The Legend of Heather Ale

When the Picts still lived in Galloway, they possessed something that was highly sought after by Kings and Chieftains. They knew the secret to brewing Heather Ale, the sweetest and most delicious drink in the world. Knowledge like that breeds jealousy and greed so eventually a powerful King came to claim the secret for himself.

Battles raged but the Galloway tribe were massacred down to the very last father and son. They were chased to the very tip of the Mull of Galloway, with no chance of escape. The King demanded to know the coveted recipe in exchange for their lives. The father declared he had made a decision but needed a private word with the King first.

He agreed to give up the secret but on one condition. The father claimed that the son would be furious if he gave up the recipe. His life would have been spared by the King just to be murdered by his own son. He would only tell him how to make the Heather Ale if they killed his son first.

The son’s execution was swift. Then the King impatiently demanded to know everything about the secret recipe. The father gave a sad smile and shook his head. He wasn’t going to tell them a thing. He knew that his son would never have been able to withstand their torture so had to die before he could talk.

The father however was more than willing to take the secret to his grave. Suddenly, he ran towards the cliff and jumped towards the rocks below. No matter how hard the King tried to replicate it, the last of the Heather Ale was gone and the ability to make it had died with the Picts of Galloway.