The Barony of the Cabrach is a parish in the North East of Scotland, within Moray local authority. Located close to the northern edge of the Cairngorms National Park, the area boasts natural beauty, rugged landscapes and significant history of whisky distilling. The Cabrach is rich in stories of people and landscape, intertwined to make a living in this harsh area through centuries.  

Spirit of the Cabrach project, conducted by RGU in collaboration with The Cabrach Trust, Colin Mackenzie and Alan Winchester, explored the opportunities and challenges for developing a narrative framework for heritage storytelling - the art of “Telling a story without telling a story”. One of the interesting themes explored in the project and subsequent conversations was the semi-ethnographic approach Alan and Colin were taking when collecting stories - a close cultural lens to the study of people’s lives within their communities.  

The researchers, Alan and Colin, through traditional historic ethnographic approach, such as exploring the landscape and speaking with locals, gathering oral histories on the lives of the people, embedded in the narrative of malt whisky distilling.  

Read more about Spirit of the Cabrach project in the academic paper: