On this day, 30th September 1813, John Rae was born at the Hall of Clestrain, Orphir.
To mark the occasion and the celebrate the life of this amazing Arctic explorer, members of The John Rae Society will gather at noon at the entrance to St Magnus Cathedral’s Graveyard gates. From there they will walk to John Rae’s graveside led by a lone piper. Anyone who wishes to join them would be most welcome. Harvey Johnston will give a speech in celebration of the Arctic Explorer’s life and a whisky toast will be made.
In the early evening at 6.30pm there will be a evening of fun and fundraising at The Orkney Distillery and Visitor Centre in Ayre Road, Kirkwall. This will include the launch of the John Rae inspired Northwest Passage Arctic Explorer Gin from Orkney Distilling and a stunning silver jewellery collection from Karen Duncan.
This special gin edition is rich in flavour, steeped in history and brimming with adventure. Following in Rae’s footsteps, Orkney Distilling’s award-winning distiller has expertly distilled a gin from rare botanicals found on the Hudson Bay shores, using the same water source that supplied Arctic-bound trade ships.
Karen Duncan’s specially designed silver pendant and earing collection takes its inspiration from the snow shoes Rae relied on to make his epic treks across the ice and snow.
If you would like to join the JRS members for the Gin and Jewellery launch please RSVP to info@johnraesociety.com so that they have some idea of numbers to expect.
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