The 52nd Glenfiddich Piping Championship took place today, October 25, 2025, at Blair Castle in Perthshire and was won overall by Stuart Liddell with a third place in the Piobaireachd, and a second place in the MSR. It has been quite a year for Pipe Major Stuart Liddell with his band, Inveraray and District, retaining the Grade 1 World Pipe Band Championship. This is the fourth time Stuart has won the Glenfiddich, and this year was also Inveraray’s fourth Grade 1 World’s win.
Alan Bevan from British Columbia won the piobaireachd event playing The Daughter’s Lament. Alan qualified for the Glenfiddich by winning the R.G. Hardie & Co. Masters Invitational event at Piping Live! in August, which he also won in 2024.
Last year’s overall Glenfiddich winner was Callum Beaumont and he was the winner of the MSR title today – which he retains from 2024. Callum played two of the same tunes that he won with in 2024, with his March in both years being Mrs. Duncan MacFadyen, his strathspey the same in Inveraray Castle, but playing The Little Cascade for his reel in 2025, where he played Bessie McIntyre in 2024.
The National Piping Centre runs the competition with support from the William Grant Foundation. The NPC sold out the in-person tickets in advance and provided a livestream for audiences to tune in worldwide
Piobaireachd
- Alan Bevan – The Daughter’s Lament
- Nick Hudson – Craigellachie
- Stuart Liddell – Unjust Incarceration
- Callum Beaumont – Nameless Cherede Darievea
- 5th Brodie Watson-Massey – Lord Lovat’s Lament
Judges: Patricia Henderson, Dr. Angus MacDonald, Dr. Jack Taylor
MSR
- Callum Beaumont – Mrs. Duncan MacFadyen, Inveraray Castle, The Little Cascade
- Stuart Liddell – The Duke of Roxburgh’s Farewell to the Blackmount Forest, Glentruim, The Highlanders’ Institute
- Finlay Johnston – Inveran, The Islay Ball, The Smith of Chillichassie
- Nick Hudson – Parker’s Welcome to Perthshire, Pipe-Major Hector MacLean, The Sheepwife
- Alan Bevan – The Abercairney Highlanders, Blair Drummond, John Morrison of Assynt House
Judges: Peter Hunt, Iain MacFadyen, Jim McGillivray
The Balvenie Media was awarded to Jeannie Campbell for her services to piping.
The full list of 2025 competitors was:
- Callum Beaumont – 2024 Glenfiddich Piping Champion
- Finlay Johnston – Bratach Gorm Winner at Scottish Piping Society of London Annual Competition
- Alasdair Henderson – Overall winner at Scottish Piping Society of London Annual Competition
- Alan Bevan – R.G. Hardie & Co. Bagpipes Masters Solo Piping Competition winner 2025
- Steven Leask – Gold Medallist at 2025 Argyllshire Gathering
- Stuart Liddell – Winner of the Senior Piobaireachd at Argyllshire Gathering
- Brodie Watson-Massey – Gold Medallist at 2025 Northern Meeting
- Angus MacColl – 2nd place in Northern Meeting Clasp (Senior Piobaireachd)
- Nick Hudson – Argyllshire Gathering Senior Piobaireachd 2nd place
- Ben Duncan – Argyllshire Gathering Former Winners MSR 2nd place