Pick the Glenfiddich Five to win a full set of RG Hardie Legacy pipes and a new Peter Henderson blackwood chanter

How’d you like to win a brand new set of Legacy bagpipes, recently unveiled by our friends at R.G. Hardie valued at £1,200?

But wait! That’s not all!

You could also win a new PH Blackwood Chanter (retail price £325), also from Hardies.

All you have to do is enter pipes|drums’ annual Pick The Glenfiddich Five contest, where our super-canny readers get to submit their prediction for the top-five aggregate finishers (including the champion) competing at the Glenfiddich Invitational Solo Piping Championships at Blair Castle in Blair Atholl, Scotland, on Saturday, October 26th.

Sounds easy, huh? Well, considering that any of the 10 elite solo pipers could win the whole shebang, it ain’t.

Here’s what you could win:

• A set of the recently unveiled R.G. Hardie Legacy bagpipes (retail price £1,200)

• The updated PH Blackwood Chanter (retail price £325)

Here are a few details from R.G. Hardie about the Legacy pipes:

Create your own piping legacy, with an instrument of the highest quality, to play and pass onto the next generation. A unique set of Heritage Bagpipes, featuring laser-etched thistle blackwood slides and distinctive imitation ivory mounts.

The projecting mount profile is based upon a 1910 set, which are more refined in comparison to those of the 1920’s. This set features plain ferrules and flat ring caps, adding a touch of elegance, for a truly unique look. Using state of the art software, we have created a unique thistle design with a level of detail that can only be achieved with laser etching.

Peter Henderson Bagpipes are the most sought-after instrument in the world. Their unique sound and tonal qualities ensure that pipers of all abilities aspire to own a set of Henderson bagpipes.

Our blackwood bagpipes feature an innovative plastic lining system in the blowpipe and blowpipe stock, which protects the inside of the wood from the stresses and strains caused by moisture.

Each set comes with its own unique number engraved on the Bass Stock.

PH1HL features:

• Laser-etched thistle blackwood slides.
• Distinctive imitation ivory mounts.
• 5-year guarantee.

And some info on the new PH Blackwood Chanter:

Updated in 2024 with input from Callum Beaumont. Originally designed in 2006 by Alastair Dunn, Double Gold Medallist and 10-time World Champion with Field Marshal Montgomery Pipe Band.

This chanter has been proven to deliver a winning sound for soloists. The holes are carefully sanded to give the feel of a vintage chanter before under going a rigorous polishing process.

The chanter produces a rich resonant tone that will provide superb harmonics with any set of drones.

The chanter comes complete with a reed, reed protector and deluxe box.

Sounds pretty good, huh?

Don’t believe it? Here’s a vid from none other than R.G. Hardie ambassador Callum Beaumont:

Again, sounds pretty good, huh?

Okay, here are the 10 pipers who will compete at this year’s Glenfiddich:

• Chris Armstrong, Glasgow – Argyllshire Gathering Formers Winners MSR
• Callum Beaumont, St. Andrews, Scotland – 2023 Glenfiddich Champion
• Alan Bevan, Abbotsford, British Columbia – Masters Champion
• Cameron Drummond, Edinburgh – Argyllshire Gathering Gold Medal
• Alasdair Henderson, Dunoon, Scotland – Argyllshire Gathering Senior Piobaireachd
• Nick Hudson, Houston – Northern Meeting Clasp
• Finlay Johnston, Glasgow – Overall champion at the Scottish Piping Society of London competitions
• Stuart Liddell, Inveraray, Scotland – Northern Meeting Silver Star MSR
• Roddy MacLeod, Glasgow – 2023 Bratach Gorm winner
• Craig Sutherland, Glasgow – Northern Meeting Gold Medal

The contest comprises two events, a Piobaireachd and an MSR. The competitor with the overall best results, with a Piobaireachd preference in the event of a tie, is declared Glenfiddich Champion.

What about the judges? They’re some of the world’s greatest:

• Piobaireachd: Ian Duncan, Murray Henderson and John Wilson
• Light Music: Angus MacDonald, Iain MacFadyen and Richard Parkes

And how exactly might you win? Well, here are the rules, so please read carefully:

• Readers must submit their entry via e-mail – click here. (Please use the template automatically generated.)
• Entries must list the competitors in their aggregate order of finish – 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th.
• Only one entry per e-mail address (all multiple entries from the same e-mail address will be discarded; please don’t try to game the system).
• In the event of aggregate ties between piping competitors, the Piobaireachd event determines the winner.
• Submissions should include a full postal snail-mail delivery address.
• The winning entry must pick the 2024 Glenfiddich Champion – the overall winner of the first-prize – correctly.
• Ideally, the winning entry will pick the exact prize list in the exact order of finish.
• A random draw will be made if more than one entry gets the list precisely right.
• If no entry is completely correct, the submission that picks the first-prize winner and gains the most points from the following system will win 3 points for choosing a piper in the right spot and 1 point for including a piper who made the top-five aggregate prize list but not in the correct place.
• If still tied, a random draw will decide the winner.
• Entries close at 18:00 GMT, Friday, October 27th.
• Glenfiddich adjudicators, competitors, officials, the Duke of Atholl and his servants are not eligible to win.
• The winner will be notified by e-mail (please check your email if you feel your entry might be close), and a story will be published soon after. The winner’s name will be withheld if desired.

Readers are encouraged to browse pipes|drums for results from this year’s solo piping events worldwide.

So, research the players and check out our Big Prizes database for past success at the Glenfiddich and other major events.

Thanks to our sponsors, R.G. Hardie, and good luck to all readers who give our Pick The Glenfiddich Five contest a go – and best of luck to all competitors on October 26th at Blair Atholl Castle.