Glenfiddich 2015 invitees determined

With the conclusion of the Northern Meeting at Inverness, Scotland, the 10 spots for the 2015 Glenfiddich Solo Piping Championship at Blair Atholl, Scotland, on October 24th have been determined, pending of course each piper accepting his invitation:

• Callum Beaumont, Bo’ness, Scotland – Clasp, Northern Meeting, and overall winner, Scottish Piping Society of London
• Bruce Gandy, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada – Former Winners’ MSR, Northern Meeting
• Finlay Johnston, Glasgow – Highland Society of London Gold Medal, Northern Meeting
• Jack Lee, Surrey, British Columbia, Canada – Bratach Gorm, Scottish Piping Society of London
• Stuart Liddell, Inveraray, Scotland – Senior Piobaireachd, Argyllshire Gathering, and 2014 Glenfiddich Champion
• Angus MacColl, Benderloch, Scotland – Former Winners’ MSR, Argyllshire Gathering
• Roddy MacLeod, Glasgow – Masters Invitational
• Willie McCallum, Bearsden, Scotland – second prize, Former Winners MSR, Northern Meeting
• John-Angus Smith, London – Highland Society of London Gold Medal, Argyllshire Gathering
• Iain Speirs, Edinburgh – second prize, Senior Piobaireachd, Argyllshire Gathering

The first-reserve on the list is Andrew Hayes, Ottawa, for being third in the Senior Piobaireachd at Oban and fourth in the Clasp at Inverness.

It will be the first Glenfiddich for John-Angus Smith, while others have been there numerous times. This will be Willie McCallum’s 28th consecutive invitation to the competition, a record, as are his eight Glenfiddich Champion titles.

The Glenfiddich Championship (originally the Grant’s Championship) is in its forty-second year, and is held in the Great Hall of Blair Castle, the ancestral home of the Duke of Atholl. For solo competition pipers, “The Glenfiddich” is the apex of the art, and simply gaining an invitation is an extraordinary accolade.

“This year’s invitation list is one of the best the contest has ever had,” said Liz Maxwell, special advisor and organizer of the Glenfiddich Championship. “We look forward to seeing many familiar faces and a welcome John-Angus Smith to the event, which will once again be streamed live on the net for the whole world to enjoy.”

The event, and many other Highland piping and fiddling contests, has been sponsored by William Grant & Sons Distilleries, a family-run company that independently owns the Glenfiddich and Balvenie whisky brands, among others.

In 2008, pipes|drums Magazine conducted a brief interview with Liz Maxwell on William Grant & Sons involvement in piping.