A happy and healthy 2025 to one and all. We hope you will stay with us for another year of scone adventures.

2024 was notable for many things; Trump getting reelected, the passing of Jimmy Carter, Polestar producing the first car with no rear window. Fine, but all fairly inconsequential when you consider that we reviewed more than sixty scones. Disasterously, however, we also reported that our long standing benchmark scone at Fonab Castle had slipped off the top of the pile. Dilemma! Of course, like true sconeys, we gathered ourselves together, brushed ourselves down and set about the search for a replacement. At Dowans Hotel here in Aberlour we may have already found the answer … hallelujah!

Coincidental

We had decided to stay at Dowans for a few days. The fact that the Aberlour distillery was just over the garden wall or that you could see the Macallan distillery from the front door, or that the GlenAllachie distillery was just a short walk away was purely coincidental.

Dowans has had a varied life since 1888 when it was built as the family home for the owner of nearby Cardhu distillery. During WWII it was used by the military before becoming an orphanage in the 1950s. It first became a hotel in the 1960s before being taken over by the current owners, the Murray family, in 2012. The family are heavily involved in the day to day running and have, over the years,  turned it into the elegant place it is today.

Just because we are in Strathspey with its 53 distilleries, don’t run away with the idea that they only produce whisky in these parts, As Dowans was being built in the village, the global phenomenon of  Walker’s Shortbread was also just starting out in Aberlour. Okay, coincidentally it just so happens that shortbread is the perfect accompaniment to whisky. For many, a glass of whisky and a piece of shortbread is what makes life worth living. Shortbread and whisky is all very well  but what about the scones we hear you cry?

Dancing

Okay, hostess with the mostest, Lauren, had assured us we could have scones any time we liked. It wouldn’t be any trouble. Before that, however, we took a short drive through the Macallan Estate towards Keith and came on the hamlet of Maggieknockater. Apparently many locals say they come from other nearby villages rather than face the laughter that revealing their true origins engenders. There was once a famous beekeeper here that gave rise to a Scottish Country dance, the Bees of Maggieknockater. Only on allaboutthescones.com can readers obtain such enlightenment.

Anyway, today was a day when the temperatures were going to struggle to rise above freezing. The idea of scones in front of the fire was particularly appealing. True to her word, Lauren soon had us  enjoying some freshly made scones. They were beautifully presented with lovely dishes of jam and cream and crisp white linen napkins. Being freshly baked they were wonderfully warm and had the exact crunchy exterior and soft centre that we enjoy so much. This was one of the easiest topscones we have ever reviewed. A worthy contender for that coveted  “best scone in the world” title. 

How’s that for a start to the New Year?

AB38 9LS          tel: 01340 871488          The Dowans Hotel

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