodland Trust has had it for a number of years. It's a little site, only 36 acres, but it's a pine wood site and a really important pine wood site at that, in that it's a small part of much bigger Caledonian forests.  Adam: OK. Well, I want to talk to you about pine wood, because I think it just sort of gets dismissed – ‘oh this pine wood, not important, not interesting'. Apart from Christmas, perhaps, when suddenly it becomes really important, but I want to unpack all of that with you, but just explain to you we're going to go on a little walk. Hopefully you know where you're going. Good. All right, so just explain a bit about where we're going, give me a sense of the pattern of where we're going.  Ross: Absolutely. We're going to take a circular walk around the woodlands. The woodlands here, it's all about community. Everything we do here is around that tree. We're going to walk through a piece of land that's owned by the local authority and then go through our own land and onto privately owned land and then come back to our own land. And it really shows the connectivity of all these different habitats, all the different landowners. But really the path network is there for the community that's here and they are involved in practice as well.  Adam: So. Pine wood. Yeah, it sort of gets bunched all together, and especially the Scots pine I hear a lot about. But there are there are big, big differences and varieties are there? Tell me a bit about them.  Ross: The Scots pine we are walking through are really special species. That's the only native conifer in the UK, right? And that's why they're so special here. Really these Scots pine provide their own habitat all of their own. They're incredibly threatened. As a habitat in Scotland, we've got just a number of Caledonian pine inventory sites. We've got ancient woodlands, designated sites.  Adam: Sorry, just to stop you - Caledonian pine, Scots pine, interchangeable words?  Ross: Yeah, good point. The Great Wood of Caledon was the reference of the name of the forest that was here, the old, the original boreal forest that gradually reduced in size. Partly through climate change as the country became cooler and wetter, but also through human intervention through felling, fires, grazing, all that kind of thing. So now we tend to talk about Scots pine and Cally pine which can be fairly interchangeable, but the Cally pine tends to be the bigger, grander kind of granny pines, these really lovely old things you see in some of the landscapes.  Adam: But that's sort of just the way people use the word. Technically, they're the same thing, but we refer to the Caledonian pine as the big grand ones, and it comes from… so I just want to make sure I understood what you said. The word Caledonian pine then comes from a Caledonian, a forest called Caledonia?   Ross: Yeah, the Great Wood of Caledon.   Adam: Isn't that a brilliant name? So mystical and it sort of talks of Tolkien and other worlds. Wow, wow. OK. So we have the great Scots pine, the Caledonian pine. If people have a general thing in their mind about pine trees, what is special about Caledonian pine? How that distinguishes from pines in other parts of the world.  Ross: Well, Scots pine, as we're walking through this woodland, just now as you look up the trunks of the trees, as you look up the bark tends to go from a kind of grey-brown to a real kind of russety red, like a red squirrel colour. And that's a lot of the red squirrel camouflage comes from that, that rusty colour. So they're skittering around these treetops and they can be jumping around and they're nice and camouflaged because of that colour. So is that redness that you really see? But what we can see in here, a lot of these trees are very even age, it has been quite heavily thinned in the past, but then you come across a tree like this that's got a very deep crown. So you see there's live branches more than halfway down that tree, whereas there's a lot of these other trees -  Adam: Yes, I was going to say it's weird that they've got no foliage until very high.  Ross: Yeah, so this tree here, and foresters may call this a wolf tree, a tree that has occupied a space and it's just sat there and doesn't allow anything around it.   Adam: It's called a wolf tree?  Ross: Some people would refer to it as a wolf tree. What we would refer to that is it's a deep crown tree, not very imaginatively named, but a deep crown tree is really important here because of capercaillie. Now, capercaillie, you imagine a capercaillie's a big bird, a turkey-sized bird, almost waist height, a male capercaillie. And in the winter it will walk out across these branches and it will nibble away at some of the needles, and it will sit there and it will rely on that during deep snow for shelter, security, food. So without these deep crown trees, there isn't anywhere for them to go. So if you imagine a plantation, a very dense pine that are much denser than this and they don't have the chance for any deep crown trees. Then the opportunity for capercaillie here is much reduced.  Adam: Right. So there's sort of, I mean, look the elephant in the room. Well, it's Christmas around the corner. People have Christmas trees. Sort of most people know anything about pine, it's because they have it in their house at Christmas. That's not a Scots pine.  Ross: No, your traditional Christmas tree is a Nordmann fir. A fir tree tends to hold onto needles a little longer than a pine tree. And if you look after the pine, it will retain its needles, but quite often the pine trees will grow slightly too quickly, so it'll be a bit bare as a Christmas tree, whereas a fir tree is kind of hairy enough to be a good Christmas tree.  Adam: Right. And do we have, do we have them planted in the UK as well? I mean just for commercial cropping?  Ross: Yes, as a Christmas tree.  Adam: Right. So the other thing, look, we're in a really lovely forest at the moment. We're the only ones here. But Scotland, the iconic pictures of Scotland, are bare, bare mountains, aren't they? They're not wooded, and yet I've always read that that's not how it used to be. It used to be a wooded part of the country. Why did it lose so much of its woodland?  Ross: Well, it's looking back to, what, centuries ago as the climate became cooler and wetter, the tree line reduced in height. But more recently in the 1800s the Cultural Revolution created huge periods of felling where they needed this timber for industrialization. Trees from the woodlands near here were cut down, they were floated down to the river Spey and then out to Spey Bay and the Moray coast. They were used for underground water piping for ship's masts. Because these trees are, as you can feel today it's a cold place to be, they've grown very slowly. So because they're nice and straight as we can see, they are, the rings are very close together, so they're very sturdy. They're an ideal timber source. But then we start to look at deer numbers increasing and sheep numbers increasing. The more mouths on the hill meant that once you cut these trees down, it was much harder for the trees to come away again. And really, that's the landscape we're in now really. And when we're talking about those very large, deep crowned trees on open hillsides, these kind of granny pines are so picturesque, and really a lot of these trees, there was no timber value in them because they were already so crooked and they were left, and this is almost a remnant that's showcasing the old forest that once was standing there.  Adam: A lot of times, site managers, they're trying to keep things steady in a way, I suppose. Just trying to maintain what's going, keep that going, that's hard enough. Is that the job here or do you have bigger plans? Are there, you know, times are changing?  Ross: Well, this is one of eight woodlands I look after across the north of Scotland. Whenever we're doing anything, no matter what the scale of it, it's not just how do we keep the site going and kind of steady. It's about when we are doing work, how do we add value to that to make it better for the people that are living here? And how do we use that to continue to showcase these sites as the shop window for the Woodland Trust?  Adam: And is the idea here to try and remove the non-Scots pine, so you'd have a pure Scots pine forest?  Ross: Well, the Woodland Trust works on a on a threat basis really. So any tree is better than no tree, right? But if you have got a lot of spruce regeneration that's threatening this ancient wood then we need to begin to remove that. And that's been the case here.  Adam: Sorry I'm pausing because there's a lovely spaniel who I can see wants me to throw a stick, but I won't throw the stick. Very cool dog. There we are. Sorry, we were saying yes, so any tree is better than no tree. But are the other trees a threat then or not?  Ross: Well, the Norway spruce here has been seeding regeneration into the woodland areas and over the last few years we've cleared a lot of that and in some of these nice young spruce, we've been able to provide to the community for Christmas trees, which has been really handy. But all of that is gone now and we're left with this core of, of mature Norway spruce, that a number of them have started to snap so are becoming a safety issue for members of the public using footpaths next to it. But also there's an opportunity there where before that timber dies, we can extract it and it can be useful for the community.  Adam: And you'd replace it with Scots pines.  Ross: No, we're going to replace it predominantly with hazel and aspen. Because one of the slight concerns in having a single species stand, like we have here, where it's all Scots pine, is that there's only one species for the likes of red squirrels or the crossbills. And on a day like today we might hear crossbows coming over. There's only one species here for them, whereas if we're planting hazel, which is under-represented species here, that provides a different food for red squirrels in a different part of the woodland. And aspen is one of the most biodiverse species that we would have in this part of the world. And there are very, very few aspen.  Adam: When you say it's the most biodiverse species, you mean it attracts biodiversity?  Ross: Absolutely yes. In terms of the lower plant assemblage that's on there specifically and insects. And aspen, their Latin name is Populus tremula and the tremula comes from the oval shape on the leaf. Just in the slightest breeze, it's adapted that to try and shake off the insect burden because the leaves are so palatable for insects.  Adam: So the shape of the leaf in wind -  Ross: The shape of this stock of the leaf is oval.  Adam: And that helps shift any insects.   Ross: Yeah, yeah.   Adam: It's interesting because aspen, in my ignorance, I associate with aspen in America, but it's a native UK tree.  Ross: It is, yeah. And it will be one of the first colonisers after the Ice Age. That's, an aspen will have, the seed will have blown down as the ice is receding. But some of the aspen that are here now will be some of the oldest trees that exist in the UK and aspen generally now grows rhizomatously, so you'll see the roots through the forest and all of the suckers will pop out. And the aspen that we can see in the woodland today, they could have been here for hundreds, maybe thousands of years, and they've just, as the clone has marched through the landscape, it's just it's moved and colonised these different areas. They're fascinating trees. So when you look at some of the images in North America, you might see entire hillsides of aspen and that could all be the same tree essentially, they're amazing organisms.  Adam: That's amazing. So it's sort of cloning really.   Ross: Yeah, absolutely.  Adam: That's amazing. And also I can see right on the Scots pine behind you, beautiful lichen, which is just a real sign of the air quality here, isn't it? I mean, it doesn't grow and it's just often further south. We do see lichen, obviously, but often I see a bit. This is everywhere. It's a real sign this is good land.  Ross: Absolutely, yeah.  Adam: Good land, good air. Wonderful. Well, I'm going to take another shot of our colleague down below. Hello. Wearing a lovely red hat, almost looks like Santa. And then we'll move on. So we're going uphill a bit, you might just hear the snow crunching under my boots. So this is amazing. A wolf peeking out from the woods, which adds to the fairy tale quality of all of this forest walk. This is not a real wolf. This is carved in wood. It looks really beautiful and it's covered in snow at the moment, which maybe is why I didn't spot it at first. So what's the story here?  Ross: Well, the story here is that Carrbridge hosts the Scottish chainsaw carving competition every year at the end of August, and there are chainsaw artists coming from all over the world to compete here to do some incredibly elaborate carvings. They do benches and three-to-four-metre statues and it's absolutely incredible.   Adam: This is very delicate that I'm surprised this would be done with a chainsaw.  Ross: Yeah, it's a very specialist skill as you can see, and people have to be very artistic. You have to be very good with the saw, but also the bar of the saw is a specialist carving tool. But then they also can use all sorts of other implements to try and refine the artwork itself. And this is just one part of that much larger chainsaw carving trail that's in Carrbridge that really commemorates this annual event.  Adam: Amazing. Well, we'll leave the wolf. It's got even a little dark nose. Amazing. A little dog, a real dog this time. Well, yes, just to prove it. We've just seen some reindeer. Obviously they're a type of deer. Are they as much of a problem as the normal red deer that we know about? So what's your view on them?  Ross: Well, red deer, the numbers are extremely high in some places and in the Cairngorms, they're generally much better managed. But in other places where there just isn't that, that integration or the objectives are yet to be aligned with protected areas, the numbers in those places need to come down, but recognising that there are different objectives, there are different landowners who want to do different things with land. So in recognising and respecting those objectives, but generally, ideal numbers need to come down and they need to come down a lot in order for trees and woodland to recover.  Adam: But that's deer in general, just because it's Christmas, I just have reindeer on the mind. You don't see many reindeer here. Or any reindeer here?  Ross: No, you see them up in the Cairngorms, right?   Adam: Right. Another pitstop. I see some lichen with some snow on it. I should turn them into Christmas cards. I won't, but that's what I should do. So if there was a sort of a final thought you wanted people to take away about this forest or about Caledonian pines you're trying to protect and grow here, what might that be?  Ross: Well, for this woodland, and as I say, it's only 36 acres in size, it's a fairly small wood. But it's not to discount that, and we talk about the hundreds of ants nests, the crossbills, the crested tits, it's woodlands like this can punch way above their weight. But also woodlands like this connected together provide a much larger, integrated robust habitat. And it's just thinking along these lines that this, this woodland, although it has the A9 on one side, it's got roads on two other sides, it's got a forest adventure park there and to the other side, it feels like a woodland that could be squeezed, but it can also feel like a woodland that is a part of this much larger landscape and contributing to that. And I suppose in part it depends on how you view that, yeah. But the woodland is connected to its woodlands round about, so it's definitely playing its part and part of that recovery of the old Caledonian pine forest of Scotland, as small as it is.  Adam: It's been a real treat for you to guide us through it on such a special snowy Christmas-y day. So thank you very much indeed.   Ross: No problem.   Adam: Well, it's been a fantastic day. Which leaves me just say from the land of reindeer and Caledonian pine, can I wish you a very happy, peaceful and joyous Christmas and New Year? And I do hope that wherever you are, you are able to share the joy of this season and that you'll join us in the New Year for lots more podcasts and tree adventures. Until then, from all of us in the Woodland Trust podcast team, to all of you, can we wish you a happy Christmas and a great New Year and of course, happy wanderings.  Thank you for listening to the Woodland Trust Woodland Walks. Join us next month when Adam will be taking another walk in the company of Woodland Trust staff, partners and volunteers. And don't forget to subscribe to the series on iTunes or wherever you are listening. And do give us a review and a rating. If you want to find out more about our woods and those that are close to you, check out the Woodland Trust website. Just head to the visiting woods pages. Thank you. 

Jake takes a deep dive into Scotland in this week's episode featuring Tamdhu Single Malt Whisky.  He's joined by Gordon Dallas, Brand Development & Advocacy Director for Tamdhu, for an informative and enlightening comparative tasting of a portion of the Tamdhu portfolio of sherry cask whiskies. Stream this episode on your favorite podcast app and be sure to drop us a review while you're there.  We are thankful for your support over the last 5 years. We must give the biggest shoutout to our growing Patreon Community of supporters! As always, we'd appreciate it if you would take a few minutes time to give us feedback on Bourbon Lens podcast. If you enjoy our content, consider giving us a 5 Star rating on your favorite podcast app, leave us a written review, and tell a fellow bourbon lover about our show. Follow us @BourbonLens on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and X.  Also, consider supporting Bourbon Lens on Patreon for some of the behind the scenes, to earn Bourbon Lens swag, join the Bourbon Lens Tasting Club, and more. If you have any comments, questions, or guest suggestions, please email us at Info@BourbonLens.com. Check out BourbonLens.com to read our blog posts, whiskey news, podcast archive, and whiskey reviews. Cheers,Scott and JakeBourbon Lens   About Tamdhu: Tamdhu is owned by Ian MacLeod Distillers, one of Scotland's leading independent family-owned distillers. Tamdhu is 100% matured in the finest Oloroso sherry oak casks from Spain. Tamdhu uses only the best Oloroso sherry seasoned American and European oak casks giving the award-winning single malt its natural, dark amber color, intense richness on the palate and its deep, long finish. Born on the banks of the River Spey in 1897, its quality is also defined by the wisp of peat in its malted barley and the natural Speyside water that is drawn directly from the Tamdhu spring. About Gordon Dundas, International Brand Ambassador for Ian MacLeod Distillers: Gordon has been working in the whisky industry directly for over 17 years. Although initially having been an engineer and then working in the Sport events and hospitality industry, he had always had an interest in the wonderful whisky world. Gordon started working for international title Whisky Magazine in 2003 gaining incredible insights and knowledge of the whisky industry and setting up the famous Whisky Live shows internationally in the US, Asia and Australia. In 2011, Gordon then joined Morrison Bowmore Distillers (and laterally Beam Suntory) as Global Brand Ambassador working in European, Asian and Travel Retail markets. Working on Bowmore, Auchentoshan and Glen Garioch initially then the whole Beam Suntory whisky portfolio. Gordon was honoured to be appointed a Keeper of the Quaich in 2013. In 2017, Gordon joined family owned Ian MacLeod Distillers Ltd (IMD) as International Brand Ambassador. IMD were awarded Whisky Magazine's 2018 Distiller of the Year, and are producers of the award winning Glengoyne, Tamdhu and Smokehead single malt whiskies along with Edinburgh Gin. In 2017 IMD also purchased Rosebank and are currently in the process of re-building this iconic distillery. Gordon's whisky journey is always ongoing and he loves the international travel it brings, the fabulous people around the world enjoying whisky and working with a team of talented people! Tamdhu Whiskey Portfolio Snapshot: Tamdhu 12 Year Old Single Malt Scotch (SRP: $67.99) - Matured in ex-sherry casks for 12years, this drink holds aromas of cinnamon rolls, orange candy, fresh oak, raisins & traces of mint. The palate offers notes of banana, raspberry jam, malty biscuits & toasted oak, with cinnamon and dried fruit flavors that linger in finish. Tamdhu 15 Year Old Single Malt Scotch (SRP: $129.99) - Aged in Oloroso Sherry casks, this 15 year old Tamdhu has aromas of apple pie, spiced currants and orange zest. The palate is full of juicy apricots, vibrant raspberries and bitter almonds, before a long finish full of malty biscuits and creamy sherry notes. Gold Medal winner at the 2024 San Francisco International Spirits Competition Tamdhu 18 Year Old Single Malt Scotch (SRP: $199.99) - The oldest expression at Tamdhu is fully matured only in Oloroso seasoned Sherry Casks. Both the richness of European Oak and the more subtle American Oak flavors combine with the fruity this very limited edition.

American Mink are an invasive non-native species which have become widespread in parts of Scotland after their release from fur farms. Rachel meets Karen Muller from the Scottish Invasive Species Initiative on the River Spey to hear why it's important to catch the mink. They also scope out a potential site to set a mink trap.In his day job, George Sherriffs is an acquisitions librarian with the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. But in the coming week, George is going to be running an incredible 356 miles between all the RBGE sites in Scotland to raise awareness and funds for the work they do. Mark went to meet him and hear how the challenge came about.Mark is in Dunbar Harbour with Alex Williams who discovered a passion for kayak fishing four years ago. He takes Mark for a paddle in the harbour and tells him how he got hooked on the hobby and what's involved in fishing from a kayak.Our BBC Aberdeen colleague Donnie Mackay heads home to Lewis every April to help with the lambing on his family croft. This year he took along a recorder and made a lambing diary for Out of Doors during what was one of the wettest and coldest seasons he could remember.And it's not just sheep farmers that have been having a hard time this spring. It's been nearly impossible to get anything sown and the challenging conditions take a toll on farmers mentally as well as practically. We hear what the picture is like across Scotland from Katrina Macarthur, farming columnist with the Press and Journal.Stanley Robertson was a traveller and storyteller from Aberdeen and in 1988 he recorded an interview with former BBC Producer Doreen Wood on the Old Lumphanan Road. Recently Mark and Helen and went to seek it out for the Scotland Outdoors podcast. We hear an excerpt of them looking for one of Stanley's favourite oak trees.If you're from a farming background, you may be familiar with brose – a very traditional and simple oatmeal-based dish. In fact, it's not too far removed from the much trendier oat milk that is a popular dairy alternative. Rachel visits a producer in East Lothian who is making Brose and show her the process.

Scotland.  It's the traditional heart and home of fly fishing for salmon.  The Spey, Dee, Tay and Tweed are rivers synonymous the world over when it comes to salmon fishing. But, long gone are the days when salmon catches were guaranteed and getting onto certain beats were next to impossible.  In the midst of the Atlantic salmon crisis, Daire and Jim speak to Robert Mitchell and Colin Bull, two Scotsmen immersed in salmon throughout their lives. Robert Mitchell, has been a salmon fishing ghillie on the River Spey for over thirty years.  He remembers the heyday and he also talks in stark terms about the fear that every ghillie has of there being no salmon left. Colin Bull is Principal Investigator with the Missing Salmon Alliance and a specialist in salmon ecology at Stirling University and he says that with targeted conservation measures the salmon can be saved and we can and should be hopeful. #thelastsalmon #FighttosavetheWildSalmon For regular updates follow the show on Instagram at Instagram.com/TheLastSalmon The Last Salmon is a new podcast hosted by renowned actor, Jim Murray, and award-winning producer, Daire Whelan, which offers hope and solutions to the tragic story that is unfolding for an iconic species in crisis - the wild Atlantic salmon. Mayfly Tactics MasterclassMayfly time is the pinnacle for most brown trout anglers and we're pleased to announce our next Ireland on the Fly Masterclass is focusing on mayfly tactics with international angler, guide and renowned fly tyer, Jackie Mahon.On Thursday 25th of April at 8pm, Jackie will be discussing how to make the most of the conditions, the best flies and methods to use, as well as giving his tips and insights from a lifetime of experience.To join us for this Masterclass on Thursday 25th of April just go to:https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/3138230924312556894Tickets cost €10 and all attendees will get a copy of Jackie's notes as well as access to the recording of the webinar afterwards.And stay tuned for our masterclasses throughout 2024, covering salmon, rivers, loughs, streamers, lures, dries – everything to make you a better salmon or trout fly angler, helping you to catch more this year and learn from the best.For more information email us on info@irelandonthefly.com 

Located in Moray, North-East Scotland, an area famous for its Scotch Whisky, Standfast Precision Engineering Ltd provides subcontract manufacturing services that are far more edifying than a tipple. The manufacturer continually invests in machine tools to serve its clients in the offshore and whisky distillery sectors. The latest investment is a Vulcan 710L VMC from the Engineering Technology Group (ETG).  Located in Craigellachie where the River Spey meets the River Fiddich, Standfast has continually invested in new technology to enable the production of high quality components. Primarily working with the oil and gas industry, Standfast has witnessed significant growth in recent years as the offshore industry has enjoyed a renaissance. With a facility that incorporates everything from manual and CNC turning, milling and EDM machining, the company is evolving its business assets to satisfy the demands of its clients.  The latest acquisition, a Vulcan 710L VMC with a 4th axis Lehmann rotary unit from ETG was purchased to provide additional capacity and increase the throughput of its smaller components. As Company Owner and Director Graham Wilson says: “We had a small bed 3-axis machine with a rotary unit, but the compact work area was limited even further by the 4th axis unit. This meant we could only process very small parts or we'd have to transfer components to our larger bed machines that are dedicated to larger jobs – disrupting our workflow and creating capacity issues. We spoke to Ross Milne at ETG's Scottish distribution partner RAM Engineering & Tooling and he recommended the Vulcan 710L VMC.” “We reviewed the market, looking for a machine with a Siemens CNC in a short lead time, as our workload was ramping up and the issue was causing a bottleneck. ETG provided the solution with the Vulcan, and it has been a tremendous asset since it was installed,” adds Graham.  With a limited floor area, the compact Vulcan slotted straight into the shop floor. The outgoing machine only had a worktable of 500mm, which was too small to fit both a 4th axis unit and a vice for 3-axis work. However, the spacious work area of the Vulcan provides a worktable of 760 by 420mm. Commenting upon this, CNC Machinist at Standfast, Mr Scott Coull says: “With the space in the Vulcan, we can fit the 4th axis unit and a tailstock to stabilise larger parts.” Operating the machine daily, Scott adds: “We program parts at the machine and the new Siemens CNC has a large touchscreen interface that improves programming speed by at least 30%. We typically produce batches from 10 to 20 off, so we can program 10 to 20 jobs each week with each program taking from 15 minutes to a couple of hours, so this saving in programming time is significant.” Looking at the build quality and performance of the machine, Scott adds: “The Vulcan is a more rigid and robust machine than its predecessor and this enables us to undertake heavier cutting conditions. Furthermore, the previous spindle had a maximum speed of 8000rpm and the Vulcan provides 10,000rpm, this significantly improves our productivity.”  The family business owned and run by Graham and his wife Michelle has also witnessed improved surface finishes, product quality and reduced downtime since the acquisition of the Vulcan. Scott adds: “Whilst the Vulcan has a tool setting probe that eradicates our previous method of using a dial gauge on every new tool that we put in the machine. This can save us a couple of hours of manual tool setting on the machine each week. In addition, the rapid tool changer is at least 50% faster than the previous machine.” Concluding on the acquisition, Graham says: “We needed a machine with a particular specification for our requirements that was going to deliver reliability and performance. The Vulcan machine from ETG has more capacity, more torque, and a streamlined 4th-axis system and it provides the space for us to machine relatively large parts in either a 3-axis or 4th-axis setup.”

Our destination is the legendary River Test in England with expert guide and fishing agent, Gilly Bate, Fly Odyssey UK.  If you've ever wondered what fly fishing in the UK is all about, then this episode is for you.   Steeped in history, the River Test is considered by many the birthplace of fly fishing and one of the pre-eminent chalk streams in the world.  Here, anglers can immerse themselves in a bygone era, fishing famous “beats” through private estates, while testing their skill against surprisingly large and wily trout.  Gilly has been fly-fishing and guiding English chalk streams for 25 years and has appeared in TV shows, podcasts, and magazine articles.  Today Gilly takes us into the world of estate fly fishing, river keepers, and proper English stream etiquette.  Bonus:  Scotland and the iconic River Spey.  With Host, Steve Haigh Be the first to know about new episodes.  Become a subscriber Pictures from Gilly Bate @DestinationAnglerPodcast on Facebook and Instagram Contact Gilly Bate https://www.flyodyssey.co.uk/ g.bate@flyodyssey.co.uk   Facebook  Instagram  @gillybate Please check out our Sponsors: Angler's Coffee - elevating the coffee experience for the fly-fishing community & anglers everywhere with small-batch coffee delivered to your doorstep.  https://anglerscoffee.com/   | Facebook & Instagram @anglerscoffeeco    Got Fishing - crafting world Class fly-fishing adventures specially designed to your level of experience and budget.   https://gotfishing.com/ | Facebook @GotFishingAdventures Instagram @GotFishing TroutRoutes - the #1 Trout Fishing app, helping you find new trout water so you spend less time on the road and more time fishing.  https://troutinsights.com/ | Facebook @troutinsights Instagram @TroutRoutes  Download the app here Adamsbuilt Fishing - THE trusted source for quality fly fishing gear, built to last at an affordable price. Waders, Nets, Outerwear. https://www.adamsbuiltfishing.com/ | Facebook & Instagram @Adamsbuilt Destination Angler:  ·       Website ·       Destination Angler Gear – T-shirts, Hats, Artwork ·       Get updates and pictures of destinations covered on each podcast:  @DestinationAnglerPodcast on Facebook and Instagram ·       Join in the conversation with the @DestinationAnglerConnection group on Facebook.  Comments & Suggestions:  host, Steve Haigh, email shaigh50@gmail.com Available on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Recorded Oct 4, 2023.  Episode 105

Anxiety is the most common form of mental illness in the UK, with nearly a fifth of people experiencing it over the course of a year. Although it is often treated through medication, there are many alternative ways which are proving to be very effective in reducing anxiety amongst some people. In this series, we explore how connecting with the elemental forces of nature helps people with a range of mental illnesses to feel better. We also learn about the current academic research behind these methods. In Episode 1 - Fire - we visit an overnight camp on the banks of the River Spey near Aviemore in the Scottish Highlands run by the charity Fire and Peace. According to the participants, - who have a range of mental ill health and addiction issues - the experience of spending time around the fire in nature is transformative when it comes to promoting feelings of connection and wellbeing. We also hear new research which shows how being around a campfire can be calming. Produced and Presented by Helen Needham Research by Anna Miles and Maud Start Original Music by Anthony Cowie Mixed by Ron McCaskill A BBC Scotland Production made in Aberdeen for BBC Radio 4

When you think of the terroir of the Speyside region in Scotland, your mind very easily goes to the flavours and terroir of Whisky, but what if those same notes you love could actually come through in a Gin? That's what we talk about with Kara Anderson, Global Brand Lead for Tulchan Gin.  A recent addition to the Gin market, Tulchan has been created on the banks of the River Spey in the grounds of Tulchan Estate. She shares the fascinating story of how a team of flavour experts walked the land of the Estate to create a bespoke list of botanicals that not only reflect the terroir of the land and also make this gin simply extraordinary. She goes on to talk about the distillation process and shares some of the cocktail recipes created for the brand by renowned bartender Salvatore Calabrese. So, don't miss this intriguing conversation about the world of Tulchan Gin and the distinct flavours of the Speyside region. 

https://www.whisky.de/p.php?id=SPEYB0000 Nosing 02:39 Wir verkosten den Speyburn Bradan Orach. Bradan Orach bedeutet übersetzt 'Goldener Lachs'. Die Brennerei wurde 1897 in einem Tal zwischen Elgin und Rothes gegründet. Speyburn verwendet frisches Quellwasser vom Granty Bur'n, einem Nebenfluss des River Spey. Jetzt auch als Podcast: https://www.whisky.de/shop/newsletter/#podcast Geschmacksbeschreibungen und Informationen finden Sie in unserem Shop auf Whisky.de Abonnieren: http://www.youtube.com/user/thewhiskystore?sub_confirmation=1 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whisky.de/ Telegram: https://t.me/whisky_de Merch: https://whiskyde-fanartikel.creator-spring.com/

Our theme: Outreach & Fellowship In the newest episode of our monthly podcast we are speaking to Brian Honey-Morgan from The Hive Cornwall and to Craig Mackay from The Refuel Summer Festival all about Outreach and Christian fellowship. Watch live here on Facebook on Sanctuary First's website or via our App, or you can listen back as a podcast later on via all of the above and Spotify and Apple podcasts. The Hive is a U.K. based charity that believes they have a solution to world hunger and famine. Over one third of the world's food that is produced is wasted. They are turning discarded industrial farmed food into nutrient-packed meals to feed the hungry. This will be a fascinating conversation as our usual presenters; Albert, Iain and Laura learn how Brian is seeking to explore how their work might be replicate in Scotland. Find out more: This Charity Wants Us To Rethink Food During The Coronavirus Pandemic - YouTube Laura will be exploring with Craig the benefits of congregations going on holiday together. Could this be a solution to developing a new kind of church fellowship? The Scottish Christian Summer Festival, takes place in the stunning grounds of Gordon Castle Estate, on the banks of the River Spey. Craig will share why he believes the Refuel Festival offers a solution to congregations who are seeking to renew their vision. Follow us on Spotify & Apple Podcasts OR Get the App!

Show Notes: https://wetflyswing.com/406 Presented By: Mavrk, Dalton - Country Financial, Drifthook Fly Fishing, Trxstle Sponsors: https://wetflyswing.com/sponsors George Cook is back on the podcast today and takes a deep dive into swinging flies for kings. We get a rundown on some of the history around the Kanektok and Nushagak Rivers. We find out when you should be planning your trip if you want to target rainbows, kings, and chinooks in Alaska. George tells us his gear setup to up your Spey game and we also talk a little bit about his passion for hunting. George also talks about what he calls, "Pillow Water" and how to do a cadence cast.  Show Notes with George Cook 05:45 - We've done a hunting episode before with Jay Scott in episode 354. 07:30 - George will be at the  Pacific Northwest Sportsmen's Show on February 15-19, 2023. They will have a hunting boot booth there. 14:30 - They hooked 105 fish in 8 days on the Nushagak River last year. But none of those fish were over 18 pounds. 19:30 - George talks about doing a DIY float trip on the Kanektok River, swinging for chinooks, kings, and rainbows. 35:20 - June 15 to July 8 would be the period to mouse for rainbows and chinook. George recommends doing a guided trip if you want to target chinooks. 38:10 - Dave Duncan Sr and his sons have over 30 years of experience guiding in the Kanektok River. George also noted Alaska West who's been at it for a long time. 44:00 - George went full Spey since 2010. He rarely uses the single-handers nowadays. 44:45 - We mentioned Jim Teeny. He was one of my first guests on the podcast at WFS 05. 52:10 - They have a saying for flies "if it ain't chartreuse, it ain't no use". George explains. 1:00:25 - George explains what he calls a Pillow Water. 1:04:20 - George tells us one of the greatest stories he's ever heard. 1:06:11 - We dig into the recommended gear. 1:16:20 - George describes how to do a cadence cast. Show Notes: https://wetflyswing.com/406

Show Notes: https://wetflyswing.com/370 Presented By: Togens Fly Shop, Country Financial, Zoe Angling Group, FishHound Expeditions Sponsors: https://wetflyswing.com/sponsors Brian Niska takes us to the Skeena River and basin with a focus on swinging flies for main-stem steelhead. We find out how he targets migrating versus holder fish, when you should be fishing the shallow water, and how to get your swing to slow down. This one is jam-packed with tips and takes on exact time, location, position.. it's all here! Brian is very articulate in elaborating techniques that you can already imagine how it works. Check it out right now! Skeena River Show Notes with Brian Niska 12:00 - Brian and Jeff Pieroway designed some Spey rods called Metal Detector 13:00 - Brian tells the story of how they bought a guiding lodge business at Skeena riverside which was previously owned by a German family 20:00 - Fishing season starts in mid-March at Skeena 26:00 - He explains how slowing down the cast is the key to effective Spey casting 32:00 - Tip: If you're using running mono line, you don't have access to both sides of the river, and you're often fishing on the same side of your body, you need to find a way to incorporate some rotation to the other direction to keep your line going nice and straight. 32:55 - Tip: The older the mono line is, the better it fishes because it's got a stretch. Don't wait, put that stretch in as soon as you get it. A good way to get it stretched is to get it warm. Put it in a bowl of warm water and give it a good hard stretch. 36:00 - The busiest time of the year at Skeena Lodge is the end of August since most of the salmon species are available in August 38:10 - When people say they are going to fish the Skeena, what they really mean is that they're going to fish the Bulkley 39:45 - He talks about a picture of a 40-pound dead steelhead back in the 80s 48:45 - Brian mentioned the episode with Jeff Liskay and pointed out the tip about the importance of having a high rod tip. WFS 362 was the latest one with Jeff. 55:50 - "The anglers that are consistently successful are the ones that believe that every single bump is a fish and are willing to repeat the cast, and willing to let the fly fish its way out, they're not rushing to the next cast." 57:20 - They fish Skagit line most of the time and a little bit Scandi in the Winter 58:45 - Brian was on the River Rambler podcast 1:04:10 - The number one most common life history of a Skeena steelhead is 4 years in fresh water and 2 years in salt 1:04:30 - The Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) is a long-term ocean fluctuation of the Pacific Ocean. The PDO waxes and wanes approximately every 20 to 30 years. 1:13:00 - Early September to October is a great time to fish the Skeena 1:17:00 - Malcolm Wood is a big advocate of climate change - he makes movies about climate change awareness. His latest movie is called, The Last Glaciers 1:18:50 - Brian mentioned Bob Hooton from SteelheadVoices.com 1:25:50 - Advice: When you're fishing the Skeena for the first time is plan to be mobile. Plan to fish 3 or 4 different rivers and come for as longest period that your schedule allows. And don't fish with people in the same spot - spread the pressure out, that's the best move. 1:27:25 - For flies, Brian uses Stewart's Steel Pig. He recommends bringing a small and large version of the fly you're using. 1:30:20 - Brian recommends Bob Hooton's book about the Skeena Show Notes: https://wetflyswing.com/370

Of the hundred or so whisky distilleries in Scotland, about half lie near the valley of the River Spey — making the area practically a pilgrimage for Scotch whisky aficionados. Step inside a distillery for an up-close look at the whisky making process. For more European travel information, visit ricksteves.com.

Of the hundred or so whisky distilleries in Scotland, about half lie near the valley of the River Spey — making the area practically a pilgrimage for Scotch whisky aficionados. Step inside a distillery for an up-close look at the whisky making process. More info about travel to Scotland at ricksteves.com

From the shores of Loch Lomond to the battlefield of Culloden. From the Munros of Cairngorms National Park to the distilleries along the River Spey. From the mountains and valley of Glencoe to the castles along the River Dee.And that's just the tip of the iceberg!This episode on the Central Highlands of Scotland is jam-packed with so many destinations and sites that you will be adding more places to your Scottish bucket list. I certainly have!Bo Fraser, a Blue Badge guide with the Scottish Tourist Guides Association, returns as our guest. And she is going to offer up more incredible information on destinations in her home country.We'll cover Scotland's lake district, the stunning Glencoe, the under-visited Royal Deeside, the city of Aberdeen, Cairngorms National Park, ancient Kilmartin Glen, Rannoch Moor, historic Culloden, Speyside (whisky distilleries) and so much more.Seriously, there is so much in this episode!Bo, a St Andrews native, knows so much about her home country. So you are going to learn a lot about the Highlands of Scotland.Want to chat more about the Scottish Highlands?Just send an email to lynne@wanderyourway.com to chat more about this amazing destination in Scotland. And if you have a question, and I don't know the answer, I'll just ask Bo!In this episode:3:56 Placing the Scottish Highlands on the map5:58 Loch Lomond & the Trossachs National Park / Scotland's Lake District12:09 Inveraray15:50 Kilmartin Glen19:14 Oban21:12 Glencoe29:30 Balquidder / Rob Roy Country31:51 Loch Tay and Loch Earn32:40 Driving in the Highlands34:48 Pitlochry & Blair Atholl37:17 Queen's View38:31 Rannoch Moor43:20 Newtonmore45:05 Cairngorms National Park 48:25 Munros in Scotland51:44 Royal Deeside & Balmoral Castle58:05 Aberdeen1:00:05 Dunnottar Castle1:02:20 River Spey / Speyside Whisky Distilleries1:11:15 Ballindalloch Castle1:12:18 Cawdor Castle1:14:25 Culloden1:18:10 Moray Coast 1:19:48 InvernessImportant links:Scotland Your WayLoch Lomond & the TrossachsLoch KatrineInveraray CastleKilmartin GlenGlencoeBlair AthollRannoch MoorNewtonmoreCairngorms National ParkRoyal DeesideAberdeenDunnottar CastleSpeyside and Moray CoastCullodenCawdor CastleInvernessWhy I've Fallen Head Over Heels in Love with Scotland

What we’re drinking: Monkey Shoulder - check out the drink recipes! Monkey Shoulder (~$33 in Maine) 43% ABV A blended malt scotch whisky Glenfiddich, Balvenie and Kininvie - hence the 3 monkeys Cask type is ex-bourbon Comprised of small batches of Speyside single malts, blended together in a marrying...tub….vat... for 3-6 months What is a Speyside single malt? It is a single malt Scotch whisky, distilled in Strathspey, the area around the River Spey in Moray and Badenoch and Strathspey, in northeastern Scotland. That region will always lend a butchscotch taste to the whisky What is a marrying cask you ask? Basically a cask used to finish off and mature whiskey after its initial blending process To Review: A condition that maltmen would develop because they essentially performed the same, repetitive motion every day of the week for hours on end - basically the person turning the malt could develop an elongated shoulder/arm from the repetitive motion they go through In a company response email dated 2012 it was confirmed that they do add caramel coloring to the whiskey for the purpose of ensuring consistency. Carmel coloring (E105a) is typically used to - as they said - ensure consistency across the bottling. Because they use previously used barrels the scotch doesn’t pull as much color from the wood. Official Tasting Notes: Mellow vanilla - spicy hints Official Nose Notes: Zesty orange, vanilla honey, spiced oak -- Michelle’s “Old Fashioned Manhattan” Recipe After much research Michelle's rule is 1/2 sugar cube doused with 3 dashes of bitters/ 2oz preferred bourbon or rye. Glass rimmed with an orange (not garnished), and 2 luxardo cherries for garnish. You’ll find it’s the perfect in between of a Manhattan and Old Fashioned, especially if you go with rye -- What we're reading: The Complete Whiskey Course Our ultimate goal adventure: The Irish Whiskey Academy Our Instagram handles: The Show @thewhiskeyqueens | Paul @pdashton | Nick @wayfaringandwhiskey Visit us at www.whiskeyqueens.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/whiskeyqueens/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/whiskeyqueens/support

Frank Miniter is an author and investigative journalist with a penchant for outdoor adventure. He has floated the Amazon, run with the bulls of Pamplona, hunted everything from bear in Russia to elk with the Apache to kudu in the Kalahari and has fly-fished everywhere from Alaska’s Kenai to Scotland’s River Spey to Japan’s freestone streams. Along the Along the way, he was taught to box by Floyd Patterson, spelunked into Pompey’s Cave, climbed the Gunks, and graduated from the oldest private military college (Norwich University) in the U.S. He was a Senior Editor at Outdoor Life magazine and was the Executive Editor of American Hunter magazine. He is also the author of This Will Make a Man of You and The Ultimate Man’s Survival Guide.  Favorite Success Quote “I like a man who grins when he fights” ~Winston Churchill Key Points 1. You Need to Stand Up for Yourself The evolution of society and rapid shift in perceived gender roles has created a world in which manliness and masculinity are concepts that are ambiguous and difficult to explain, at best. Yet no matter what your beliefs are pertaining to modern masculinity, I think everyone can agree on one simple fact. You cannot consider yourself a true “man” unless you are willing to stand up for yourself, what you believe, and those you love. I want you to imagine John Wayne, Steve McQueen, or even a character like Tyler Durden in Fight Club are sat at a table in a bar, surrounded by friends and family. A stranger from another table comes over and starts insulting one of his family members, bringing up some past feud and looking to cause trouble. What do you think they would do? Would they cower in their seat, avert their eyes, and start nervously twitching? Or would they get out of their seat, square up with the aggressor, look them in the eyes and invite them to leave before they had a real problem? I think we all know the answer. Being a real man has nothing to do with loving or looking for violence, but it has everything to do with being willing to take a stand for yourself or the things which you believe. In the 21st century, it is important to realize that this rarely (if ever) means physical confrontation. Taking a stand for yourself can be as simple as telling your boss that you need a raise because you have been working harder than anyone else and have measurable results to prove it. It can mean speaking candidly with your significant other about the way that they have been addressing you in public situations and informing them that their actions are inappropriate. And yes, occasionally, when all other options are exhausted, it can mean taking the gloves off and throwing a mean right hook when someone truly steps out of line. Never be afraid to stand up for yourself, your friends, or your values, because at the end of the day it is better to live a short life where you face your fears and live boldly than a long life as a coward. 2. Life is Meant to be Lived in Community  10,000 years ago on the plains of the Savanna, men lived in communion with one another. They lived together, ate together, hunted together, fought together, and died together. Town elders would lead the tribe and create rituals and rites of passage for young men to pass through in order to become a man. The warriors of each tribe relied on each other and trusted the men around them with their lives. And for hundreds of thousands of years, this is the way that we as a species, and more specifically, we as men, have evolved. We live in the most socially disconnected time in human history, and despite all of our technological advancements and the rapid growth of social media and other online platforms, the problem is not getting any better. Men struggle to find meaning and purpose in life, they are lost and confused about who they are and what it means to be a man, they are lonely and afraid and depressed, and it is due, in large part to our lack of community. We no longer live in tribes. If we wanted to, there are many among us who could limit our face to face interaction with others to less than once a week when we go out for groceries. Men no longer go to other men for advice and emotional support. We no longer have tribe elders who can guide us and mentor us. With the exception of military servicemen, we no longer have brothers in arms who have struggled through life with us and been there for us through thick and thin. And we are paying the price. Men are suffering from depression and suicide at alarming rates and society tells us to simply take another pill or get a new prescription, instead of being told to build a band of brothers. If you want to succeed in life, if you want to be truly happy and successful, then you need to have a group of men around you who you can trust, you need to have a community of like-minded individuals who will build you up and hold you accountable and who will be there for you when you are on cloud nine and rock bottom. 3. Manhood is Defined by Your Values and Your Code  Manhood has meant something different to nearly every culture throughout history. The Vikings version of manhood was markedly different from the Greek’s which was markedly different from the Apache’s. But the one thing that all of these ancient cultures had in common is that their ideals of manhood were derived from a code. Every great “manly” culture built their foundation of masculinity upon an ethos, a way of life, and a code of honor and conduct based on the values of their unique societies. For some cultures mercy and reason were at the forefront of their code, for others it was power and justice. The truth of the matter is, there is no one code that will work universally for every man. We all have different realities, different religious and political beliefs, and different lenses through which we view the world around us. This means that all of us will function under a different code and live by different values. And while it is extremely important which values you have and uphold (integrity, honor, service, and generosity should be at the top of your list) it is more important that you uphold a set of values that make you a better man and help you contribute to society in a more meaningful way. 4. You Need to be a Well-Rounded Man  So often in our modern society, we are quick to judge and label certain activities as unmanly, red neck, or “posh”. Many see hunting and marksmanship as a lower class activity for camouflage wearing, tobacco chewing country boys. or they see dancing as a “gay” and unmanly activity in which no They see dancing as a “gay” and unmanly activity in which no self-respecting man would participate. Or they say that horseback riding and poker are activities that are only appropriate for trust fund babies and the super rich. But you need to remember that an essential part of modern manliness is being able to participate in a wide variety of activities and show yourself to be well-rounded both in your skills and intellect. You need to become, as the rampaging viral internet memes suggest, “A man who can do both.” You need to be able to be a diplomate and a fighter, to speak well among the scholars of academia and the blue collar workers down at the bar. You need to be comfortable both in a suit and tie and in camouflaged jacket. You need to be someone who is able to hold himself in any situation and is unafraid of new things, no matter what stigma is attached to them. 5. Show Respect to Others  I don’t care whether you are living in an incredible community of amazing men, living by a code, and the most well-rounded person in the world, if you are not extending respect and love to the people in your life, then you are not a true man. Period. End of story. No one can call himself a man if they are not respecting the people in their lives, if they are not loving others, and if they are not following the “golden rule.” Respect others and earn the respect of others. That is where true manliness lies.

  We are in the midst of a global crisis. While we're all grappling to win over against its effects, it helps to gather a couple of lessons that we could take to aid us in these uncertain times. In this episode, Keith Baker guides us in creating our lending criteria moving forward. He talks about how to lend in preparation of price fluctuation for when the world becomes unhinged. Giving some context, Keith also talks about the effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic to Houston and to the rest of the world. Don't miss out on learning some important advice that might just help you stay safe in an unsafe market. --- Creating A Lending Criteria During The COVID-19 PandemicHow To Stay Safe In An Unsafe MarketI'd like to thank you for sharing your time with me. We are dedicated to teaching everyday people like you and me how to participate in the most passive form of real estate investing known to mankind. That is private mortgage investing while giving tips and advice on how to keep their money safe. It's simple. If you're looking for practical tips and advice on being a successful private lender on how to create wealth without banks or Wall Street, then you're in the right place. If you want to learn from my mistakes and my screw-ups so that you avoid them and therefore shorten your own learning curve, then pull up a chair and you might as well go ahead and pour yourself a stiff drink or two because this is made for you. I want to invite everyone reading to join me on Monday, April 6 at 8:30 PM Central Standard Time for Ask A Private Lender on Facebook Live. I will go live for hopefully 30 minutes minimum to answer any questions you may have regarding private lending, both from the lender's perspective and for the borrower's benefit. I'm hoping everyone will find it helpful whether they want to lend or they want to borrow. I'm going to try to make Ask A Private Lender the place that gives the straight scoop. Please let other investors know that I will be going live and they can ask me anything they want about private lending. I hope to see you on Ask A Private Lender Facebook Live. When http://privatelenderpodcast.com/captivate-podcast/plp-098-warning-signs-your-borrower-is-in-trouble/ (episode 98) went live, I was in the great country of Scotland along the River Spey. I took my iPhone out and I recorded the sound of the water. I'm either one, completely off my rocker or two, an insane scotch alcoholic or three, all of the above. I'm getting high tech and fancy. When the last one dropped, I was canceling. I had planned to go to the Macallan and the Glenlivet distilleries and that's my thing when I get over there. Unfortunately, the conference was canceled so I had to go back to London and found myself literally 36 hours later on a plane flying back home to Houston with five days of unscheduled vacation ahead of me, which was great. It wasn't all that jet lag, but it allowed me to accomplish a few nagging chores around the house and get a billable hour or two here and there. After that full weekend, all hell broke loose and all of a sudden, I couldn't find a store to find any toilet paper in it or at least long enough to stay on the shelf for me to buy it. It's been a while since I came home. I don't know where the time has gone. It's a complete blur and I haven't felt like I've been able to produce any content that that seemed worthwhile. I've tried, but it seems like it's crap and there's a lot of noise on the interwebs. I want to make sure that my content is relevant and has some value or not something that has value to two private lenders and not be a soapbox so that I can preach to the choir. Episode 99, how to lend in preparation of price fluctuation when the world goes to hell in a handbasket aka what your lending criteria should be moving forward.   Like many of you, I've been watching a lot more CNBC and Bloomberg than usual, probably more than I would like to admit. I've made a few moves into the market...

Dan Saladino investigates the possible extinction of wild Atlantic salmon within 20 years. Dan travels from the River Spey on Scotland's east coast to fish farms in the west in order to plot the decline of one species, the wild salmon, and the rise of another, farmed salmon. From a population that was close to ten million, wild Atlantic Salmon numbers are now down to below two million. It's cousins further south, the wild Pacific Salmon hasn't seen declines of anything close to this. The author of the ground breaking food books on Salt and Cod, Mark Kurlansky has now turned his attention to the decline of the wild salmon and tells Dan some of the factors that are causing the crisis, from the pollution and dam building in the 19th century, to overfishing on the 20th and the effects of climate change on the oceans in the 21st century. Because the fish goes from being a freshwater fish to becoming an ocean going one, salmon provides, Kurlansky argues, the perfect barometer for how we how humans are treating our our planet, both the land and the oceans. Mark Bilsby of the Atlantic Salmon Trust adds his concerns about the impact the salmon farming industry is having on the wild fish population, from the huge numbers of sea lice that can radiate out from farm pens, containing thousands of fish, out the sea, infecting wild salmon. Escaped fish are also a problem he says. Earlier this year, more than seventy thousand farmed salmon escaped from one pen because of storm damage, Bilsby says events such as these are resulting in a weakening of the salmon's gene pool as the domesticated (and genetically different) farmed fish is now breeding with the wild species. Rory Campbell and Ian Roberts of Mowi, the world's biggest producer of farmed salmon explain the changes they are making in order to make their industry more sustainable and how schemes such as the Aquaculture Stewardship Council are helping to bring lice levels down and improve welfare standards. Produced and presented by Dan Saladino.

Frank Miniter is an author and investigative journalist with a penchant for outdoor adventure. He has floated the Amazon, run with the bulls of Pamplona, hunted everything from bear in Russia to elk with the Apache to kudu in the Kalahari and has fly-fished everywhere from Alaska's Kenai to Scotland's River Spey to Japan's freestone streams. Along the Along the way, he was taught to box by Floyd Patterson, spelunked into Pompey's Cave, climbed the Gunks, and graduated from the oldest private military college (Norwich University) in the U.S. He was a Senior Editor at Outdoor Life magazine and was the Executive Editor of American Hunter magazine. He is also the author of This Will Make a Man of You and The Ultimate Man's Survival Guide.  Favorite Success Quote “I like a man who grins when he fights” ~Winston Churchill Key Points 1. You Need to Stand Up for Yourself The evolution of society and rapid shift in perceived gender roles has created a world in which manliness and masculinity are concepts that are ambiguous and difficult to explain, at best. Yet no matter what your beliefs are pertaining to modern masculinity, I think everyone can agree on one simple fact. You cannot consider yourself a true “man” unless you are willing to stand up for yourself, what you believe, and those you love. I want you to imagine John Wayne, Steve McQueen, or even a character like Tyler Durden in Fight Club are sat at a table in a bar, surrounded by friends and family. A stranger from another table comes over and starts insulting one of his family members, bringing up some past feud and looking to cause trouble. What do you think they would do? Would they cower in their seat, avert their eyes, and start nervously twitching? Or would they get out of their seat, square up with the aggressor, look them in the eyes and invite them to leave before they had a real problem? I think we all know the answer. Being a real man has nothing to do with loving or looking for violence, but it has everything to do with being willing to take a stand for yourself or the things which you believe. In the 21st century, it is important to realize that this rarely (if ever) means physical confrontation. Taking a stand for yourself can be as simple as telling your boss that you need a raise because you have been working harder than anyone else and have measurable results to prove it. It can mean speaking candidly with your significant other about the way that they have been addressing you in public situations and informing them that their actions are inappropriate. And yes, occasionally, when all other options are exhausted, it can mean taking the gloves off and throwing a mean right hook when someone truly steps out of line. Never be afraid to stand up for yourself, your friends, or your values, because at the end of the day it is better to live a short life where you face your fears and live boldly than a long life as a coward. 2. Life is Meant to be Lived in Community  10,000 years ago on the plains of the Savanna, men lived in communion with one another. They lived together, ate together, hunted together, fought together, and died together. Town elders would lead the tribe and create rituals and rites of passage for young men to pass through in order to become a man. The warriors of each tribe relied on each other and trusted the men around them with their lives. And for hundreds of thousands of years, this is the way that we as a species, and more specifically, we as men, have evolved. We live in the most socially disconnected time in human history, and despite all of our technological advancements and the rapid growth of social media and other online platforms, the problem is not getting any better. Men struggle to find meaning and purpose in life, they are lost and confused about who they are and what it means to be a man, they are lonely and afraid and depressed, and it is due, in large part to our lack of community. We no longer live in tribes. If we wanted to, there are many among us who could limit our face to face interaction with others to less than once a week when we go out for groceries. Men no longer go to other men for advice and emotional support. We no longer have tribe elders who can guide us and mentor us. With the exception of military servicemen, we no longer have brothers in arms who have struggled through life with us and been there for us through thick and thin. And we are paying the price. Men are suffering from depression and suicide at alarming rates and society tells us to simply take another pill or get a new prescription, instead of being told to build a band of brothers. If you want to succeed in life, if you want to be truly happy and successful, then you need to have a group of men around you who you can trust, you need to have a community of like-minded individuals who will build you up and hold you accountable and who will be there for you when you are on cloud nine and rock bottom. 3. Manhood is Defined by Your Values and Your Code  Manhood has meant something different to nearly every culture throughout history. The Vikings version of manhood was markedly different from the Greek's which was markedly different from the Apache's. But the one thing that all of these ancient cultures had in common is that their ideals of manhood were derived from a code. Every great “manly” culture built their foundation of masculinity upon an ethos, a way of life, and a code of honor and conduct based on the values of their unique societies. For some cultures mercy and reason were at the forefront of their code, for others it was power and justice. The truth of the matter is, there is no one code that will work universally for every man. We all have different realities, different religious and political beliefs, and different lenses through which we view the world around us. This means that all of us will function under a different code and live by different values. And while it is extremely important which values you have and uphold (integrity, honor, service, and generosity should be at the top of your list) it is more important that you uphold a set of values that make you a better man and help you contribute to society in a more meaningful way. 4. You Need to be a Well-Rounded Man  So often in our modern society, we are quick to judge and label certain activities as unmanly, red neck, or “posh”. Many see hunting and marksmanship as a lower class activity for camouflage wearing, tobacco chewing country boys. or they see dancing as a “gay” and unmanly activity in which no They see dancing as a “gay” and unmanly activity in which no self-respecting man would participate. Or they say that horseback riding and poker are activities that are only appropriate for trust fund babies and the super rich. But you need to remember that an essential part of modern manliness is being able to participate in a wide variety of activities and show yourself to be well-rounded both in your skills and intellect. You need to become, as the rampaging viral internet memes suggest, “A man who can do both.” You need to be able to be a diplomate and a fighter, to speak well among the scholars of academia and the blue collar workers down at the bar. You need to be comfortable both in a suit and tie and in camouflaged jacket. You need to be someone who is able to hold himself in any situation and is unafraid of new things, no matter what stigma is attached to them. 5. Show Respect to Others  I don't care whether you are living in an incredible community of amazing men, living by a code, and the most well-rounded person in the world, if you are not extending respect and love to the people in your life, then you are not a true man. Period. End of story. No one can call himself a man if they are not respecting the people in their lives, if they are not loving others, and if they are not following the “golden rule.” Respect others and earn the respect of others. That is where true manliness lies.

Please join your host Susan Knowles as she welcomes FRANK MINITER to Stand For Truth Radio.We'll be discussing his latest book "Kill Big Brother". His novel, while a fiction, sounds eerily close to what we are seeing today in the political realm concerning all-things Russia.Here's a short description of his book:"Sidney McDaniel is an undercover computer forensic expert. Operating in the darkest corners of the web, his job is busting corporate hackers—the Russians, the Chinese—or whomever.Suddenly, Sidney’s life becomes an Orwellian nightmare when his cover is blown by an online cult that wants to recruit him, and the FBI, which wants him to be a double agent. Sidney is caught between the two powerful camps vying for control of the cyber profiles of every citizen in the world—their personal data, preferences, contacts—everything..."Frank Miniter is an author and investigative journalist with a penchant for outdoor adventure. He has floated the Amazon, run with the bulls of Pamplona, hunted everything from bear in Russia to elk with the Apache to kudu in the Kalahari and has fly-fished everywhere from Alaska’s Kenai to Scotland’s River Spey to Japan’s freestone streams.Along the way he was taught to box by Floyd Patterson, spelunked into Pompey’s Cave, climbed the Gunks, and graduated from the oldest private military college (Norwich University) in the U.S. He was a Senior Editor at Outdoor Life magazine and was the Executive Editor of American Hunter magazine.Miniter is also the author of The New York Times’ Bestseller The Ultimate Man’s Survival Guide—Recovering the Lost Art of Manhood. His other books include The Politically Incorrect Guide to Hunting, Saving the Bill of Rights, The Future of the Gun and This Will Make a Man Out of You—One Man’s Search for What Makes Men. Miniter is a contributor to Forbes , is a Field Editor for the NRA’s American Hunter, is a contributor to Outdoor Life, and also writes for National Review, Boys’ Life, FOX News, The Washington Times, American Rifleman, Washington Examiner, and many other publications.Miniter has been a guest on hundreds of radio shows, including Dennis Miller, Dick Morris, Michael Reagan, Radio America Network, Janet Mefferd, Lars Larson, NRA News, Tom Gresham’s GunTalk, The Mancow Experience, and Rusty Humphries. He has also been a guest on FOX News, The World Over with Raymond Arroyo, One America News’On Point with Tomi Lahren, Townhall’s Capitol Source, NewsmaxTV’s Midpoint, NewsmaxTV’s America’s Forum, the Christian Broadcast Network, Washington’s D.C.’s Local News 8 ABC, NRA News on the Sportsmen’s Channel, Glenn Beck’s show on The Blaze TV, and PublicSqaure.net. He has hosted many outdoor television shows, including American Hunter and Born to Hunt, and has given seminars and speeches to many large audiences.

Please join your host Susan Knowles as she welcomes FRANK MINITER to Stand For Truth Radio.We'll be discussing his latest book "Kill Big Brother". His novel, while a fiction, sounds eerily close to what we are seeing today in the political realm concerning all-things Russia.Here's a short description of his book:"Sidney McDaniel is an undercover computer forensic expert. Operating in the darkest corners of the web, his job is busting corporate hackers—the Russians, the Chinese—or whomever.Suddenly, Sidney’s life becomes an Orwellian nightmare when his cover is blown by an online cult that wants to recruit him, and the FBI, which wants him to be a double agent. Sidney is caught between the two powerful camps vying for control of the cyber profiles of every citizen in the world—their personal data, preferences, contacts—everything..."Frank Miniter is an author and investigative journalist with a penchant for outdoor adventure. He has floated the Amazon, run with the bulls of Pamplona, hunted everything from bear in Russia to elk with the Apache to kudu in the Kalahari and has fly-fished everywhere from Alaska’s Kenai to Scotland’s River Spey to Japan’s freestone streams.Along the way he was taught to box by Floyd Patterson, spelunked into Pompey’s Cave, climbed the Gunks, and graduated from the oldest private military college (Norwich University) in the U.S. He was a Senior Editor at Outdoor Life magazine and was the Executive Editor of American Hunter magazine.Miniter is also the author of The New York Times’ Bestseller The Ultimate Man’s Survival Guide—Recovering the Lost Art of Manhood. His other books include The Politically Incorrect Guide to Hunting, Saving the Bill of Rights, The Future of the Gun and This Will Make a Man Out of You—One Man’s Search for What Makes Men. Miniter is a contributor to Forbes , is a Field Editor for the NRA’s American Hunter, is a contributor to Outdoor Life, and also writes for National Review, Boys’ Life, FOX News, The Washington Times, American Rifleman, Washington Examiner, and many other publications.Miniter has been a guest on hundreds of radio shows, including Dennis Miller, Dick Morris, Michael Reagan, Radio America Network, Janet Mefferd, Lars Larson, NRA News, Tom Gresham’s GunTalk, The Mancow Experience, and Rusty Humphries. He has also been a guest on FOX News, The World Over with Raymond Arroyo, One America News’On Point with Tomi Lahren, Townhall’s Capitol Source, NewsmaxTV’s Midpoint, NewsmaxTV’s America’s Forum, the Christian Broadcast Network, Washington’s D.C.’s Local News 8 ABC, NRA News on the Sportsmen’s Channel, Glenn Beck’s show on The Blaze TV, and PublicSqaure.net. He has hosted many outdoor television shows, including American Hunter and Born to Hunt, and has given seminars and speeches to many large audiences.

Canoe maestro Ray Goodwin joins me to answer questions on inflatable canoes and kayaks, sleeping in a canoe, avoiding wrist pain when paddling, the merits of back-paddling, advice for a first-time multi-day canoe tripper, canoe saddles, bug suits, skills for a River Spey trip, transporting canoes, moving to larger rivers with rapids and stronger currents and more...

Thousands of whisky lovers descend on Scotland's Speyside region on the first weekend of May each year for the Spirit of Speyside Festival. The festival has more than 400 events over the River Spey's 100-mile length, combining music, art, and food as well as some of the world's finest whiskies.

#InGoodTaste visit the Aberlour distillery in the Scottish highlands and learn about their celebrated single malts with brand ambassador Ian Logan. -- Tasting notes. The Aberlour 12 Year Old: The rich and sweet one The Aberlour 16 Year Old: The deep, soft, fruity one The Aberlour 18 Year Old: The mature, deep, spicy one Aberlour A’bunadh: This whisky is hand-made from start to finish, with each batch being created from scratch. Non-chill filtered and cask strength. --- The Aberlour distillery, in the Scottish highlands, was founded in 1879 by James Fleming. It's situated in the picturesque area of Speyside, where the Lour burn joins the River Spey. The single malt whisky is made from natural spring water from the surrounding hillside and matured in sherry casks to give them a rich, crisp and fruity flavour.

Whisky is one of the most aspirational drinks in the world and scotch single malt is the absolute pinnacle of this. Made from 3 simple ingredients, not much has changed in the production process over the years . At the Aberlour distillery in Speyside we get a get a guided tour from site manager Graham, brand ambassador Ian and a bit of classic Pathé newsreel. -- The Aberlour distillery, in the Scottish highlands, was founded in 1879 by James Fleming. It's situated in the picturesque area of Speyside, where the Lour burn joins the River Spey. The single malt whisky is made from natural spring water from the surrounding hillside and matured in sherry casks to give them a rich, crisp and fruity flavour.

Glen Grant has been producing whisky along the River Spey since 1840, and in that time, there have been only eight distillery managers. Dennis Malcolm was born at the distillery, and is in his second stint as manager. We'll hear from Dennis about the history and the future of Glen Grant, which includes exporting its malts to the United States. In the news, new whiskies from The Balvenie and Wemyss Vintage Malts, Woodford Reserve prepares for its annual whiskey schools, and a look at the start of Homecoming in Scotland to mark the 250th anniversary of Robert Burns' birth.

It's festival week in Speyside, as whisky lovers descend on the banks of the River Spey for the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival. We'll find out what's new this year from festival coordinator Ros Lewis. It's also Kentucky Derby week in Louisville, and Woodford Reserve's Chris Morris shares his recipe for the traditional mint julep. In other news...Duncan Taylor is sending its new NC2 malts to North America, and a whisky cheat pleads guilty...