For one weekend every September, Stirling fills up with crime writers, and we could not be happier about it. Bloody Scotland, the International Crime Writing Festival, returns to the city from Friday 18 to Sunday 20 September 2026. It is one of the biggest dates in Stirling's calendar, and this year the novelist Denise Mina takes over as Guest Programmer.
We are a Stirling family firm working out of the Old Smiddy, a mile below the castle, so a festival that brings several thousand readers into town is one we look forward to all year. Here is what to expect, and how to build the rest of your weekend around it.
What is on at Bloody Scotland 2026
The full programme has been revealed and tickets are on sale. The 2026 line-up is a strong one, with names including:
- Richard Osman
- Val McDermid, with Queen Macbeth
- Liz Nugent and Andrea Mara
- Sarah Pinborough and Janice Hallett
- Steve Cavanagh and Nadine Matheson
- Yrsa Sigurðardóttir and Gregg Hurwitz
- Robert Bryndza, and Cai Jun, China's bestselling crime writer
- Broadcasters Robert Peston, Jeremy Vine and Olly Smith
Events run across the city all weekend. Check the Bloody Scotland programme for times, venues and tickets, and book the headline sessions early, because they tend to go well before the weekend arrives.
The cocktail we made for Bloody Scotland
We have a small part in this festival's history. We created a cocktail for Bloody Scotland and named it after the event, and we were a sponsor of the festival for a time as well. The drink has outlasted the sponsorship. It went on to become our go-to crowd pleaser at events up and down the country, and it is still poured here.
It is a gin sour at heart: Stirling Gin, blood orange syrup, cranberry juice and lime, lengthened with soda and finished with a handful of cranberries and a twirl of orange peel. Blood red, as the name demands, and far easier drinking than that makes it sound.
We are not part of the official programme this year, so there is nothing to book with us. But we are open right across the festival weekend, Friday and Saturday 11am to 5pm and Sunday 12pm to 5pm, and the Bloody Scotland is on the bar. If you would rather build one at home, the full Bloody Scotland cocktail recipe is here, blood orange syrup and all.
How to fill the gaps between events
The trick to any festival weekend is the hour or two between sessions. Stirling is a small city and almost everything worth seeing is walkable, which is exactly why a weekend here works so well.
We sit a short walk down from the castle, so we are easy to slot between events. A walk-in tasting is £15 a head, takes about twenty minutes and needs no booking at all, which is roughly the shape of a gap between two sessions. It is also a quieter twenty minutes if you have spent the morning in a packed venue. Have a look at how to plan your visit and how to find us before you set off.
A word of local advice. Stirling gets busy across the Bloody Scotland weekend, so book anything you are set on well ahead, leave more time than you think for parking in the old town, and bring a jacket. September here can do all four seasons before lunch.
Crime fiction and a decent dram
Crime writing and whisky have kept good company for a long time, and if the festival puts you in the mood for one, we can help. We are Scotland's smallest whisky distillery, and our whisky range runs from the Sons of Scotland single casks to 5cl minis if you would rather try before committing to a bottle.
Gin is where this distillery began, long before the whisky. Our flagship Stirling Gin is built around wild Stirlingshire nettles that June forages herself, made in small batches and hand wax-sealed here at the distillery. Browse the Stirling gin collection, or book one of our distillery experiences and make a proper weekend of it.
Bloody Scotland 2026: common questions
When is Bloody Scotland 2026?
Bloody Scotland 2026 runs from Friday 18 to Sunday 20 September 2026, in Stirling. It is the International Crime Writing Festival, and this year the novelist Denise Mina is Guest Programmer.
Where does Bloody Scotland take place?
Events run at venues across Stirling all weekend rather than at one single site. The city is small and walkable, so most venues are within a short walk of each other and of the castle.
How do I get tickets for Bloody Scotland?
Tickets are sold by Bloody Scotland, not by us. Times, venues and booking are all on the official Bloody Scotland programme at bloodyscotland.com. We are a local distillery a short walk from the venues, not a ticket seller. Book the headline sessions early, they tend to go well before the weekend arrives.
Is Stirling Distillery part of the Bloody Scotland programme?
Not this year, so there is nothing to book with us as part of the festival. We did create the Bloody Scotland cocktail and sponsored the festival for a time, and the drink is still on our bar.
Are you open during the Bloody Scotland weekend?
Yes. We are open right across the festival weekend, Friday and Saturday 11am to 5pm and Sunday 12pm to 5pm. A walk-in mini tasting is £15 a head, takes about twenty minutes and needs no booking, which fits neatly into the gap between two sessions.
What else is there to do in Stirling that weekend?
Plenty, and most of it is walkable. Stirling Castle sits at the top of the old town, and we are a short walk down from it at the Old Smiddy. Allow extra time for parking in the old town, because Stirling gets busy across the festival weekend.
Bloody Scotland runs 18 to 20 September 2026. Come for the crime, stay for the dram, and plan your visit to the distillery while you are in town.