Field Research Trip to Edinburgh

Weekend in Edinburgh. Actually a four-day trip. Ten people in a an airbnb apartment. How did we get here? And why?

Makers Bible is not only a series of books on quality, passion and craftsmanship, but also a brand. Made by us. We are Melville Brand Design a design and brand consultancy from Munich in Germany. We have founded the shop 10 years ago. To reward the team we treated anyone to a weekend in Edinburgh. This weekend in Edinburgh is the substitute for a stay in New England, home to our namesake patron, Herman Melville and the location for his famous book, one of the most famous of all: Moby Dick.

So actually we wanted New England, but settled for old Scotland. And never regretted a second we spent on Scottish soil. Makers Bible in our mind we went for this weekend in Edinburgh in pursue of craftsmanship.

Recreate our experience of this weekend in Edinburgh: If you got three days and the weather is suitable, we recommend a day-trip to Pitlochry. From there take a highland walk to the nearby Edradour whisky distillery, by the way, the smallest farm distillery in the whole of Scotland. What they make in a year is the output of Glenfiddich in a week. Being that small still lets them produce two kind of whiskies. One peated, one un-peated. (Grain that is smoked over peat gives the product a very smoky, tobacco flavour). Just so you know what to expect.

If you want a premium place to buy whisky on your weekend in Edinburgh where Scotch from all over Scotland is available, without having to leave the city limits, check out: Whisky & Wine on North Bridge 17, very centrally located. Check out their Gin offer, too. But if you are looking for a unique Gin experience: Edinburgh Gin has rather sweet and botanical sorts of Gin. We expected Scottish Gin to be dry – since nothing in Scotland is “sweet”. Travel is learning. The distillery is also a magnet for visitors and a nice experience. Unlike the Queen’s former yacht, the Royal Yacht Britannia, that is a rip-off. Twenty pounds to enter the ship through a shopping mall that was build right in front of the Britannia so that no-one can actually see it from far; built by the same people who bought the ship. Gentle reader, you get the drift.

Best area to stroll and have food, drinks and shopping or a hair cut is the area of Stockbridge. Here we found the best assortment of men’s clothing and interior design accessories at Dicks’s Edinburgh, discovered designer Kestin Hare representing to us a kind of Scottish fashion, we ate the best Cinnamon rolls at Söderbergs and had exceptional well tasting craft beer in some of the pubs. To mention the most memorable: The Scran & Scallie on Comley Bank Road where the food was all home/hand-made and delicious. Scran & Scallie is the pub of the Michelin-star awarded chef Tom Kitchin.

See all tips and the places that we had visited in the Makers Bible EXPLORER below. (if you know of any hand-crafted brands and makers in Edinburgh that ought to be listed here – do send us some info by mail).

If you are interestes in another field research trip, we did, check out our Bassano Story.