2014 Glenfiddich Champion: Stuart Liddell

Blair Atholl, Scotland – October 25, 2014 – Stuart Liddell won the 2014 Glenfiddich Solo Piping Championship at a stowed-out Great Hall of Blair Castle and as many as 1,800 viewers of the event broadcast live on the Internet. It was the second time that Liddell has won the event.

Liddell gained the overall prize with a third in the Piobaireachd and a second in the twice-through MSR. Roddy MacLeod won the Piobaireachd for the ninth time in his career, a record for the competition, while Niall Stewart took the MSR.

Piobaireachd

1st Roddy MacLeod, Glasgow, “Isabel MacKay”

2nd Bruce Gandy, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia Canada, “The Big Spree”

3rd Stuart Liddell, Inveraray, Scotland, “Lament for Colin Roy MacKenzie”

4th Willie McCallum, Bearsden, Scotland, “The Rout of the Lowland Captain”

5th Angus MacColl, Benderloch, Scotland, “The Bells of Perth”

Judges: Colin MacLellan, William Wotherspoon, Andrew Wright

MSR

1st Niall Stewart, Kyle of Lochalsh, Scotland, “Mrs. Duncan MacFadyen,” “Hector MacLean,” “Kildonan”

2nd Stuart Liddell “Mrs. John MacColl,” “Catlodge,” “John Morrison, Assynt House”

3rd Willie McCallum, “Inveran,” “Ewe wi’ the Crookit Horn,” “The Man from Glengarry”

4th Bruce Gandy, “The Crags of Stirling,” “The Islay Ball,” “Brown-Haired Maid”

5th Douglas Murray, Cupar, Scotland, “MacLean of Pennycross,” “Highland Harry,” “Johnny MacDonald’s”

Judges: Malcolm McRae, Ronnie McShannon, John Wilson

Also competing, but not in the prizes: Jack Lee, Surrey, British Columbia, Canada; Gordon McCready, Renfrew, Scotland; and Iain Speirs, Edinburgh.

A self-admittedly “gobsmacked” Jackie Roberts was awarded the Balvenie Medal for services to piping, largely for organizing the annual Piping Society of London competition over the last 10 years. The recipient of the Balvenie Medal is decided based on peer nominations.

The competition was broadcast live on the Internet and packaged into a show. The worldwide audience numbered between approximately 1,100 and 1,800 throughout the eight-hour broadcast, that captured introductions by emcee Bob Worrall and recorded and live interviews with pipers and program host Fergus Muirhead.

As part of the free Internet broadcast, viewers were encouraged to contribute to the Pipe-Major Donald MacLeod Memorial Solo Piping Competition. pipes|drums Magazine donated £100 to the cause.

The event is sponsored by William Grant & Sons Distillers, purveyors of the contest’s namesake single malt Scotch whisky in its numerous expressions. The company has supported the event and many others for nearly 50 years.