THE HISTORY OF THE FAMOUS GROUSE

THE MOST POPULAR SCOTCH WHISKY IN SCOTLAND

Each year 43 million bottles of The Famous Grouse Blended Scotch Whisky are enjoyed in no less than 94 global markets. Edrington's Annual Statement 2020-21 shows the whisky at No.1 in spirits sold online in the UK across all spirit categories. But what is it that makes The Famous Grouse so popular? I'll try to analyse the setup and figure out the answer, for which purpose I'll need to start from the beginning.

In 1770, Joseph Gloag set up his business as Warehouse Goods Carrier, dealing with the import of paid-for goods like wine and other groceries from outside Scotland into Perth, the county town of Perthshire. His first child, Matthew, was born in 1797. In 1815, Matthew gained employment at the age of eighteen as assistant bottler (Butler) in Scone Palace -̶ a mile and a half away and famous for housing The Stone of Destiny-̶ the residence of the Earl of Mansfield. Such was his expertise that he was drafted into the residence of the Sheriff Clerk of Perthshire, James Murray Patton-the son of Lord Glenalmond-as a handyman and general factotum.

Apart from routine chores, he was made the manager of Patton’s personal cellar and the documented official manager of the Sheriff Clerk’s cellar that was used to stock and then sell off or auction seized, impounded, confiscated and expropriated liquor, mainly whisky, gin and illicit hooch. He wisely retained access to Scone Palace. Contacts made thereby were to prove very useful later in his fortunes.

While shuttling between the Sheriff’s office, residence and the odd 'dad's client', he met Margaret Brown, daughter of John Brown, a mason by trade, living in the first floor flat at 22 Athole (Atholl) Street, above a grocery run by one Peter McRorie since 1807 and serviced by 'dad' Gloag. She too was born in 1797. They wed in late November 1817. Matthew's brother, William Joseph Gloag, took up a job as an ironmonger.

Due to financial reverses, John Brown had to send Margaret as a ladies’ maid to one Lady Seton. They retained their postal address as 22 Athole Street. John Brown recovered his losses soon enough and, in time, bought off the grocery under their flat on McRorie’s demise. He was helped out by Margaret, who quickly learned the ropes. He died in 1824 and Margaret took over, assisted by her experienced husband in his spare time. He shrewdly ensured that all groceries in the homes he frequented were supplied by Margaret and took to informally calling himself a Grocer. She added a snuff line and, with her husband's backing and expertise, obtained a licence for adding a winery to her grocery in 1831. He had also risen in social standings with time, as Librarian in the Court, Keeper of the County Buildings, Captain in the Volunteer Constabulary and was well known, popular and a good businessman in every sense. They set up home upstairs.

         Progress: Under Matthew Gloag I 1835 22 Atholl Street----->     Matthew Gloag III 1899 20-24 Atholl Street

Matthew and Margaret had ten children, five boys and five girls between 1818-1839; Joseph, John (named after Margaret’s father), Ann, Margaret (named after her mother), another Matthew (named after his father), Janet, James, William (named after Matthew's brother), Lillian and Clementina. Their nephew, William's son, was named...Matthew! Matthew Gloag II. This Gloag would show little interest in the liquor business and remain on the fringe till his untimely death in 1858. In fact, he is usually totally overlooked and often, Matthew Gloag III, the grandson of Matthew the founder, is (wrongly) called "Matthew Gloag II." There is little mention of their fifth child either, the son named Matthew. That said, every generation since has had a Matthew Gloag associated with the brand in one capacity or another, with an indisposed Matthew Gloag VI (1947-) the latest.

SIX GENERATIONS OF MATTHEW GLOAGS

Matthew Joseph Gloag	Matthew Gloag I	1797-1860
Matthew William Gloag	Matthew Gloag II	1820-1858
Matthew Robert Gloag	Matthew Gloag III	1850–1912
Matthew William Gloag	Matthew Gloag IV	1882-1947
Matthew Frederick Gloag	Matthew Gloag V	1910–1970
Matthew Irving Gloag	Matthew Gloag VI	1947-

Matthew, the founder, was an outgoing and likeable person and had become adept at the liquor business, creating a pocketbook full of contacts. He joined Margaret in 1835 after his stint of a mandatory 20 years in the Sheriff Clerk's office and changed the business name to Matthew Gloag & Co. His first contribution was the expansion of the licenced liquor portfolio in the business, mainly Blended Malt whisky, or perhaps its consolidation, using his contacts across the Highland distilleries of Scotland, gaining in reputation for quality provisions, liquor and professionalism topped off with affability.

Matthew was well aware that the upper echelon of society also kept a decent stock of Brandy, Gin, Claret, Port, Madeira, Sherry and non-alcoholic drinks. These products were added to his shop’s inventory as also seltzer water, lemonade, soda water, sparkling beer and ginger beer. Within the next fifteen years, he would have the entire aristocracy around Perth as his clientele.

He was aided in his store by his son William and daughters Margaret, Lilian and Clementina. Joseph emigrated to Australia and James managed employment in London. His third son, Matthew, joined an ironmonger’ shop in Kinnoul Street and took it over later with his father’s help. His calling card carried the name Matthew prominently and that granted him access to many more homes and hearths in a successful enterprise.

Margaret died in 1840 of severe Asthma, a serious personal blow. Putting her demise behind him, Gloag accelerated his upward journey in life with the award of the much sought-after contract to supply provisions, wines and liquor to the local Earl at Scone Palace (where he had contacts from his earlier days) when the Earl hosted Queen Victoria and Prince Albert on their first visit to Scotland. Business prospered after this path-breaking success of 1842.

The Forbes-Mackenzie Act on vatting of whiskies when in a bonded warehouse was passed in 1853. A larger variety of blended malts were now available to vendors to sell. His business card showed him as an importer of wines and spirits as well as an agent for Schweppes Soda and whisky in Bond. Evidently, the truly strong blended malts (64.5-65.3% ABV) were drunk with soda. Here, the address showed him on Athole Street. What an ath!

The Act also decreed that customers were prohibited from drinking in Grocer’s shops, known to be aimed at women. This was also the year that Andrew Usher, now a licensed distributor of JG Smith’s The Glenlivet, put the first true brand of true Scotch whisky on the market, a blended malt whisky called Usher’s Old Vatted Glenlivet (OVG).

Matthew died on 21 July 1860, the year blending of malt with grain whiskies was permitted for distillers under the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gladstone's Spirits Act. Grocers were brought into the purview of this concession under an Extension to the French Treaty Act 1863. In these three years, many other grocers got into the business full-time—John Walker, George Ballantine, Peter Thomson of Beneagles, William Teacher and the Berry brothers are good examples. His son, William B Gloag (1832-96), took over, with Joseph well established in Australia and James doing very well as a paper merchant and Stationer in London respectively. His grandson, also a Matthew, Matthew Gloag III (1850-1912) joined the business when he came of age. 

Surprisingly, when his cellars were examined after his death, it was found that Matthew Gloag I had little stock of malted whisky in his cellar, though he dealt in this specific type of libation, mainly Highland, Grange Distillery’s Burntisland and Glenlivet. He did have, however, copious quantities of grain whiskies, of a generic Mixed nomination. Even more surprising was the pricelist; Very Old Rum was more expensive than whisky, the most expensive alcohol being Pale 1848 Cognac.

William addressed his wine department aggressively but was quite content growing the business at a steady pace as a vendor of quality whiskies of distillers like The Glenlivet and Talisker and other blenders. He did not exploit the 1860 opportunity presented by revenue authorities allowing the blending of any spirit including grain whisky with pot still distilled malt whisky, reduced import duties of French liquor into Great Britain and vice versa as permitted by the French Treaty Act of 1860, and the subsequent inclusion of grocers into the blending clan. He thus fell far behind his contemporaries, the Walkers, Andrew Usher, George Ballantine, William Teacher and the Chivas Family, among others. His neighbours, Dewar & Sons and Bell & Sons also thrived handsomely.

He did not exploit the next major opportunity either, the triple whammy that constituted the Great French Wine Blight (1863-mid 1890s, viz., Odium mildew, Phylloxera epidemic and Downy mildew in their vineyards) that almost laid waste their entire wine industry. The Scottish whisky industry, soon to be renamed the Scotch whisky industry gained massively at the expense of French wines, Cognac, Armagnac and Champagne. William was content with the ensuing increase in the volume of his vending business, whereas he could have blended his own whiskies for guaranteed export to France, which country thirstily absorbed all imports, with space for more.

Despite repeated requests by Mathew Jr, he refused to enter the home-blending business, even though his contemporaries were raking in money hand over fist. He did, however, take a major step into commercial business by investing company profits to become, with Matthew, one of the original shareholders of the North British distillery in Edinburgh in 1887. It was only after he died in 1896 that Mathew Gloag & Son, under Matthew Gloag III, entered the home- grown blending business with his first blended Scotch, the 5 YO Brig o’ Perth, with the North British distillery supplying the grain whisky. Even these blends were bottled at ~65% ABV, as an indignant Arthur Bell once told a London customer who found his bestselling brand too heavy!

    The Initial Progression:

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He followed his first launch with a number of other whiskies in quick succession over three years, bracketed under Gloag's Perth Whiskies, including the 7 YO The Famous "Grouse" Blend at 40 shillings a dozen quart bottles (1.132L). His supposedly “premium” whisky, the Perth Royal was marketed in 1897-98 and was the most expensive brand on his card as shown below. This brand, targeted at the affluent through Golf and other Clubs, didn’t meet with as much public approval as expected and rarely, if ever, would it emerge from the shadow of The Famous Grouse. The brand would linger on to the late 1990s, with limited sales and confined mainly to Perth and Perthshire.

All this was happening just as the 12-year low following the Pattison crash set in. A shrewd operator, the undeterred Matthew shifted tack to the increasing number of aristocratic and mainly British well-to-do Red Grouse hunting parties and adopted the red grouse, Scotland's primary game bird, as his/its motif and that whisky, prominently labelled Gloag’s "Grouse" Brand Whisky, also launched in 1897 would soon become The Grouse. He kept the price high so that he could maximise income from the socialites who had to keep up with the affluent and upper-class gentry for appearance's sake, not that it hurt the well-heeled more than a mite. He also initiated the practice of offering discounts on volume sales in the Yuletide (5,10 or 20-gallon casks), a concept that would continue year after year, even till today.

Matthew’s daughter Phillippa painted the very first, and now famous, red grouse that is seen on their bottles, albeit in black and white lithographs till colour printing came into being. It has rather different hues in the new millennium. The success of The Grouse Brand whisky was now so great that its name eclipsed that of its owner, and Matthew proactively considered stepping aside, dropping his name, and focussing on his priorities.

Matthew soon realised that he was making good money from two of his many whiskies, Gloag’s Grouse Brand and the 7 YO The Famous Grouse Blend, both of which were bracketed under Gloag’s Perth Brands. His pet whisky, The Perth Royal was only breaking even. The stocks of unsold new make whisky was increasing in his cellar. He had learned from his illustrious 'contemporaries and neighbours' that the more a new make matured in the barrel, the better a whisky it became. His bottles would soon house older whiskies, with the Brig o'Perth moving towards six years, the Famous Grouse towards eight and the Perth Royal towards ten.

One live problem was that Groag’s Grouse Brand was a bestseller only in the hunting season, just four months in a year, though with reasonable concomitant spillover. The 12th of August every year, The Glorious Twelfth, marks the beginning of the four-month (121 day) grouse shooting season, ending on December 10. The French Wine Blight had ended and Champagne had become the preferred drink of Royalty. The Famous Grouse Brand sold less per month than Groag’s Grouse in season, but when compared across the full year, it outsold the Grouse in volume but not in value. His basic outgo per brand- even if it did not sell- remained the same, eating into his profit margins.   

In its first-ever appearance on the market ~1897, The label showed the name The Famous "Grouse" Blend. It was placed in the ‘PERTH WHISKY DE LUXE’ category and The Famous Grouse Brand. Its age, 7 Years, was not visible on the front face. It was priced above the 5 YO Brig o’ Perth but below the Grouse Brand that he was assiduously trying to sell to the game bird shooting brigade. He shrewdly played the market, placing appropriate ads where they would be most effective, even marketing his Grouse brand overseas as the choice of the British Aristocracy. But he never took his eye off The Famous Grouse Blend of his Perth Brands. On the stroke of midnight into The Glorious Twelfth 1905, he re-branded the Gloag’s Grouse as The Grouse, taking his name off the whisky. More importantly, as time would show, the seven-year-old Famous Grouse Brand became the 8 YO Famous Grouse Blend. They were re-registered accordingly. Even so, he kept reminding the public at large that they were both his brands. The ploy succeeded and he pushed his increasingly popular 8 YO Famous Grouse Blend into an unassailable lead in income accrued by 1910, never to look back. The Glorious Twelfth 1905 marks the official birth date of The Famous Grouse that we see on the shelves today.

The lull in the Whisky industry (1896-1908), caused by a combination of circumstances, had initiated a softening in whisky prices and triggered a cascade of closures, contractions, and output reductions. Gloag saw this tough period through, increasing his sales of imported wines, brandy and champagne. By 1909, the industry was back on track. He did not ignore The Famous Grouse, using periodic fanciful ads while redesigning the standard newspaper advertisement to place the game bird provocatively in a large capital ‘G’, keeping it ever in the public eye. Scotland’s prime game bird lived up to its hype. And he was able to build up the age of this whisky to an 8 YO. The malts available to him then (also currently available & renamed) were Aberfeldy, Glenrothes-Glenlivet, The Glenlivet, Glengoyne, Tamdhu-Glenlivet, Macallan-Glenlivet and Talisker, plus, of course, grain whisky from the North British Grain whisky distillery.

The Scotch whisky industry expanded rapidly thereafter, with the USA targeted as a large market for most brands, including the Famous Grouse, till the onset of WW I, (1914-1918) which saw continuously increasing limitations being imposed on the use of barley and other food grains and increased taxes in a haphazard manner by the Govt. Most distilleries were rendered idle, but the existing stock of grain and malt whisky, as well as blends, could mature for longer periods in their casks. Matthew built up vast reserves of his brand for marketing as soon as possible after WW I ceased, pushing The Famous Grouse beyond the Grouse. Now he could strongly parade his best-selling whisky the world over, retaining the Grouse for the game-shooting brigade.

The war created many obstacles. Access to pubs or “public houses” was restricted in an effort to curb public drunkenness, especially among workers critical to the production of munitions and other essential war materials. The absence of several million young men on the battlefield didn’t help whisky demand either. By 1924, 77 distillers had closed down. During this period the companies that would eventually go on to dominate the industry began to emerge. Fortunately, relief was just around the corner. It would come in the form of the American Volstead Act. Prohibition in the USA from 1920-33 was the best thing that could happen to the Scotch whisky industry and they were quick to capitalise on it.

He then joined the other vendors and blenders in exporting large volumes of the Famous Grouse to Canada, Mexico, Havana and the Caribbean Islands. Like the others, and the British Govt., he simply turned a blind eye to the fact that a fair share of the whisky exported from home was being smuggled into the USA.

The Grouse was still available in the late 1930s, as seen in an advertisement on the back page of The Tatler of 12th October 1938. WW II came and went, and the hardy Gloag family sailed through this maelstrom along with most of the Scotch Whisky industry. Expansion was to follow soon after the war was won and sales increased rapidly. The Scotch industry was making waves in Asia and Australasia. The Gloags stayed with their primary markets, the USA, Canada, the Caribbean and home sweet home. They were also able to access new malts from Blair Athol, Bon Accord, Pulteney, Ben Wyvis/Ferintosh, and Inchgower.

There was no room for the Grouse now and it was absorbed by his leading brand. Even so, the labels showed the word Grouse in a larger font than its suffix and prefix, viz., THE FAMOUS GROUSE BRAND WHISKY. By the 1960s, the business had grown to such an extent that exports to America alone had risen to 12 million proof gallons. By 1968 it had risen to 33m. The future was looking rosy for Matthew Gloag & Sons. 

By then, there were a plethora of brands vying with each other for market share, if not market dominance. Strangely, not too much diversification was yet visible. The number of expressions per company remained rather low. The Gloags had just six or seven brands, and all were successful bar one.

Tragedy struck in 1970. Matthew Frederick Gloag – Matthew Gloag III’s grandson (Matthew Gloag V), a major shareholder in the company – and his wife died within two days of each other. Matthew Irving Gloag (Matthew Gloag VI, 1947-present) ran into unforeseen financial distress facing exorbitant Estate Duties and was forced to sell the company to Highland Distillers (for £1.25m), although he remained as a Director to continue the family’s involvement.

The new ownership began the transformation of the Famous Grouse into a name associated with numerous expressions. They brought Highland Park on Orkney Island and Glenrothes distilleries with them and immediately started on a number of projects. Quite a few Blended Malts and a few Single Malts were initiated. In the three decades they ran The Famous Grouse, more than a score Blended Malts and half a dozen Single Malts were casked. Great emphasis was laid on ageing these expressions, from 12/15/21/25/37 and 40 years with age statements and a few without. They acquired the 75% available stake in Macallan distillery in 1996, 25% having been bought by Suntory, from the Kemp Trust. The number of Blended Scotch also increased, mainly in the 6-10 year bracket, but bottled with no age statement (NAS). What set them apart was their unique process of maturing every blend or brand for their final six months of casking in the now freely available reused Sherry casks ex-The Macallan, probably Spanish, and at 46% ABV before bottling at the regular ABV.

Aged Blended Malts: The 21/30/37/40-Year-Olds

In 1979, the company breached the one million cases sales mark. By 1980 The Famous Grouse became Scotland’s brand leader and still is, a remarkable four decades. A new record was set in 1989, with over two million cases shipped. Sales continued to rise, and during the 1990s, The Famous Grouse grew by a staggering 25% – twice the rate of the premium Scotch sector.

To date, The Famous Grouse has produced over 75 different whiskies, totalling in excess of 175 expressions, from 5 years old to 40. Only about 60 of these have age statements. The majority remain NAS expressions, which is normal for most standard blended whiskies. The brand also has sold a remarkably large number of blended malts, and a half-dozen odd single malts. Most of these have come after it was taken over by Highland Distillers which was then fully absorbed into the Edrington Group in November 1999.

12-Year-Old Vintage Malt Whiskies: When Under Highland Distillers, The Famous Grouse had planned the release of a series of five 12-year-old Vintage Blended Malt Whiskies starting 2000. After taking over, Edrington's Board allowed the releases to go through. The release kicked off on schedule in 2000, with a 1987 vintage bottled in that same year, followed by a 1989 vintage bottled in 2001, a 1990 vintage strictly for the US market bottled in 2002, a 1992 vintage bottled in 2003 and finally a 1992 vintage bottled in 2004. These Famous Grouse Vintage Malts contain single malts from 6 different distilleries, mainly Macallan and the Orkney Island-based Highland Park complemented by single malts from the Glenrothes, Tamdhu, Glengoyne and Bunnahabhain, aimed at travel retail in one-litre bottles, with a limited number of 700 ml bottles for the local market. All of them were bottled at 40% ABV, except for the American version at 43% ABV. Edrington dropped their malt range (12/15/18/21) from the market in 2007 in favour of their regular non-vintage expressions so these bottles have now become scarce.

Surprisingly, this range does not include single malts from Glenturret distillery. This latter single malt is the core malt of most of the Famous Grouse blended Scotch brands, complemented by the other stated distilleries, as well as from Blair Athol and Old Pulteney.

Since Edrington’s takeover, the process of premiumisation became ongoing at The Famous Grouse. In 2006, the peated Black Grouse was released, essentially created for the Swedish market based on their taste preferences. Swedish analysts write that it is as aromatic as The Famous Grouse but a slightly smoky blend with considerably tougher character and spice and it carries clear traces of Islay whisky. This was followed two years later by Snow Grouse, a blended grain whisky, which carried the more appropriate snowy white 'Willow Ptarmigan'. By 2010, The Naked Grouse was introduced as a premium offering as a Blended Malt, exiting the Blended Scotch category once and for all, though the odd bottle does turn up at auctions/ eBay.

In January 2009 the distillery started working with some heavily peated malt. The specifications were for the barley to be peated to between 80 and 120ppm phenols, and the resulting spirit is called Ruaidh Maor (a hunting lodge at Loch Turret) to differentiate it from the regular Glenturret. In July 2015, while still retaining the traditional Famous Grouse bottling, the company rebranded The Black Grouse as The Famous Grouse Smoky Black, and introduced The Famous Grouse Mellow Gold to the brand’s core range, which, till then comprised The Famous Grouse, The Famous Grouse Smoky Black, The Famous Grouse Bourbon Cask, The Naked Grouse, The Famous Grouse Ruby Cask, The Famous Grouse Toasted Cask and The Famous Grouse – Personalised. The Naked Grouse was taken off the core range in mid-2017. The Famous Grouse Wine Cask, finished in carefully selected Spanish red wine casks, the fourth edition in its series of innovative blended whiskies inspired by different types of oak casks, was added in September 2019.

The Famous Grouse was repackaged on the brand’s 30th anniversary as Scotland’s Number One Whisky in 2010. The bottle had a more prominent image of the Grouse, painted by wildlife artist Rodger McPhail, on a larger label. The year 1800 was subtly embossed on the packaging to reinforce the notion of heritage and longevity. The bird was lifted above the name and all bottle tops were changed to red. A fresh look was adopted again in 2018, by which time numerous fresh expressions had hit the market. A black and gold colour palette reflected the colours of the bird. Key elements of the previous bottle's design remain, including the distinctive ‘eyebrow’ bottle and label shape and the longer closure but in new black, red and gold hues. The distinctive purple on both the carton and the standard bottle makes it stand out on shelves. More is expected later this year, on its 40th anniversary as Scotland’s Number One Whisky.

The Famous Grouse Theme: Transferring the brand’s long-established icon into contemporary surroundings has been at the heart of the strategy designed to boost Famous Grouse’s appeal to younger drinkers. As many as 40 TV commercials have been released to date, the last dozen or so produced by Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO. The animation techniques are the same as those developed for Jurassic Park. A blasé grouse is central to the theme, sauntering along with a cocked eye, or creating an arabesque. The background music is the multi-dimensional Plink Plonk theme, which had a curious birth. It began as a waltz of assorted whisky sounds. Clinking ice, cut glass, opening bottle tops, all were pressed into play. Even the sound of a muso rolling a smooth dram of the Famous Grouse around the soft palate. This hit the right note, allowing its composers the nonchalance to drop the waltz rhythm for the plinky marimba sound.

Canned Grouse: The Famous Grouse launched a premixed can in 2010, combining one measure of whisky with cola at a steep price of GBP 1.75 a can in supermarkets. The can has been brought out to stay contemporary in the fast-expanding premixed cans market, as well as opening up a new target audience to the brand.

Edrington Group gifted a 21ft statue of a red grouse to Perth in November 2010 as part of its support for Perth’s 800th Anniversary of Perth’s Royal Charter celebrations. The imposing statue, built by Ruaraig Maciver, can be found on the Broxden roundabout, a key gateway to Perth.

Over time, the mascot has evolved from a silhouetted gamecock to the unmistakable painted likeness of not just any grouse, but an adult male “Red Grouse” (Lagopus lagopus scotica) sporting his red eye-combs while standing tall and strutting about on guard in the bleak Scottish landscape. He’s even been christened: Gilbert.

Gilbert “the Red” enjoyed a good and long reign as the lone, undisputed claimant of The Famous Grouse title. No longer. Today, there isn’t just the one famous grouse, but a small covey of famous grouse. The two new birds that have joined Gilbert on the block are the snowy Willow Ptarmigan (Lagopus lagopus) on the Snow Grouse, a blended grain whisky specifically designed to be drunk cold, served straight from the freezer and the Blackcock (Tetrao tetrix) on The Famous Grouse Smoky Black.

The pace of premiumisation was stepped up in its unrelenting bid to give the brand a renewed thrust. There was an urgent necessity to do so, as brand sales were flattening, losing out to the onslaught of single malts. Edrington’s Financial Report 2019 states that sales of The Famous Grouse declined in 2018-19 by 8%, despite which setback its market share grew in core markets. The chart, reflecting sales in million 9l cases, extrapolated from scotchwhisky.com, thespiritsbusiness.com’s Scotch Whisky Brand Champions 2014/19 and thedrinksbusiness.com does reflect public opinion. Its pole position in Scotland, however, remains unchallenged, while achieving its highest-ever market share in the UK. It is also the market leader in Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Denmark, the Netherlands and Cyprus. Its progress outside the EU/Europe and the USA seems to lack the same intensity. The effect of Brexit remains to be seen.

BRAND	OWNER	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	% +/-
Johnnie Walker	Diageo	20.1	17.9	17.6	17.4	18.3	18.9	3.5%
Ballantine’s	Pernod Ricard	6.0	6.1	6.2	6.7	6.9	7.4	7.6%
Grant’s	Wm Grant & Sons	4.7	4.4	4.4	4.5	4.5	4.6	0.8%
Chivas Regal	Pernod Ricard	4.6	4.6	4.4	4.3	4.2	4.5	5.4%
Wm Lawson’s	Bacardi	2.8	3.1	3.1	3.0	3.1	3.3	4.8%
J&B	Diageo	4.0	3.7	3.5	3.5	3.4	3.2	-7.9%
Famous Grouse	Edrington	3.0	3.04	3.1	3.0	3.04	3.0	-1.3%
William Peel	Marie Brizard	2.6	2.8	2.9	3.0	3.1	3.0	-3.2%
Dewar’s	Bacardi	3.0	2.7	2.7	2.8	2.6	2.8	6.4%
Black & White	Diageo	N/A	1.3	1.5	1.8	2.4	2.7	14.9%

The growing popularity of single malts has led some distilleries to stop selling certain malt whiskies, reducing options for blenders. The classic example saw even Edrington struggling to get enough heavily peated malt of the right style to use in The Famous Grouse Smoky Black to complement the Ruaidh Maor, a solution first thought of in 2009 in order to ensure a consistent supply of heavily peated new make in an Islay style at Glenturret – two styles, same distillery. 

But the Glenturret distillery and its single malt brands were acquired by the Swiss Lalique Group and the Swiss/French wine producer and distributor Art & Terroir half and half on 01 Apr 2019. It previously was “The Home of The Famous Grouse”. Edrington will keep this well-known Blended Scotch Whisky and will give it a new home. The move comes two years after Edrington announced plans to switch its Perth-based management office to a new consolidated headquarters building in Glasgow. The sale severs Edrington’s last physical tie to the region, although the company may well continue to be a customer of Glenturret in future as the malt is a key constituent of The Famous Grouse blend.

The other Blended Scotch brands from the Famous Grouse portfolio are the Black Grouse Alpha heavily peated and the 12-year-old. The Alpha edition glided into travel retail in 2013 and then the main market as the Smoky Black gradually fades away. Neatly designed, the noble black grouse, otherwise known as a blackcock, Tetrao tetrix retains its haughty look of disdain, with a feather added to its neck. The initial years had the sleek black bottle clad in a crocheted overlay, with the feather sticking out cheekily.

The Video game Unravel Two: The Famous Grouse - PART 8, developed by the Swedish company Coldwood Interactive in 1916 and published by Electronic Arts, an American company, helped in promoting the brand in Europe, according to Master Taster Horst Luening at Whisky.de and at Whisky.com in his review of both the standard edition and the Black Grouse Alpha Edition. Related links to YouTube are placed below the video.

The Black Grouse Alpha Edition bottle has a red cork like the eye-comb on the grouse and celebrates the annual lek, where hordes of male blackcocks strut about in full splendour trying to outdo each other and win over the watching and waiting female. The Alpha uses mainly Glenturret and Tamdhu single malts, with only traces of Highland Park and The Macallan. The expensive Alpha has a cork whereas the others use screwtops. Its ppm level is assessed as between 7-9.

                             

The Famous Grouse

The Black Grouse Alpha Edition

39 Ads Set To The Plink Plonk Theme

SINGLE MALTS: The company released, among its half dozen odd single malt expressions, limited edition Single Malts of 1986 and 1988 vintage, bottled in 2014, generating a minor controversy. The vintage showed that the single malts were laid under the aegis of Highland Distillers, but the bottling was during the current Edrington era. The labels mentioned that this was a Glenturret single malt, which distillery was never under Highland Distillers.

The Famous Grouse 1988 was a 25 YO Single Malt bottled specifically for Taiwan. One cask was available for bottling, providing 312 700ml bottles. These were shipped at an ABV of 49.0%, labelled The Famous Grouse - Glenturret Single Cask Limited Edition 1988. Since these bottles never appeared in Europe, any controversy surrounding it abated naturaliter.

The 1986 vintage bottling controversy did build up and was quicky quashed by Edrington using legal means. The Famous Grouse 1986 was released as a 28 YO Single Malt specially bottled for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014. The keen-eyed discerned that this whisky was actually 27 yr and 11 months old - not 28 years old. The whisky was subsequently withdrawn, but not before approximately 100 bottles had been sold. The label was reprinted, with the new version giving the distillation date and bottling date, rather than years. The label still denotes it is a single malt from Glenturret, bottled under the Famous Grouse brand.

The Naked Grouse, which is essentially a Blended Malt whisky that harks back to au naturelle, also had a difficult-to-find Blended Scotch version till 2015.

Visitors’ Centre: Remy Cointreau bought Glenturret distillery from James Farley in 1981 and built a Visitors’ Centre. Highland Distillers acquired the distillery in 1990, which went to Edrington in 1999-2000. The centre was rebuilt for £2.2m in 2002 as The Famous Grouse Experience, the home of the Gloag heritage. But the Glenturret distillery and its single malt brands were acquired by Swiss wine producer and distributor Art & Terroir and the Lalique Group in Dec 2018, with a complete handover in a 100-odd days period ending 01 April 2019. Silvio Denz and Hansjörg Wyss will each own a 50% stake and have plans for their own Visitors' Centre. The previous “Home of The Famous Grouse” was closed and Edrington stated that they would retain this well-known Blended Scotch Whisky and give it a new home.

Financial Year 2019: As figures trickle in, sales are showing an uptick of around 09% in value, buoyed mainly by a shining Macallan. Overall expenses have also increased and the prognosis is a low profit of around 01-1.5%. Apparently, The Famous Grouse is lagging a bit. This has forced Edrington, given its commitment to certain social causes and steep expenses in setting up the new Macallan distillery and visitor centre, to sell off a 10% share to Japan’s Suntory, which is already a shareholder in The Macallan and distributes several brands from the Edrington portfolio in markets including Japan, Germany, Canada and South Africa, and through joint ventures in the UK, Spain and Russia. Moreover, Edrington plans to shut down operations in South Korea by the end of March this year.

The Famous Grouse was awarded a Royal Warrant by Queen Elizabeth II in 1984.

Sources:
Famous for a Reason: The Story of the Famous Grouse by Charles Maclean, 2015.
The Famous Grouse: A Whisky Companion: Heritage, History, Recipes & Drinks by Ian Buxton, 2012.
whiskybase.com; Whiskypedia Scotch Whisky
Edrington Annual Reports 2015-19

THE DEWAR STORY

 DEWAR: ANOTHER GROCER TO WHISKY MAGNATE

A subsidiary of Bacardi since 1998, John Dewar and Sons is a Scottish distiller and whisky blender. The company has five distilleries: Aberfeldy, Aultmore, Craigellachie, MacDuff and Royal Brackla. John Dewar and Sons is headquartered at London Road, Glasgow which is also where the company’s ageing warehouses and blending facilities are sited

The story of the Dewar family and their whisky business is one of entrepreneurialism, creativity, forethought and sheer boldness. In 1846, John Dewar, a grocer who, like most grocers of that time, became dealers in spirits, opened a wine and spirits shop at 111 High Street in Perth. The premises remained in family ownership for the next 50 years, becoming the place of work for many of the 10 children of John and his wife Jane. Much like John Walker, Dewar began blending his own whisky years after setting up shop, until the 1860s when ‘mixture whisky’ was still relatively unknown in the area.

When Dewar died in 1880, the business was left in the hands of sons John Alexander and Thomas Robert (Tommy), who were only 24 and 16 years old respectively at the time. The tenacious Tommy Dewar slipped into London as a 21–year–old in 1885, armed with two sales leads, one of whom proved bankrupt and the other dead. Within a couple of decades, he had befriended the future Edward VII, owned Britain’s third motor car, was fabulously rich and destined for the House of Lords – all because of his single-minded push to build Dewar’s White Label through relentless advertising.

In 1886, the firm was renamed John Dewar & Sons, and Tommy had a firm grasp on the role of spreading the word of the business to London and overseas. In 1892 he set out on a two-year journey around the world, which was immortalised in his book A Ramble Round the Globe. This was an age of horse-drawn carriages and steam engines. Pace was slow and days could be long. Shipping times were uncertain. He also claimed to have invented the original Highball — made with whisky, soda, and ice — while visiting New York. His creative and revolutionary marketing techniques (including throwing empty bottles of Dewar’s overboard with reward notes inside for their finders) eventually became legendary. This extensive sojourn resulted in agents in 26 countries. Its cost of more than £500,000 (US$650,000) in today’s money was soon forgotten as orders began to pour in.

Within a year, business was booming and the company was granted a Royal Warrant by Queen Victoria. Within 20 years they had transformed a prosperous local business into a Scotch whisky powerhouse with a production capacity of 1m gallons, two distilleries and a burgeoning export trade. John handled the business in Scotland while his younger brother was the irrepressible frontman down south.

Tommy Dewar was a master of this new black art, and among his many ‘Dewarisms’ was the doctrine: “Keep advertising and advertising will keep you.” In 1898, he commissioned possibly the first filmed commercial, certainly for spirits, projecting it from the roof of Manhattan’s Pepper Building. It featured four actors in kilts dancing a drunken Highland fling under a Dewar’s banner. It wasn’t subtle, but New Yorkers were amazed. 15 years later, Londoners gawped at a giant illuminated Scotsman by Waterloo Bridge, whose kilt appeared to sway as his hand repeatedly raised a glass of Dewar’s.

The small Tullymet distillery leased by the family could no longer cope with production demands, so in 1898 John Alexander Dewar commissioned their second, the Aberfeldy distillery a few miles away. The following year, the business released its flagship expression – Dewar’s White Label. 

After Queen Victoria’s death and the accession of King Edward VII, John Dewar & Sons’ Royal Warrant was renewed – as it has been by every British monarch since – and Tommy Dewar was knighted.

Following the onset of the First World War and then Prohibition in the US, the company merged with Distillers Company Ltd in 1925 to help secure the future of the industry. It remained a separate fiefdom within DCL and was free to compete with its stablemates. In 1980 it replaced J&B as the top Scotch in America, and in six years was claiming a US market share of 15%, yet there were no real efforts to create a premium tier. If fans of ‘Doo­ers’ wanted to trade up they were cordially invited to drink Johnnie Walker Black, Blue or Gold.

The group eventually ended up in the hands of Diageo through a series of mergers, but in 1998 was sold to Bermuda-based rum group Bacardi, along with Bombay Sapphire gin. Bacardi’s first move was to instigate a packaging update for the brand and establish a home for it. In 2000, Dewar’s World of Whisky was opened at Aberfeldy distillery, which now attracts over 30,000 visitors a year. 

In the US there’s nothing ‘moderately well­-known’ about Dewar’s White Label, which was sold for an estimated US$1.4bn. It “was then, and still is, the number-­one Scotch whisky by the label in the US”, according to Bacardi. Johnnie Walker may be a bigger brand in the States, but it seemed White Label was the country’s favourite single bottle of Scotch.

Bacardi saw the potential to grow into the premium and ultra­premium segments and launched Dewar’s 12, 15 and 18-Year Old. The labels on the new DEWAR’S bottles incorporated special features to help consumers discover the stories behind the Scotch whisky. In addition, all DEWAR’S premium and super-premium whiskies carry individual statements of ageing and provenance. As a nod to its heritage and exceptional craft, each bottle of DEWAR’S Signature comes with a unique certificate of authenticity, signed by the Master Blender.

The most distinctive feature of the new DEWAR’S look is the trefoil Celtic truth knot that has been embossed onto the glass of every bottle. A visual representation of DEWAR’S strength and longevity shows three interlocking D's that represent the three men who created the company that endures to this day — John Dewar and his sons, John Alexander Dewar and Tommy Dewar.

With demand for premium Scotch whisky growing worldwide, in 2007 Bacardi invested US$250m in expanding production capacity at its Glasgow site and developing a new maturation facility at Poniel. 

The brand made its first venture into ‘flavoured Scotch’ with the introduction of Dewar’s Highlander Honey in 2013, while a second brand makeover was implemented in 2014. A new no-age-statement expression called Scratched Cask was introduced in May 2015. The Highlander Honey launch proved contentious and was quietly dropped, as was the case with the disparaged Drinking Man campaign of 2012.

In 2017, the company introduced Dewar’s 25 Year Old to its core range as a replacement for Dewar’s Signature; two years later, the first of a planned series of ‘innovative’ finishes, Dewar’s Caribbean Smooth (extra-matured in rum casks) was launched in North America. They were subsequently bottled at 46% ABV, sans chill filtration/ addition of e-150A Caramel colour.

Dewar's is certainly doing well in the US. As one of the classic blends, Dewar’s has retained its reputation as an accessible, smooth Scotch while modernising its range in recent years, with its White Label at its core, which delivers the brand’s signature soft honey, vanilla and floral flavours; Besides the 12 YO, 8/15/18/21/25/27 and 32-year-old expressions are also available. It won 14 of the 15 slots available for Blended Scotch whiskies at the 2021 International Whisky Competition. Revered by discerning Scotch whisky drinkers around the globe, John Dewar & Sons has won more than 500 medals for quality and taste.

               

Then came the Double Series, first with 21 and 27 YO whiskies. The 25 and 32 YO were to follow. Dewar’s takes pride in their double ageing process. They are masters in ageing their blended whisky, so going one step forward was a natural progression. But instead of going for a triple ageing process, they’ve decided that a fourth ageing stage would be key for their new range of blends: Dewar’s Double Double.

In 2019, Stephanie Macleod, the seventh master distiller at Dewar’s, used her award-winning idea by ageing the whiskies an additional year in a separate family of casks to create a new range of award-winning ‘Double Double’ whiskies. She added a 32 YO to this range.

To do so, they first aged their single grains and single malts in oak barrels, as normal. Then, they blended each style, ageing a blend of their sourced grain and a blend of their sourced malt in a new set of oak barrels, albeit still separately at this stage. The third step of the process was the ageing of the married grain and malt whiskies in another set of exhausted oak barrels. The cherry on top for the Dewar’s Double Double 21 is the Oloroso Sherry cask finish.

Dewar’s Double Double 21-year-old is bottled at 46% ABV in 50cl bottles (all double-doubles are). The bottles show a completely different style from Dewar’s. The bottle is shaped like a diamond and showcases a more simple label.

They are found to be excellent sipping whiskies. They are exceptionally smooth, delicate, and nuanced, featuring a spectrum of flavours, depth of intensity, layers of complexity, and individual characters. It’s not common to find 27-and 32-YO expressions on the shelves, let alone with such cask finishes.

The 21-Year-Old

Appearance: The colour of the whisky is mahogany.

Nose: On the nose is sweet, highlighting honey and vanilla aromas but also an intense sherry touch. There are fruity notes of peaches and baked apples, with a citrus note of orange peel. It is spicy, with intense black pepper notes and a touch of roasted meat. There are also some notes of toasted oak and nuts.

Palate: On the palate, it bursts with intense fruit notes and a strong character. There are peaches, pears, and ripe grapes, but also a citrus touch. It is spicy, highlighting cinnamon and white pepper notes. A touch of coffee and chocolate gives more presence to the palate, adjusting discretely the oak notes. Towards the end, the Oloroso notes come to the foreground.

Finish: The finish is long and pointy, with a sherry touch.

Overall: To produce a blend you need an incredible capacity to balance all the ingredients perfectly. Dewar’s Double Double 21 is a fantastic sample of how to make a quality blend. It has enough character (probably because it is bottled at 46% abv) to give a full flavour. But it is also quite balanced, or “smooth” as Dewar’s says, to nimbly pass through the palate.

The Price: An expensive 50 Cl for € 60/-

The 27-Year-Old

To repeat, Double Double maturation is a four-stage ageing process. The first step involves single malts and single grains which have been aged separately for two years less than the stated age. Then the single malts are blended together and rested in exhausted casks for six months. The single grains are also processed in the very same fashion. Then, the blended single malts and blended single grains that have been rested are blended together and again rested in exhausted casks for six months. Finally, the blended scotch finishes its maturation in Sherry casks for twelve to fifteen months. This final Sherry cask is different for each expression. What is not revealed in all three Double Doubles is their mash bill.

Dewar’s Double Double Aged 27 Years Old – Finished in Palo Cortado Sherry casks, a rarity. This blend should deliver heady, aromatic, floral notes with honeyed fruits and subtle spice and the characteristic silky smooth finish.

Appearance: The 27 year is very clear and the colour of clover honey syrup – a touch paler than the 21-year-old. The whisky beads and slowly forms thick tears.

Nose: The nose is heavy with notes of nougat and almonds, peach nectar, apricots and dried rose petals then a distinct dry Sherry note — slightly salty, slightly sour, slightly mushroomy.

Palate: The palate has less overt Sherry character than expected, though leather and mushroom are dominant, along with some nutty chocolate bar notes. As it sets in the glass, a tiny whiff of smoke emerges: smouldering straw and brown sugar. Oddly, the entire thing comes together as somewhat more youthful than the age stated.

Finish: Lengthy, with more citrus apparent. Certainly zesty.

The Price €150

Overall: Dewar's 27-Year Double Double may be the most untamed by sherry casks of the whiskies in the line. The expression does seem hot for an old whisky! But this whisky has a lot going for it; all the interesting notes. A subtle fruitiness with muted spices and a hint of ginger. The good news is that the variations in woodwork show a positive influence. Best appreciated neat rather than with water as H2O amplifies spice and suppresses honey and caramel.

The 32-Year-Old

Dewar's Double Double 32 Year is a Blended Scotch crafted by master blender Stephanie Macleod which is aged in a four-stage ageing process. Its 32nd year is spent in an ex-Pedro Ximenez Sherry cask.

The Double Doubles are 46% ABV and have an undisclosed mash bill, though they are all blended Scotch whiskies. The 32-year-old is aged in Pedro Ximénez sherry casks and retails at $250 for 500mL.

Appearance: In the glass, the 32-year-old looks like blackberry honey – just a hint of red. It quickly forms fat tears.

Nose: Aromas of chimney smoke predominate, underlaid with pectin-heavy peach crisp. Toasted bread and caramel sauce notes follow.

Palate: The whisky equivalent of holding a puppy: sweet and warm. Balanced spice and stone fruit, a memory of smoke and a long finish of white flowers. The mouthfeel is heavy, but the spirit is not at all cloying or overwhelmed by the sherry.

Finish: The finish is enduring but sharp and a bit tight, showing fortified wine notes and plenty more of that classic PX character. One to really pore over as it slowly reveals its charms, becoming silky smooth.

Overall: Finally the Double Double concept seems worth it. Smooth and pretty, a truly enjoyable spirit.

Price: €230 for 50Cl. The most full-bodied in the Double Double line, it would make an excellent nightcap. Worth a splurge if you can afford it.

THE COMPONENT SINGLE MALTS IN THE WHITE LABEL

The Aberfeldy single malts are the most pronounced in Dewar’s blends, making up the largest percentage. They are considered the heart of the blend. Aberfeldy’s single malts carry a pronounced honey flavour, with oak and nuts—and many of their older malts carry a raisin-like sweetness followed by subtle spice.

Aultmore is close to the heart! Running the stills slow helps to maximise reflux, but the shape also allows some heavier elements to come across. In character, therefore, Aultmore is fragrant on the nose and substantial on the tongue. In fact, so highly prized is it as a blending malt that it is said that when Bacardi was in the process of buying Dewar’s from Diageo, it was willing to walk away from the deal if Aultmore wasn’t included.

The Craigellachie Distillery produces signature Speyside whiskies. This distillery, however, features something very unique in the world of Scotch distillation with their new make spirit entering worm tubs on the distillery rooftop, directly impacting the whisky flavour profile. Craigellachie’s historic distillery and their superior single malts lend their sweetness to the Dewar’s range, the White Label in particular.

Royal Brackla produces delicate, complex single malts with fruitier notes, and a bit of leafiness. It factors prominently within Dewar’s blends.

A modern distillery, Macduff, the whisky of which is bottled by its owner as either Glen Deveron or The Deveron. 

Dailuaine, once owned by Dewar & Sons, produces a heavy ‘meaty’ make thanks to long fermentation, rapid distillation and the use of stainless steel in the condensers to cut down on copper interaction. The ex-Sherry cask finish shows this mix of richness and sweetness.

Miltonduff, with a very fresh, floral new make character shows out to be a charming, light single malt, perfect for adding top notes to a restrained and elegant blend. Its palate has a succulent texture.

MEMORIES OF 2022

 SOME CLASSICS OF THE YEAR GONE BY

It can be a challenging time for many folks who struggle to first determine and then find the best whiskies available. Thankfully, if you are a Scotch whisky enthusiast, you won’t have that problem. The only thing you really have to determine is what you’re willing to spend on that bottle. Once you answer that question, consult the list compiled below. It contains a broad cross-section of single malts ranging from reasonable in price to prohibitive. The common thread connecting them is they’re all exceptional spirits that have been released relatively recently. Happy hunting.

The Dalmore 14-Year-Old Highland Single Malt Scotch — $90

The Dalmore is one of the marquee names in ultra-luxury. To wit, its Decades collection—featuring six bottles dating back to 1951—sold at a Sotheby’s auction for $1.124 million. Luckily you can score a taste of the brand’s famously lush liquid for far less. Earlier this year saw the launch of its first release finished in Pedro Ximenez casks. It’s a 14 YO malt that brims with marmalade and cacao. And it’s already a big hit with aficionados, keeping the till ringing. Unfortunately, The Dalmore 14-Year-Old will be available exclusively in the U.S. With luck, one should see it elsewhere too.

The Dalmore 14’s signature feature is its sole use of “rare Pedro Ximénez casks from the House of Gonzalez Byass,” rather than other sherry styles such as oloroso that are more commonly used by Dalmore. The company is positioning it as their first Principal Collection bottle to exclusively be matured in PX sherry, which will presumably make those concentrated fruity flavours its biggest calling card. As a bonus, it also has a slightly higher strength than the core Dalmore 12 or Dalmore 15 expressions, which both weigh in at a mere 40% ABV. This one is 43.8% ABV, a nice incremental upgrade, though a bit under the 44% ABV of Dalmore Cigar Malt Reserve or the 46.5% ABV of Dalmore Port Wood Reserve. Regardless, it’s likely an admission that the global market really prefers an elevated proof point. The sun-drenched, intense sweetness of the PX sherry wine adds delicious new layers of flavour and perfectly complements The Dalmore’s house style and rich notes of citrus, liquorice and caramel. With notes of figs, Medjool dates and maple syrup, The Dalmore 14 Year is ideal to cherish and enjoy with others.

Nose: On the nose, this one doesn’t immediately strike me as one of the more assertive Dalmore expressions I’ve encountered, but I suspect this is also a result of having tasted so many barrel-proof expressions lately. What this one really needs is a few minutes to open up in the glass, which reveals increasingly strong waves of caramel, syrupy dark fruit compote—blackberry and currant—and raisin. It’s slightly toasty in character, with a suggestion of honeycomb and a little cocoa. After a few minutes, the sherry really opens up in a big way, with increasingly punchy and vinous fruit notes and roasted nuts. Sweet, fruity and inviting.

Palate: On the palate, this is again decidedly on the sweet and fruity side, with bright red and black fruit and a little orange citrus, but it’s balanced out by equally assertive roastiness and sharp coffee, along with mocha. There’s a licorice-like spice as well, while the fruitiness suggests confections the first time around, baked pie or cobbler. Over time, this also grows more overtly sherry-like, with more dried fruit and oxidized wine notes. The coffee, meanwhile, gives it just a bit of roast astringency, which helps balance the considerable sweetness. All in all, it drinks quite easily, with muted ethanol but a slightly thin mouthfeel. As is often the case with The Dalmore, the balance of flavours is superb, but the question of what this might be like at an even more elevated strength closer to 50% ABV never escapes the mind. That might really be a showstopper.

Finish: The finish sees rich dark fruits return, licorice, marmalade and depths of cocoa.

Overall: All in all, though, this is an excellent expression, one that has a tendency to grow in the glass—my enjoyment rose appreciably from first taste to last. I’m still not sure that it necessarily stands out from the rest of the Dalmore Principal Collection in a way that makes it an indispensable new addition, and the $90 MSRP isn’t exactly cheap, but at the same time, the rampant price-gouging in the world of American whiskey makes it feel quite a lot more palatable than perhaps it once would have. Fans looking to enjoy the rich, decadent interplay of fruit and roast will find much to like here.

Tomatin Portuguese Collection — $102

Tomatin is a Highland single malt Scotch whisky distillery known for its intense, high-toned and fruity spirit, with its oldest expressions moving into tropical fruits. It is Tomatin’s much-improved wood policy which has brought it to the notice of single malt lovers. A higher percentage of first-fill casks – ex-Bourbon and ex-Sherry – has given more flesh and structure to the always top-notch spirit.

A trio of malt distillate was laid down in the Highland distillery on September 8th, 2006. After 8 years, the stock was split into one of 3 types of secondary barrels and left to age for 7 more years. The Port Edition is a stone fruit stunner. The Moscatel Edition is more concerned with ginger and citrus, while the Madeira Edition is all about that butter. Each one stands alone as a solid bargain for 15 YO spirit from a perennially overlooked producer. If you’re feeling particularly greedy, however, buy the entire and see how impactful cask selection is on flavour.

Although the first manifestation of Tomatin only ran between 1897 and 1906, its reopening under new management in 1909 saw the start of a remarkable journey which would culminate in this remote Highland outpost in between Aviemore and Inverness becoming the largest malt whisky distillery in Scotland.

Its expansion (and contraction) mirrors accurately the mood of the industry: from two stills to four in 1956, four to six in ‘58, up to 11 in ’61 and then in 1974 the most dramatic expansion of all, with 12 stills being installed, bringing the total to 23 and overall capacity to 10m litres per annum. It couldn’t last. Even in 1974, the first indications of a downturn in Scotch’s fortunes were being noticed. Tomatin never ran at full capacity and in 1986 went into liquidation.

The site was saved however by two of its Japanese bulk customers, Takara Shuzo and Okura & Co, making it the first Scotch distillery to be under Japanese control. There has been a slow but steady recalibration ever since. The company bought blending firm J&W Hardie in 1997, adding the prestigious Antiquary blend to its portfolio. Eleven of the stills were taken offline in 2000 and today only 2m litres are produced from six wash and four spirit stills. The other major change has been a shift in emphasis from bulk supply to single malt (as well as Antiquary) – again Tomatin is mirroring the market's continuing evolution. The single malt range has been widened in terms of age statements and the management has introduced a peated variant, Cu Bocan.

                          

The Royal Brackla 18 YO Palo Cortado Finish — $300

The Royal Brackla distillery is located northeast of Inverness, Scotland, the largest city in the Scottish Highlands. The distillery was founded in 1812 and in 1833, was awarded a Royal Warrant by King William IV, becoming the first Scotch to be honoured as such (thus the right to use the “Royal” in its name). Royal Brackla changed ownership several times over the last century and was even closed for a period in the mid-1980s before it was “resurrected” in 1990. Bacardi Limited, the world’s largest privately held spirits company, owns Dewar’s Aberfeldy brand which, in turn, counts Royal Brackla as one of its labels. The distillery set-up is all about creating and then capturing esters – the fermentation is long, the lyne arms of the stills are angled upwards, the copper conversation a long one and the reflux plentiful. As well as having this fresh, perfumed fruitiness Brackla also possesses a clean acidity, and it is this which allows it to cut through the powerful flavours given during ageing in various types of ex-Sherry casks, the maturation style chosen by Dewar’s for its single malt releases.

The Royal Brackla 18-year-old single malt Scotch whisky 750ML arrived in style. This aromatic dram has been finished in Palo Cortado Sherry Casks This stunning new bottle design encases a complex and enticing whisky. Tasting notes abound of rich spices, creamy vanilla, succulent soft fruits and cocoa powder, brightened with a zing of citrus.

Palo Cortado is a rare type of Sherry that starts out as ageing under the flor, with an eye on becoming either a Fino or Amontillado. To become a Palo Cortado, that cap of flor must fall apart, exposing the wine to the air inside the cask and promoting oxidation. The result is a Sherry that sits between Oloroso and Amontillado. The fact that a cask of Palo Cortado usually results from a twist of fate rather than design marks it out as an exotic beast indeed

This 18-year-old expression is the middle release in a new range of single malts from the distillery – the other two bookend at 12 and 21-year-old expressions. The whisky has no added caramel colouring, nor does it undergo any chill filtration. As with the other regular Royal Brackla malts, the 18-year-old is bottled at a strong 46% ABV. This single malt is pleasant but far too expensive at $299.

Appearance: A light, yellow gold.

Nose: Subtle and mellow at first blush, with green apple, and a pleasant airy oakiness. The sherry’s influence is there, but it took a few good sniffs to lock it down.

Palate: Some peaches and vanilla cream again, with tart lemon juice and golden raisins; ginger and grapefruit peel with a subtle oily note in the background. A mildly nutty side again. Herbal teas, bitter almonds and walnuts. A perfectly likeable combination of honey, fruit, and Sherry.

Finish: An enjoyable medium-long finish, with the spice and vanilla staying strong while introducing a balanced complexity one doesn’t experience up front. Marketed beyond its class and definitely overpriced.

The Royal Brackla is known as the 'The King's Own Whisky'.  These sherried malts are hardly a novelty to Scotch enthusiasts. In fact, more often than not, the most sought-after single malts are ones that have matured in ex-sherry casks. But the sort of sherry used to season those casks is typically PX, Oloroso, or even Amontillado or Fino. Royal Brackla’s 18-year-old offering, finished in far rarer casks has delivered complex and compelling results. It’s kind of like cream soda in dram form, with a slightly warming citrus and clove finish. A unique sipping experience for the Spanish fortified wine fan in your secret epicurean life.

Bruichladdich Octomore Edition 13.3 —$330

For the peathead in you, your bottle of Octomore will always be unwrapped with considerable glee. This one is cause for celebration, boasting barley malted to 129.3 PPM. If that PPM means something to you, don’t worry, it is way below the double and triple hundred PPM whiskies bottled in earlier years. Moreover, the PPM value is that of the malt before the transformation into spirit has started. It was distilled from barley grown on Islay, on a single farm within stone’s reach of the distillery where it was eventually crafted. It took shape in barrels of American whiskey followed by secondary maturation in European oak casks from both France and Spain. In other words: it’s a beast...But a worldly, sophisticated sort of beast.

Distilled in 2016 from the 2015 harvest of 100% Octomore Farm-grown Concerto barley, then matured for 5 years in a combination of first-fill bourbon and second-fill European oak barrels that previously held Rivesaltes and Ribera del Duero wines — a slight shift on the usual formula, which is typically bourbon only. Rather hot and well-rounded, with less overt smoke and ash and a strong fruit character on the nose, showcasing lemon and orange peel. Fruit moves into nutty nougat on the palate, informed by a moderated seaside bonfire character — smoke and salt and seaweed all in a swirl. This whisky is an exercise in not just peat, but the effects of barrel maturation, barley provenance and terroir on the flavour of a whisky. And it’s also proof that a single malt scotch doesn’t have to be aged for at least a decade to obtain a complexity of flavour. The overall composition is more iconic Octomore than most, if one can say that. This 13.2 is unique and those looking for something right in line with tradition will find this on point. 61.1% ABV!

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Aromas of malt sugar and gentle peat smoke lead you into the dram. Layers of fresh green fruit come next followed by rose, geranium, apricot, and eucalyptus. Marzipan, ginger nut biscuits, and honeyed melon can also come through, with the malty fruity character coming to the fore with a little time. Adding a drop of water will bring out the peat smoke beautifully.

Palate: A soft and delicate on the palate, sweet honey and brown sugar give way to a whisper of peat smoke. The second sip brings lemon rind and seashells, a delicate marine hint along with malty biscuit notes and marzipan and coconut. The peat smoke has hints of boot polish and ash but is gentle enough to allow the subtle floral malty notes to shine.

Finish: The marine character develops and the smoke increases on the palate, honey and lemon with warm sand and marzipan. Final fruity traces of peach and stewed pears bring a little sweetness to the finish.

Overall: An Islay whisky through and through, the provenance of this Octomore expression is unrivalled. The complex flavour of the soil that raised the barley and the classic peat smoke define this whisky's character, speaking of the place it is from.

Octomore single malt has defied received whisky wisdom since its launch in 2008. Matured for five years, always super-heavily peated and bottled close to cask strength, Octomore’s surprising elegance has led the powers that be at Bruichladdich to define it as “The Impossible Equation”.

There are many attributes they share with their distant Gaelic forefathers: stubborn, resolute, self-sufficient, hard-working, enduring, straight-talking, passionate and philosophical, albeit with a certain roguish quality.

They are proudly nonconformist, as has always been the way in these Western Isles. Oirthir Gaidheal, the Coast of the Gaels, the 'land of the outsider'. They passionately believe in terroir - in authenticity, place and provenance, and ultimate traceability.

They seek to produce the most natural, thought-provoking and enjoyable spirits possible. Obsessive? Probably. But if all you want is generic spirit, the world is awash with the stuff. Indulge yourself there. At Bruichladdich, they are Progressive Hebridean Distillers. This isn't just a form of words. It is a statement of identity and philosophy. They respect the past but don't live in its shadow. They believe in innovation and progress while striving to create intriguing spirits - spirits with remarkable integrity and provenance, in moving forward, asking questions and challenging convention and continuing to rebel against the traditional world of Scotch whisky. They're not afraid to push the boundaries and go against the status quo.

When it comes to distilling, they see this not as an industrial practice but rather an ancient art - an art that has intrigued the human spirit for centuries. A mysterious and enigmatic alchemy that explores the very depths of the distiller’s soul. They make our whisky the same way as their predecessors - by hand, taste, nose and eye.

It is this manual control of the entire process and the ultimate knowledge of every pipe, valve and detail that gives them the authority to not only distil three different styles of single malt, but also the first Islay dry gin. It is in their commitment to protecting core values of authenticity, provenance and transparency that they have earned the right to call themselves Progressive Hebridean Distillers.

Since Bruichladdich’s resurrection in 2001, their ambitions have gone beyond the simple idea of making and selling single malt scotch whisky. The goal was to be an antidote to the industry norm. They set course to be pioneers, provocateurs and change makers. Reconnecting the land and the dram, re-evaluating the prescribed ‘rules’ of the industry, questioning where the flavour comes from and understanding why agricultural ecosystems are important. This was a journey that would go on to inspire an army of distillers and drinkers across the world.

On this path, it is discovered that the more you learn, the more you know what you need to do. Today, their commitments to people and the planet grow stronger, ensuring the use of their business as a force for good. With an empowered team, they pursue this bigger purpose and maintain the mission to create the most thought-provoking spirits. As Progressive Hebridean Distillers, it is hoped their actions will stimulate other entrepreneurial start-ups to emerge on this island home and further afield, each one adding richness and diversity, paving the way for an increasingly dynamic and self-sufficient future.

.1: 100 % Scottish barley, matured in American oak, mainly 1st fill

.2: 100 % Scottish barley, matured in American oak + finished in European oak (ex-Bordeaux, ex-Sauternes, ex-Amarone, etc.)

.3: 100 % Islay barley, matured in either only American oak or a combination of American and European oak

.4: 100 % Scottish barley, matured in American oak, often virgin American oak

10 YO: 100 % Scottish barley, matured typically in a mix of American and European oak. Has now replaced the .4

There have been 46 Official releases and two Independent releases to date. Initially only five years old, there have now been several releases of 6/7/8/10/12 YOs and one 13 YO.

The Octomore Masterclass_08.3 Islay Barley, 5 YO, 61.2 % ABV of Sep 2017 is their peatiest expression till today. The "normal" peat level for Octomore in the last few years has been 167 ppm, with three going past the 200 mark. This time around they have turned it all the way up to 309 ppm! The edition sold out in no time. The highlights were:

• The most heavily-peated Octomore to date - at 309 ppm!
• One farm, one field, one vintage
• Distilled in 2011 from the 2010 harvest
• 56% full-term ex-Bourbon, 44% full-term European oak maturation
• 18 000 bottles

The European oak casks previously held Paulliac, Ventoux, Rhone and Burgundy wines.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: There is a wall of peat here. A wall with a door with a sign with a message reading "Here be phenols! Approach with caution!". A lot spicier than the 8.1. , even 'hostile' conditions.

Taste: Raw ..! Of course there's peat and a certain level of smokiness on the palate as well. Numbs the tongue, so it is a good thing this is a blog. A swimming pool filled with habanero sauce, a huge bean bag full of Szechuan peppers, a ten-storey chimney filled with ashes, and a burnt-down fruit orchard.

Finish: Medium-long finish. Again, as with the 8.1, it turns so delightful, fruity, sweet and soft once the initial shock has abated. Fun how the Szechuan pepper stays all the way to the end. Hot, hot embers of pepper and orchard fruits. There is hardly any bitterness here though. A touch of bitter-ish oak, and there you have it. Sorted!

The Bowmore Arc-52 — $75,000

Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Whether you read that as a promise or a threat might serve as an indicator of how you feel about a 52-year-old single malt that costs more than most luxury cars. This striking creation celebrates the very definition of balance; a point in time where past meets present; where function meets style and where character is intensified. Bringing together the deeply intriguing spirit of Bowmore and the ground-breaking visionary style of Aston Martin, true synergy is created to realise spectacular innovations with the capacity to redefine perspectives and perceptions. A truly futuristic take on a whisky vessel design, seen through the lens of some of the world’s foremost and ground-breaking car visionaries. The design merges natural and man-made contours and shapes in a striking creation which effectively balances on two points, making it seem almost weightless.

Of course, it's hard to fault Bowmore for rolling out the metaphorical red carpet for the ARC-52, the brand's latest partnership with Aston Martin. It's not every day a legendary distillery rolls out a 52-year-old whiskey, and it's not every day a distillery teams up with an automotive icon to create a bottle worthy of installation in an art museum itself.

What exactly does ultra-luxury whisky have to do with an ultra-luxury vehicle? Well, for starters, the stunning contours of the crystal decanter actually evoke the streamlined edges of a Vantage sports car. Also, you literally need a fob to open the metallic topper guarding this sacred liquid. In short, it’s unlike anything you’ve ever seen in the world of whisky. And it holds within the vibrant tropical notes typical to ‘60s-era Bowmore. It was matured for 52 years in two parts: American oak hogshead and European sherry butts, combined to make 100 bottles. 50 were released last year and 50 more this year, 2023. 

                       

Bowmore has drawn inspiration from its stunning surroundings. Islay is home to some of the oldest strata in the world. These rocks have been shaped by the wild elements of Islay over a long period of time, transformed by seasons and enriched by the wild elements. These formations surround Bowmore distillery and they are linked to the origins of their name itself.

Bowmore is the first licensed Islay distillery and calls itself the original Islay. The pioneer that has stood on the shores of Lochindaal, a sea loch opening out into the wild Atlantic Ocean, since 1779. To this day, the distillery still operates in traditional ways, honouring the original whisky-making techniques. Bowmore is still handcrafted today. Time is invested at every stage. And this care and attention to detail create the unique and timeless house style of Bowmore. Unparalleled single malts that remain unimitated and age like no other on Islay.

A truly futuristic take on a whisky vessel design, seen through the lens of some of the world’s foremost and ground-breaking car visionaries. The design merges natural and man-made contours and shapes in a striking creation which effectively balances on two points, making it seem almost weightless.

The ARC-52 is absolutely one of the best Scotch whiskies to taste. It's amazingly well-balanced and light for a spirit that's been maturing in a sherry butt and American oak ex-Bourbon hogshead casks for more than half a century. On the nose, it's dominated, unexpectedly, by flavours of fruit — light, tropical notes that bring to mind sea breezes and swaying palm trees. Those fruit flavours dominate the palate and finish, as well; they're never overpowering, never cloying or sickly, but simply fresh — it has a freshness you wouldn't expect from a 50-year-old whisky.

Tasting Notes

Colour: Deep burnished gold.

Nose: Creamy and fruity with notes of vanilla and custard cream but also well-defined peach, pear, kumquat, mandarin, a hint of guava with herbal notes of fresh mint and eucalyptus.

Taste: Sweet, very fruity and a touch citric with the flavour of green grapes and peach melba, clementine, lime zest but also nutty notes of almond and hazelnuts, tobacco leaves with a lightly peaty ashy and buttery character.

Finish: Herbal with exotic fresh fruits, praline and butterscotch notes.

The decanter is divided into two parts: the glass vessel that holds the liquid, and the metal cap that covers up the mouth. That part is magnetically clasped to the top of the bottle, so it won't tumble off or rattle around. In order to unlock it, Bowmore provides you with a magnet inside a metal lozenge that looks almost exactly like the ones used to lock and unlock cars; hold it against the bottle in the right place, and boop, the magnet releases and the metal sheath slides off the mouth of the bottle.

The Glendronach: Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Big, bold and most commonly Sherried, Glendronach is an old-style whisky which echoes the substantial Victorian buildings in which it is made.

Inside the distillery are a traditional rake and plough mash tun, wooden washbacks and four stills which were coal-fired until 2005, the last in Scotland to be heated in this way. Today there is just a quiet susurration of steam in the stillhouse, but the oddly shaped wash still and the plain sides of the spirit still cut back on reflux, helping to build weight in the spirit.

THE ORIGINAL

These days, ex-Sherry casks are the distillery’s signature style. Some are 100% Sherry matured, and some started in ex-Bourbon casks to pick up vanilla sweetness before being racked into ex-Sherry. 

One of a trio of distilleries in the Garioch, Glendronach was founded in 1826 by a partnership of local farmers headed by James Allardice. After a period of ups and downs, Its next most significant owner arrived in 1920, when Capt Charles Grant, the youngest son of William Grant of Glenfiddich, bought it. 40 years later, Wm Teacher & Sons bought it and then added a second pair of stills in 1967. Placed in mothballs between 1996 and 2002, it ended up with Pernod Ricard which sold it in 2008 to The BenRiach Distilling Co., purchased by Jack Daniel’s Tennessee whiskey producer Brown-Forman in 2016, when it fell silent for five years, supposedly for lack of maturing stocks before coming back into a welcoming market as The Glendronach Revival 15 YO. Some Glendronach 15 YO bottles were available in and through 2017, created with older malts, yet sold as a non-chill-filtered 15 YO at 46% ABV.

The smooth scotch embodies The GlenDronach’s signature style of Spanish Sherry Cask maturation in fine Pedro Ximénez and Oloroso sherry casks from Andalucía, quietly growing in stature for 15 years in the darkness of dunnage warehouses.

Tasting Notes

Colour: Vivid coppery orange

Nose: Big sherry aromas, along with cocoa powder, malt, and slightly savoury honey. Water brings out a bit of sharpness to the nose as well as damson jam and raisins.

Palate: The mouthfeel starts off dry and acrid, but it’s a mixture of oak types creating this sensation. Black peppercorn heightens the palate before moving forward to make way for bold roast espresso beans. Sweet, jammy fruit turns drier the longer it’s held on the tongue, allowing rich, nutty PX sherry notes to come to the fore. Spice, citrus, and leather lurk deep in the background. With water, more nuttiness and some additional baking spice.

Finish: Sweet malt, oak, almonds, and a bit of dried fruit, all of which linger, and linger, and linger some more. Ends with cocoa nibs lingering on the tongue. Water adds some lemongrass, anise, and a touch of baked apples. A very long and pleasant finish. 

THE REVIVAL

Overall: The GlenDronach 15-Year-Old is a straight-up representation of the distillery. Once you nose and taste it, you’ll realise why it had a cult following and couldn’t keep up with demand. You get the sherry, but most importantly, you get a specimen that shows off the patience of maturity. Revival 15 is a better whisky than GlenDronach’s previous 15-year-old expression, and it’s a step up from its 12-year-old as well. It holds up well both flavour and price-wise compared to other sherried malts of similar age.

GlenDronach’s 15-year-old expression returned in 2020 with a new twist: Whereas it previously had been aged entirely in Oloroso Sherry casks, it’s now aged in a mix of Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez Sherry casks, with the PX casks imparting a bigger and sweeter fruitiness to the whisky. For newbies and lovers of sherried malts alike, this is one of the best whiskies around for under $100.

It also shows what a difference three extra years of cask ageing can make. GlenDronach’s 12-year-old expression is also aged in the same types of cask, but Revival has a bigger, deeper, and richer flavour in comparison. The Revival is consistent, deliciously so. A few drops of water won’t totally destroy this whisky; some may find it enhancing the profile, but, all in all, they’re not needed, either. The flavour is full, but not overly spicy or hot. There’s no need to dull it down.

As far as sherried malts are concerned, more expensive and prestigious whiskies of similar age, like Macallan’s, cost more, and, frankly, are not quite as good; $90-plus isn’t the world’s greatest bargain, but in comparison, it’s not bad at all.