Glen Scotia distillery to host opera performance

Campbeltown whisky distillery Glen Scotia will host one of the first performances of a new opera set in a distillery, called Navigate the Blood.

Navigate the Blood will be performed in the Highlands, Lowlands, Speyside, Islay and Campbeltown

Navigate The Blood, which was written by Sian Evans and features music by Scottish indie stars Admiral Fallow, is set in a small family distillery and is about a couple whose son disappears in mysterious circumstances.

The production combines singing, music, theatre and storytelling, and has been created to reflect the lives of the distilling community in Scotland.

The production will tour Scotland’s traditional distilling regions, from the Highlands, to the Lowlands, via Speyside, Islay and Campbeltown, where Glen Scotia will be the sole distillery to host a performance.

Iain McAlister, distillery manager at Glen Scotia, said: “Navigate The Blood has been created to showcase Scotland’s distilling industry and we can’t wait for it to be performed here at Glen Scotia.

“Campbeltown, one of Scotland’s five official malt-producing regions, has a rich distilling heritage, with over 30 distilleries based in the town during its Victorian heyday when it was known as the Scotch capital of the world. We are extremely proud of our role as the sole host for Campbeltown.”

New Opera in Scotland Events, which has produced Navigate the Blood, hopes that by being relevant to those based across Scotland’s distilling regions, the performances may encourage new audiences to experience opera.

James Robert Carson, the founder and artistic director of New Opera in Scotland Events, said: “Scotland has a deep and historic involvement with the art of distilling.

“By performing Navigate the Blood in each of the five distinct distilling regions, New Opera in Scotland Events has designed an opera that reflects and celebrates the success and continued innovation of this remarkable industry.”