IT will be whisky a go-go at a Borders village hotel and restaurant after a licensing bid was endorsed.

Members of Scottish Borders Licensing Board have endorsed extended operating hours at the Grapes Hotel in Newcastleton.

The new licence will enable the owners of the Douglas Square business to promote its own malt whisky brand, board members were told.

Applicant Amy Thompson said: “We just took over the Grapes Hotel just over a year ago and we’re trying to build it back up after it had been closed for about a year.

“It’s a small run family business and we have a very substantial malt whiskey collection which is called ‘Nothing But Whisky’ and we’re just trying to get that more accessible, everything from something you might want to drink in the evening to something more collectable.

“It just brings a different variation to visiting Newcastleton and bringing more folk in.”

Councillor David Parker said: “It’s great that this business is in Newcastleton, especially given the challenges of running a rural business.”