Of Land, Sea and Season: Savouring Winter Comforts in the South of Scotland

Winter brings a different kind of richness to the South of Scotland. It is a season of quiet beauty and warming spirits across the Scottish Borders and Dumfries & Galloway. As the frost settles over the valleys and the nights grow long long above our world-class Dark Sky Park, the region’s food and drink scene begins to focus on comfort and craft.

This is the season for slow-cooked dishes and warming, locally-distilled spirits. It is also the ideal time for slowing down with a fireside tasting and immersive food experiences that bring you closer to the people and places.

‘Of Land, Sea and Season’ invites you to embrace winter in local kitchens, restaurants and distilleries. Whether you’re discovering a new dram or mastering preservation skills in a deli, it’s the perfect season for forging authentic connection. So slow down and experience the South of Scotland at its most atmospheric

Monthly Changing Five-Course Seasonal Tasting Experience at The Gordon Arms

Experience destination dining at its most authentic

Tucked away in the serene Yarrow Valley, this five-course tasting experience at The Gordon Arms reflects the land and seasons of the Scottish Borders in their purest form. Created by chef-owner Bryn Jones, each menu changes monthly, shaped entirely by what is growing, grazing and at its best locally.

Working solo in the kitchen, Bryn creates every dish from scratch using hyper-local ingredients, from Borders game and Yarrow Valley venison to vegetables, herbs and fruit grown in the kitchen garden. The result is food that feels deeply connected to its surroundings, guided by flavour and season rather than complexity.

Set among hills, lochs and working farms, the experience offers a true sense of place. In winter, this means slow-cooked meats, root vegetables and dishes designed for colder days, bringing warmth and depth to every course.

Guests can pair the menu with wines by the glass or enjoy a Scottish whisky flight, offering a different way to experience the region’s flavours. Relaxed yet special, this is a dining experience in a remote valley setting that has quietly become a destination for food lovers travelling from across the UK and beyond, a chance to taste not just the ingredients, but the landscape itself.

Available year-round. Check with the team for seasonal highlights.

Tour the Borders Distillery in Hawick

Follow the journey from grain to glass at this award-winning distillery

Discover the spirit of the Scottish Borders on a guided tour of this award-winning distillery in the heart of Hawick. As the first Scotch whisky distillery in the region since 1837, the experience offers a chance to reconnect with the area’s rich whisky-making heritage.

Led by the distillers themselves, you’ll explore the journey from grain to glass, learning how locally grown barley and traditional methods are brought together with modern expertise. Along the way, you’ll gain insight into the people, partnerships and landscape that shape each spirit.

The experience finishes with a complimentary dram in the distillery bar, offering a taste of the Borders and a deeper connection to its food and drink story. It’s an ideal starting point for exploring the wider region and its producers.

Great for winter but also available year-round.

The Demijohn Tasting Experience

Enjoy an informal, guided tasting of seasonal handmade liqueurs and spirits

Discover a hidden gem in the Galloway countryside with a relaxed and flavour-filled tasting experience at Glenlair Steading. Often described as a “rural winery”, this unique setting invites you to explore Demijohn’s extensive range of handmade food and drink.

Guided tastings are available for individuals or small groups, offering a fun and informal way to sample over 70 products, from spirits and liqueurs to dressings and preserves. Along the way, you’ll learn more about the ingredients, craftsmanship and stories behind each one.

Seasonal flavours are woven throughout, from spring rhubarb and summer elderflower to autumn brambles and winter sloes, connecting what’s in the glass to the surrounding landscape. Set within a historic 19th-century farm steading, it’s a memorable experience for food and drink lovers, and one that feels like discovering a well-kept secret.

Great for winter but also available year-round.

Moonshine Tour at Moffat Distillery

Your exclusive wood-fired outdoor distillation experience

Step into whisky-making in its most raw and atmospheric form with this immersive winter experience. The Moonshine Tour invites guests to witness Scotland’s only wood-fired distillation process, carried out outdoors in the elements during the darkest months of the year.

Surrounded by fresh air, firelight and the glow of the still, you’ll discover how traditional methods and modern expertise come together to create a truly distinctive spirit. Along the way, hear stories of historic moonshiners and learn how this approach draws on Scotland’s heritage of illicit distilling, when whisky was made in secret and under challenging conditions.

You’ll feel the warmth of the fire, gain insight into the realities of distilling in the open air, and finish with a guided tasting of new make spirit and partially aged moonshine, offering a rare glimpse into whisky at its earliest stages.

Rooted in the landscape and shaped by the season, this is a distinctive experience that reflects the resilience, character and traditions of the South of Scotland, one that can’t be found anywhere else.

Only available during winter, on select days from Mid-November to Mid-February.