Category - Bedrooms

Exploration, resilience, and community: The Polar Academy named as Carlowrie Castle’s 2025 Isobel Award winner

On 30 May 2025, we proudly presented the seventh annual Isobel Award to The Polar Academy, a Scottish charity transforming young lives through Arctic exploration.

Honouring Isobel Wylie Hutchison’s Legacy

The Isobel Award celebrates the legacy of Arctic explorer, botanist and author Isobel Wylie Hutchison, who grew up in Carlowrie Castle. Every year we honour her memory through this special award.

Each year, the winner of the award is an individual or organisation that has overcome adversity and created a lasting, positive impact in their community. The winner receives a bespoke hand-crafted trophy, a financial donation, and one year of operational support from the Carlowrie team.

A night of inspiration

This year’s ceremony welcomed 110 invited guests from across the charity and business sectors for an evening of inspiration and connection. Guest speaker Lise Wortley, adventurer and finalist on Channel 4’s ALONE, delivered a moving keynote on pushing boundaries and reimagining historical women’s expeditions.

About the winner: The Polar Academy

The Polar Academy stood out for its powerful mission to lift young people out of “invisibility” and help them build confidence, resilience and self-worth. The charity runs an intensive year-long training programme culminating in a life-changing expedition to Greenland. To date, over 240 young people and their families have taken part.

Working with schools across Scotland, each programme includes cold chamber training at Napier University, tyre-hauling preparation, and weekly check-ins with parents and teachers—ensuring that participants are physically and mentally ready for the Arctic challenge ahead.

Founder Craig Mathieson said: “For the past 12 years we’ve had the privilege of working with some incredible young people and their families from all over Scotland. We take ordinary young people, who have unfortunately experienced some sort of trauma in their life, such as bullying or bereavement and prove to them what they are truly capable of. At the Polar Academy, we don’t just change lives, we help them find purpose, resilience and belief in themselves”

Previous winners

Past recipients of the Isobel Award include children’s mental health charity With Kids, environmental advocate Amy Bray, and wellbeing organisation Art in Healthcare. See the full list of winners here.

Our Executive Chef, David Millar, Wins Scottish Chef of the Year 2025

We’re beyond proud to share that our Executive Chef, David Millar, has been named Scottish Chef of the Year 2025 at the Scottish Culinary Championships.

The competition, held in Glasgow as part of ScotHot, put some of Scotland’s most talented chefs through a high-pressure challenge, testing their creativity, precision, and ability to turn incredible ingredients into award-winning dishes.

David’s menu, which featured sustainably sourced venison from Ronay Island, won over the expert judging panel with its bold flavours and expert craftsmanship.

David said: “To win the Scottish Chef of the Year is the result of years of hard work, months of planning, and hours and hours of run-throughs. Within the chef community it’s a very prestigious honour and I’m over the moon to take the title. To have the judges eat my food that I was happy with was massive for me, I have zero regrets.’’

A Rising Star in Scottish Cuisine

David has been making waves in the culinary world, most recently competing on the 20th anniversary series of Great British Menu, where he took on some of Scotland’s top chefs. His skill, creativity, and passion for seasonal, local produce have set him apart as a chef to watch.

Since joining Carlowrie Castle, David has taken our dining experience to new heights, crafting unforgettable menus for luxury weddings, corporate events, and private stays. His focus on sustainability and seasonality aligns perfectly with Carlowrie Castle’s B Corp certification, reflecting our commitment to ethical, responsible hospitality.

A Proud Moment for Carlowrie Castle

Our Operations Director, Keith Taylor, said: “David’s creativity and dedication make him a true force in Scottish hospitality. His commitment to crafting outstanding dishes using sustainably sourced and local produce is admirable and his leadership and expertise have elevated our entire kitchen team, inspiring a new level of excellence. This award is very well deserved, and we couldn’t be prouder.”

Winning Scottish Chef of the Year is a massive achievement, and we’re so lucky to have David leading the way in our kitchen. If you’ve been a guest at Carlowrie, you’ll know firsthand why he took home the top prize!

We can’t wait to see what’s next for David and the Carlowrie Castle dining experience.

Want to experience David’s award-winning food?

Whether you’re planning a wedding, corporate event, or private stay, Carlowrie Castle offers an unforgettable setting, paired with world-class cuisine.

Contact us today to book.

433-year-old goatskin manuscript gives a glimpse into Carlowrie’s fascinating history

Our team has recently revealed a remarkable piece of history related to Carlowrie Castle. While we always knew that Carlowrie Castle and the Carlowrie estate has a long and interesting history, we were blown away when an historian found an original title deed to the land dated 19 August 1591. 

The manuscript is hand-scribed onto traditional goatskin vellum and is written in Latin. From our research so far, we’ve discovered that it references several famous figures, including King James VI, who ruled over Scotland at the time and later went on to rule England as King James I. 

While more information is needed to understand the role this document has played in the history of Carlowrie, it has inspired us to delve deeper into the history of the land. We’re working with the National Library of Scotland and National Records of Scotland to uncover the unknown stories of the area.

It is believed that an earlier castle had once stood on the site of the present-day Carlowrie Castle, before falling into disrepair. It was Edinburgh-based wine merchant and Provost of Leith, Thomas Hutchison who, many years later, commissioned the building of the Carlowrie Castle we know today. From its completion in 1854 to 1982, the castle was home to the Hutchison family, including renowned Arctic explorer, botanist and author, Isobel Wylie Hutchison.

When you’re next visiting us at Carlowrie Castle, ask us about our history. We’d love to share it with you.

You can read more about our history here.

Celebrate with our Citardière Crémant

Speaking of tasty treats, here at Carlowrie from May 2022 we’ll be serving sparkling Crémant wine from our vineyard in the Loire Valley, France. The Domaine de la Citardière vineyard became part of the Carlowrie Group in 2020 and is managed by Madame and Monsieur Martin, who have a huge interest in biodiversity and habitat conservation. During the winter, we’ve been pruning back the vines while they are in their dormant phase. This process, known as renewing the vines, ensures that they maintain their strength and vitality, so they can grow flavour-packed grapes. The vineyard produces red, white and rosé wines and two sparkling Crémant wines.

The Citardière Crémant we’re currently serving has delicious summery notes, and is the perfect sparkling drink to toast a special event.

The guest houses at Domaine de la Citardière vineyardour sleeps 14-person plus staff and will be finished by end of 2023. So, if you’re dreaming of a relaxing escape with sweeping vineyard views, please keep an eye on our website and Instagram for updates.

Cowlowrie. Welcome to the herd.

We have some new members of the Carlowrie team arriving this month from Perthshire.

Helping to keep the grass in the paddocks neat and tidy will be four new highland cows. We do of course have Florrie, our Highland cow sculpture, however these new beasts promise to be a lot more fun. We still need to find names for our cows and welcome any ideas – info@carlowriecastle.co.uk.

Carlowrie Gardens development

Behind everything at Carlowrie lies a story, our beautiful gardens are no exception. Tended by Isobel Wylie Hutchison throughout most of the 20th century, we are delighted to announce a programme of replanting and development.

We plan to reintroduce many of the plant species brought back to Scotland by Isobel, and enhance all of the beds with seasonal herbs and  rotational flowering plants that will guarantee colour all year round. Butterfly and bee friendly beds should see plenty of activity in the warmer weather.

Our team are working around each area and replanting for spring when we can all enjoy the outdoors again.

Carlowrie Stables conversion project started.

We are very excited about our stables conversion project. The old stables building at the far end of the walled garden has planning permission to convert to 7 ensuite bedrooms each with their own access, meaning that we will have more accommodation for your guests to stay at the castle for your event.

The project was delayed due to the pandemic, but work has started now and is due for completion in spring 2022. Please keep an eye on this space for more updates and images as we progress.

Secret Rooms for Stimulating Stories

I’m sure you are aware of our famous former resident, Isobel Wylie Hutchison. Explorer, author, botanist and all round early 20th century Scottish legend. If not head to google and then come pay a visit to our latest room in the castle.

We locked local artist Kelly Stewart in the turret room on the top floor for a couple of weeks at the start of the year. Kelly has been inspired by Isobel’s story and  produced the most beautiful 360 degree mural with snippets and tales of Isobel scattered around an arctic landscape.

It’s the perfect space to relax, reflect and take some time out from the hustle and bustle. Isobel’s own thoughts, copies of her publications and items from her life at Carlowrie are on show. For us, it’s a wonderful link to our past and a tale that needs to be told to generations to come.

Water of Life

Christmas posed an interesting question – What happens when you run out of whisky?

You get more whisky of course.

After the huge success of our initial Carlowrie Malt at the start of lockdown, we embarked on a strenuous research mission to find another, even more special drop of the amber nectar. After many late nights and much discussion (probably) our expert panel unanimously decided on a smooth and fruity Highland 12 year old. A quick trip back to the label design and a subtle tweak or two saw the bottling of our new baby, 12 year aged single Highland Malt.

Guaranteed to warm the coldest of Scottish winter evenings and melt the hardest hearts, this is one to be enjoyed with kith and kin.

For more details or orders, please contact us info@carlowriecastle.co.uk  . Now where’s the gin…?

Wining, dining and sunshining

We are very excited about our new property and vineyard in the Loire Valley, France. Purchased during lockdown to boost Carlowrie’s portfolio, progress has taken longer than we would have hoped but we now have some exciting visuals from our architects in Paris to share. Planning permission has been granted, and we have a team on site beginning renovations and refurbishment. We will update this page regularly as it all takes shape.

Set in 6 hectares of prime wine producing land, Domaine de la Citardiere lies 20 minutes south of Saumur. Easily reached from Paris in 4 hours, or Nantes international airport in an hour and a half, the vineyard is ideally placed to sample the region’s gastronomic and bibulous delights, as well as the rich history and charming towns of the surrounding area. La Citardiere will even supply Carlowrie’s own wines from 2022.

We can sleep up to 14 people, the estate and pool are guaranteed private for your group to relax and enjoy our famous Carlowrie hospitality in warmer climes. Domaine de la Citardiere has produced wines for hundreds of years, and the vines are currently looked after by Francois and Vanessa Martin  who will be supplying the castle, and your guests with boutique organic Loire Valley wines.

Opening June 2022, we look forward to welcoming you with a glass of our very own crémant and fine French cuisine. Ideal for honeymoons, family stays and parties. Please contact us on info@carlowriecastle.co.uk  with any questions or interest.