THE MACKINLAY AND JURA CONNECTION

The Original Mackinlay- A Jura Connection

The beginnings of this particular story are typically enshrouded in a bit of mist, as there was a Johnny Blue, cousin to the daughter of the great-grandfather of Ronald Reagan, 40th President of the United States of America. Johnny Blue and his family lived in Kintyre in the 19th century, plied the nearby waters for lobster and was a reportedly well-known character on the west coast of Scotland. He was also a distiller who had a business partnership with a blacksmith and cooper named Donald Mackinlay. Johnny Blue rapidly became famous for his two grades of distillation - moonlight and daylight. The difference between the two grades was that the former had twice the strength as did the latter. 

Donald Mackinlay had rather ingeniously devised specialised barrels for slated butter that had an inner compartment for the whisky. Such deception permitted the evasion of the watchful eye of the exciseman. Cargo was shipped in this manner regularly through Grogport on the Mull of Kintyre to Saltcoats in Ayrshire where the local miners readily consumed it. 

In 1809, Charles Mackinlay was born in Ayrshire. In 1815, John Hunter, a tea, wine and spirit merchant was trading at 109 High Street, Edinburgh. In 1824, at age 15, Charles Mackinlay became indentured to John Hunter. The document attesting to this relationship is in the possession of Charles’ great-great-grandson, Donald, and was witnessed by two merchants, a writer and a surgeon. After some lack of success in the original venture as well as in normal trading, John Hunter joined Walker Johnston & Co., Cassell’s Place, Leith. Somewhere between 1825-1826, Walker Johnston & Co. relocated to 4 Great Junction Street, Leith. At the same time, Charles Mackinlay was accepted as a staff member. In 1830, Walker Johnston & Co. moved again to 104 Constitution Street, Leith and, much later (1960), to Salamander (then, it was Bath) Street. 

Charles Mackinlay married Isabella Caverhill in 1834, and following the deaths of both George Walker and Robert Johnston, Charles assumed as partner in 1839. In late 1842, Walker Johnston & Co. was dissolved by mutual consent, partnership was established with William Deans, and the business was renamed, Mackinlay & Deans. This partnership was dissolved in July 1847. 

Thus, in 1847, Charles Mackinlay & Co. was born. It is said that young Mr. Charles used to enjoy a round of golf on the nearby course at Leith, and it was to match this sporting spirit that he conceived The Original Mackinlay. Charles was appointed a Baillie of the Leith town council in 1849. He was later offered a provostship but declined owing to ill health. Having built a highly successful distilling company, Charles died, aged 58, at 14 Pilrig Street, Leith in 1867. 

Charles son, James, who had apprenticed to Buchan & Johnston, Chandlers, Leith as well as to Lawrie Son & Nephew, London, assumed responsibility for running the Company. He took in his brother, Charles W. Mackinlay, as a partner, with James handling sales and Charles W., the financial duties. During the same year, the Edinburgh & Leith Wholesale Wine & Spirit Association was formed, with James Mackinlay as Secretary.

In 1875, brand Mackinlays Vatted Old Benvorlich Scotch whisky was registered. In the late 1870’s, London offices were opened, first on Queen Victoria Street then to Crutched Friars. Thus, Mackinlays Vatted Old Benvorlich, probably one of the first blended Scotch whiskies to be marketed, was introduced to London. An early account was established with the Refreshment Department at the House of Commons. Whisky was still being provided there as late as 22 December 1885, according to a letter from Alexander Gordon & Co., Ltd, Pro & Es. 

Charles Mackinlay & Co. purchased Corbett Borthwicks Warehouse, East Old Dock, Leith, in 1875. Notable Mackinlay & Co. employees included James Buchanan (1879), Thomas Dewar (cashier, 1881) and James Watson (1891). In 1885, James Buchanan left the Company to found Black & White Scotch Whisky and became Lord Woolavington. James Mackinlay and John Birnie built the Glen Mohr Distillery, Inverness, trading as Mackinlays & Birnie, Ltd. Working with a Frenchman named Saladin, this distillery became the first to install a Saladin box (during the 1950’s), which was to revolutionise the malting process.

In 1894, Charles Mackinlay & Co., Ltd, acquired several important agencies:

• Taylor Fladgate & Yeatman, Oporto
• Sancho Romate Hermanas, Jerez
• Bruninghurst, Beaune
• Louis Olanier & Co., Cognac
• Pinet Castillion & Co., Cognac
• Ayalia & Co., Champagne.

Sadly, Charles W. Mackinlay died in Inverness in 1896. The same year, James Mackinlay took into partnership both his eldest son, Charles, and Thomas Dewar. 

Charles Mackinlay married Edith Crabbie, daughter of John Crabbie of John Crabbie & Co. Ltd, Great Junction Street, Leith, in 1898. In the same year, James Thomson left Mackinlays for a wholesale firm in London but returned to Mackinlays as their London manager in 1903. 

In 1905, the Mackinlay Company built a new bonded warehouse, Charlotte Street, Leith, for bottling. In 1907, Sir Earnest Schackleton, explorer, asked the Company to supply the official Scotch whisky for his Antarctic expedition to the South Pole. This momentous trip began aboard the S.S. ENDURANCE. Empty bottles of The Original Mackinlay were discovered by a later expedition, still standing on Schackleton’s base-camp desk. 

In 1908, James Mackinlay was called to present evidence to the Royal Commission constituted to report on Scotch whisky and other potable spirits. Also this year, the London office of Mackinlays moved to Mark Lane. The Port of London Authority bought the Crutched Friars property. 

In 1910, Sir Robert Usher resigned as Chairman of the Edinburgh & Leith Wholesale Wine & Spirit Association. James Mackinlay was appointed Chairman, Thomas Hutchinson became Secretary. (Thomas Hutchinson, then a Director, J. C. Thomson & Co., later was Knighted, and eventually Sir Thomas Hutchinson became Lord Provost of the City of Edinburgh.) At a function in the Queens Hotel, Leith, James Mackinlay was congratulated on his 43 years of service as Secretary - an event reported in the Leith Observer of that week. 

In 1915, Thomas Dewar retired, owing to ill health, Thomas Hutchinson resigned as Secretary of the Edinburgh & Leith Wholesale Wine & Spirit Association but James Mackinlay remained as Chairman. James Watson, of Mackinlays, took the office of Secretary, which continued until the liquidation of the Association. After the 1914-1918 War, the Whisky Association was formed. During 1915, the Mackinlay Company purchased two bonds - Timber Bush, Leith (Nos. 32 and 72) for bulk storage. Thomas Dewar died, aged 61, in 1917 and James Watson and James Thomson became partners - Watson in Leith and Thomson in London. 

At the commencement of the 1914-1918 War, the Mackinlay Company owned 4 bonded warehouses in Leith. After the 1914-1918 War, the Mackinlay Company acquired the Glen Albyn Distillery, Inverness and became partners with J. G. Thompson & Co. Ltd to rent the Littlemill Distillery from COL Ferguson Buchanan of Auchen Torlie. Mackinlays also purchased A. Alexander & Co. Ltd, Henderson Turnbull Ltd, Mackintosh & Co, Inverness and Robert Brown & Co., Glasgow. 

In 1922, John Russell joined Charles Mackinlay & Co., followed in 1924 by Ian James Mackinlay, the only son of Charles Mackinlay. Ian had received training at other companies. It was also in 1924 that the London office removed to Trafalgar House, 11 Waterloo Place, SW1. 

James Mackinlay, senior Mackinlay at Charles Mackinlay & Co., died, aged 83 in May 1926, at 18 Eglington Crescent, Edinburgh. 

In 1927, Bottling Bond, Charlotte Street, Leith, was unable to cope, so No. 1 Bond, Mitchell Street, Leith, was purchased and the Charlotte Street premises were altered to become a duty paid warehouse and cooperage. 

James Watson, after 2 years of indifferent health, died, aged 59, in May 1930. He had been a very prominent Freemason holding the office of Junior Grand Warden of the Grand Lodge of Scotland, the first commoner ever to hold the position. 

In August 1930, Donald Mackinlay was born and in 1932, Ian James Mackinlay became a partner. 

In 1933, the United States of America repealed prohibition and Mackinlays substantially increased their filling programme. The premises at Constitution Street, Leith, were purchased for enlarged cooperage activities. (This site included the Masonic Lodge used by Robert Burns on his visits to Leith.)Charles Mackinlay sadly died, aged 63, at 4 Belford Park from a serious heart attack. 

In 1928, Archibald Watson and James Currie Thomson (elder son of previously noted James Thomson) were made partners.Ian James Mackinlay and James Currie Thomson, T. A. officers, received immediate call up on the commencement of the Second World War, 1939. Ian James Mackinlay was captured by the Japanese at Singapore and remained a prisoner of war until 1945. James C. Thomson - Cameron Highlanders -served in the Middle East, in the western desert and in Italy. Wounded during the advance in Italy, he was to be decorated in the field.

After 1945, the Mackinlay Company was entrusted with the following agencies:

• Mackenzie & Co. - Sherry
• United Rum Merchants - Rums and Tia Maria
• Calvert of Bordeaux - French wines
• Taylors - Port

In 1952, William H. Thomson (cadet son of James, above) joined the Company. In October 1953, Donald Mackinlay joined the Company, becoming a Director in 1958. In the intervening years, William H. Thomson and John Russell also became Directors. 

In 1960, Charles Mackinlay & Co. Ltd was purchased by Scottish & Newcastle Breweries. Scottish & Newcastle joined Charles Mackinlay & Co. with John E. McPherson & Sons, Ltd to trade in the home market as Mackinlay-McPherson, Ltd. Ian James Mackinlay continued to head up the Mackinlay Company.

New premises for Charles Mackinlay & Co. were relocated to 9/21 Salamander Place, Leith, in 1962.

In 1974, by popular demand, Charles Mackinlay & Co., then a part of Newcastle Breweries, decided to reintroduce the Isle of Jura ‘s only single malt Scotch whisky. 

Donald Mackinlay assumed the post of Chairman in 1983 and during his tenure as Company leader, single malt whisky continued to be brewed from the Isle of Jura. Craighouse, on Small Isles Bay, is the capital of Jura. It is here that the Isle of Jura Distillery is located, drawing water from the spring of Bhaille Mharghadh, which runs through a cave once used by smugglers on to quartzite and over peat and heather. A distillery on this spot was part of island life as early as 1810 but was closed during WW I. 

Invergordon Distillers acquired Charles Mackinlay, Ltd in 1985 and, thus, control of Jura and Glenallachie distilleries from Scottish & Newcastle Breweries. 

In 1989, Donald Mackinlay paid a visit to Australia on the occasion of a major shift in bottling policy of The Original Mackinlay Finest Old Scotch Whisky. Following a pattern set by Long John and Teachers the previous year, the BIA (Bottled in Australia) practice was to change to BIS (Bottled In Scotland) in order to keep control of bottle contents. Apparently, even with manufacturing under license, the costs were too great to supervise from Scotland. 

Bottling entailed receiving the spirit and adding water to dilute the whisky to bottling strength (37 percent alcohol). BIS whisky was more expensive because the freight component to ship bottle-strength whisky rather than concentrated spirit had to be added. Peter Scudamore-Smith, of The Brisbane Sun, commented that he “would rather add to the image of Mackinlay by seeing it diluted with soft and mellow Scottish stream water, rather than the chlorinated waters we know. Many cities of the world have terrible tap water which makes life difficult for the purist whisky drinker who takes water with a dram.” 

Mackinlay standard whisky is at least five years old (all three brands - 5, 12 and 21-year old - all must exceed age three years), with portions drawn from both grain distillation and malt whisky. Charles Mackinlay & Co. Ltd - in 1989 part of the Invergordon Distillers Group - operated from five distilleries. The grain distillery churns out clear spirit that is the price reducer for all standard whisky. These whiskies are regarded by their spirit proportions - Mr. Scudamore-Smith’s taste suggesting 85 percent grain and 15 percent malt in the Mackinlay. He indicated that the percentage of malt rather than average age is the major determinant of the whisky’s regard. In all fairness, during a recent communication with Mr. Donald Mackinlay, after his having an opportunity to review Mr. Scudamore-Smith comments, Mr. Mackinlay assured me that even the 5 year-old Mackinlay had a malt content that never was less than 34%. Apparently Mr. Scudamore-Smith’s sensitivity for estimating malt content was somewhat inaccurate! 

Charles Mackinlay & Co. Ltd, at least in 1989, had malt whisky distilleries on the Isle of Jura, in Speyside at Glenallachie and one in the Highlands, Tullibardine at Blackford. The focus of malt whisky content in blended whisky becomes much more apparent with Mackinlay’s two older deluxe whiskies - Legacy 12 year-old and 21-year old. Malt whisky continued to create interest worldwide, with sales globally at three percent of the whisky market in 1988, while only 1.5 percent in 1985. The Original Mackinlay is described as “sweet, mellow, full-bodied, lingering taste, malty, rich amber colour.” 

Almost as an epilogue, the acquisition of Charles Mackinlay Ltd by Invergordon gave way to further acquisition of Invergordon Distillers by Whyte & Mackay Group for American Brands, Inc., in 1995. Jim Beam Brands World-Wide, Inc., in turn, subsequently acquired Whyte & Mackay Group. 

In summary, the story of conceiving, distilling and bottling The Original Mackinlay by Charles Mackinlay during the 19th century is a fascinating one. During the last decade, Donald Mackinlay has retired as Chairman of the Company. However, this splendid, blended Scotch whisky, with its Jura connection, can still be purchased throughout the world from its Invergordon offices in Leith. The manager of the firm is Mr. Norman Mathison, a most cordial gentleman, who is delighted to entertain inquiries regarding The Original Mackinlay and other Invergordon products that are the heritage of the Charles Mackinlay & Co. Ltd. It is curious, indeed, that one has come full circle from the original Donald Mackinlay of Jura to his “namesake,” who is the last of a long line of Mackinlays to shepherd the fine product originally conceived by Charles Mackinlay, his great-great-grandfather.

THE TOP FIVE JAPANESE WHISKIES

THE LEADING 12 YO JAPANESE WHISKIES ON THE GLOBE

Whisky production in Japan began around 1870 and, as may be expected, wasn’t really worth talking about. The first commercial production started soon after WWI in 1924 with the opening of the country's first distillery, Yamazaki. Broadly speaking the style of Japanese whisky is more similar to that of Scotch whisky than other major styles of whisky.

One facet of the style of Japanese whisky comes from the way in which blended whisky is produced, and the differing nature of the industry in Japan. Despite the recent rise of interest in single malt whiskies, the vast majority of whisky sold in the world is still blended. In Scotland, while a particular brand of blended whisky may be owned by a company that also owns one or more distilleries, it is common for blended whisky bottlers to trade single malt whiskies. The components of a blend may involve malt whisky from a number of distilleries, which may be owned by different companies. In Japan, however, the industry is vertically integrated, meaning whisky companies own both the distilleries and the brands of blended whiskies, and do not trade with their competitors. So a blended whisky in Japan will generally only contain malt whisky from the distilleries owned by that same company.

There are several companies producing whisky in Japan, but the two best-known and most widely available are Suntory and Nikka. Both of these produce blended as well as single malt whiskies and blended malt whiskies.

The top five of Japan’s 12-year-old whiskies are: Yamazaki, Hakushu, Nikka Taketsuru, Nikka Miyagikyo and Hibiki. Drink them as you like, but note that the Japanese typically add a dash (or a lot) of water. I use between 5 and 15 drops of water, using a pipette or drinking straw.

1. Suntory Yamazaki

 

The Sweetest: The first seriously marketed whisky from the distillery that started it all: Yamazaki 12 YO. This is the classic, and for good reason. It’s light. It’s floral. It’s delicious. For what you’re getting, it’s reasonably priced. On the nose, one gets hints of zest and honey, and the palate, smooth and sweet, brings flavors of citrus with some vanilla oakiness. If you have a snobbish friend who insists on Scotch, a glass of Yamazaki should be the first class in a course of conversion to the Japanese path. 

2. Suntory Hakushu

 

 

The Smokiest: Hakushu, Suntory’s third American release, comes in a green bottle (a rarity among most clear-bottled Japanese whiskies) that hints at its “green” flavour profile: leaves and fruits, particularly pear. Marketed as the “fresh” whisky, Hakushu 12-year-old comes from the forests at the base of the Southern Japanese Alps. However, you’d be forgiven if you mistake this for an Islay malt. Even thoroughbred tasters often fail to separate the two. The use of peated barley, imported from Scotland, gives the whisky a smoky nose that suggests seaside origins; then you taste the delicate whisky, and find yourself transported to the forests of Japan.

3. Nikka Miyagikyo

 

 

The Most Surprising: When you nose this whisky, it releases little by the way of aroma. Using less peaty malt, this whisky is distilled in a pot still heated by indirect steam at a low temperature. Miyagikyo Single Malt has an elegant fruitiness and a distinctive aroma with a strong Sherry cask influence. It takes ten minutes to settle and a second sniff yields heavy doses of toffee and caramel. The taste — full of strong, sweet vanilla — mimicks the nose’s form: slow to build, but impressive at its peak. Very classy finish.

4. Nikka Taketsuru

 

 

 

 

The Smoothest: Interestingly, this is a vatted (a blend of single malts) versus blended whisky, brought over to the United States for the first time just last year. It combines 12-year-old malts from Nikka’s Yoichi and Miyagikyo distilleries. The darkest of the five whiskies (though still light, as far as whiskies go), the Taketsuru wows your taste with its even balance and smooth finish. On the nose, you get hints of vanilla, apple and cinnamon (apple pie). However, honey dominates the palate — so much so, in fact, that you feel like you are drinking straight from a honeycomb. The finish is rather short.

5. Suntory Hibiki

The Sexiest Bottle

Housed in a distinct, multi-faceted, corked (!) bottle, or decanter, this Suntory whisky looks like something pulled from Don Trump’s personal bar. Although the nose is a bit sharp, the Hibiki gains points for using whisky aged in Mizunara, a rare Japanese oak, as well as casks formerly used to hold Japanese plum liqueur. Like the Nikka Miyagikyo, the Hibiki is rich and thick, bordering on syrupy. The taste mirrors the honey and vanilla of other offerings, but with an oily texture and small notes of fruit. An excellent blend. 

6. Yoichi 10 YO

_________________________________________________________

	______________________________________________________________________

Also Ran: A very well made single malt from Japan, Yoichi is the jewel in Nikka's crown, their 10 year old offering notes of vanilla and fruit. I have included it as a very close 6th. There is something quite delicate about this Japanese malt; its almost tropical flavours and subtle smoke are reminiscent of a summer BBQ. This is one to bring out for celebratory toasts in the future.

Nose: Plenty of fruit notes - peach stands out in particular, ripe, vibrant and subtly floral. Then there's rich vanilla custard, peat smoke and a hint of nutmeg spice.

Palate: Oily and sweet, with peat smoke following swiftly afterwards. Light oak and developing fruit notes beneath. Finish: Appealing oak lasts on the finish.

SOME FUN FACTS ABOUT SCOTCH WHISKY

INTERESTING INFORMATION ABOUT SCOTCH

An opened bottle of Scotch whisky will remain good for at least six months, provided exposure to oxygen is limited. 

Some 20 million casks, the equivalent of over 500 million cases, are maturing in warehouses in Scotland. This represents the equivalent of approximately 10 billion bottles of Scotch after bottling. 

Scotch is sold in more than 200 markets globally. 

The total amount of Scotch released for sale to the UK market was 90 million bottles of 700 ml each. 

The industry generated about five billion dollars in tax revenue for the UK government. 

Scotch whisky accounts for 85 per cent of Scotland’s, and a quarter of the UK’s, food and drink exports. 

The export of Scotch whisky has increased by 87 per cent in the past decade.

A closed bottle of Scotch can, under optimal conditions, be kept for over 100 years and will still be good to drink. 

The most expensive bottle of Scotch whisky available in 2013 is Isabella’s Islay at 6.2 million dollars. The decanter comes decorated with 8,500 diamonds and 300 rubies. For the cost-conscious, there is Isabella Special Edition, a bargain at only 740,000 dollars. 

The oldest Scotch whisky on the market was purported to be the Aisla T’Orten, 105 years old, distilled in 1906 and available for 1.43 million dollars from the Master of Malt website. Sadly this turned out to be an April Fools’ Day inspired, promotional stunt. 

The Gordon & MacPhail “Generations” series has released two 70-year-old Scotch Whiskies since its debut in 2010. The first offering, a 70 YO Mortlach distilled in 1938 and bottled in 2008 was released at a special ceremony at Edinburgh Castle on May 11, 2010. The entire offering, 54 x 700 ml bottles and 162 x 200 ml bottles sold out within two weeks. The 700 ml bottle was priced at approximately 16,000 dollars.

 

The oldest Scotch whisky commercially available is a Gordon & MacPhail bottling of 70 YO Glenlivet, priced at approximately 20,000 dollars. Part of the “Generations” series, the whisky was distilled in 1940 and bottled in 2010. The first re-release occurred on March 8, 2011, at Edinburgh Castle. A second release was made on September 20, 2012, at the Vancouver International Airport. Drawn entirely from a single cask, number 339, decanters were released in both 200ml and 700ml sizes. 

The highest price paid at an auction for a Scotch whisky is 460,000 dollars for a 64 YO, 42.5% ABV, Macallan malt whisky in a Perdue crystal decanter made by Lalique. The proceeds were earmarked for a charitable cause.

LVMH’s Glenmorangie distillery employs just sixteen craftsmen—the “Sixteen Men of Tain”—who have become synonymous with the Glenmorangie brand all over the world. 

It is, however, Edradour that has the smallest number of employees—with three people to run the entire operation. 

The Australian Wine Research Institute has introduced a measure called a standard drink. In Australia, a standard drink contains 10 g (12.67 ml) of alcohol, the amount that an average adult male can metabolize in one hour. This is roughly equivalent to one fluid ounce of 80-proof liquor. The UK has the same standard. 

Japanese-owned Tomatin used to be the largest capacity distillery in Scotland. At its peak it had 23 stills and a capacity of over six million gallons of spirit a year. 

The Pinch (Dimple) is the fourth largest-selling, blended deluxe Scotch whisky in the world.

Scotch in a can. Scotch whisky will soon be sold in a re-sealable can in the United States, putting a liquor prized for its pedigree, into a humble container known for its affordability and portability. Each can of Scottish spirits will contain 12 ounces—about six shots—of 80° proof Scotch whisky. 

Experts advise you to drink single malt whisky with a small amount of water. The water supposedly “releases the serpent” from the whisky. 

If there is a serpent, there is also an “angel.” As it ages, 1.5 per cent to 2.5 per cent of the whisky maturing in a barrel is lost to evaporation every year. Distillers refer to this as the “angel’s share.”

The Seraph didn’t like being left out. He is part of what was wrongly called The Devil's Cut, the amount of sherry/port/wines left behind in pores in barrels used for maturation. It is as high as 12%, so a 2-yr old 500 ltr sherry cask will contain ~60 ltrs of sherry to marry with the new make/whisky poured into it. That incongruity was soon rectified.

The Devil’s Cut is a serious matter for distillers ageing barrels indefinitely. The barrel soaks up a minuscule percentage of the new make maturing inside, which, over say, 30 years, would amount to 15% of about 150 litres remaining in the standard barrel. That’s 22-23 litres of a £ 1,000 per bottle brand, about 30-60 bottles gone at cask strength/46% ABV.

The most expensive European Union country in which to buy Scotch is Sweden. In the UK, it is not as cheap as expected. Denmark and Switzerland are also expensive. 

In other developed non-EU countries, New Zealand is the most expensive country.

Although their proof differs, standard drinks of beer, wine, and spirits (liquor) contain an equivalent amount of alcohol—0.6 ounces each. They’re all the same to a breathalyzer. 

Bowmore (1779) is the oldest continually operating distillery in Scotland. Glen Garioch (1784), Strathisla (1786) and Balblair (1790) are the next oldest.

Glenturret dates back to 1775, but it was inactive from 1921 to 1959. Littlemill dates back to 1772, but is now demolished. 

A 10-year-old Laphroaig costs around US$50. If you purchase a bottle of any of its single malts and register the bottle barcode on the Laphroaig website, you will become the proud owner of 01 sqft of land in Laphroaig’s bogs. Do carry your gum boots and raincoat if you wish to go there to stake claim with your own flag.

Laphroaig and White Horse Scotch whiskies were cleared for import by the USA during its Prohibition days (1920-33) as bottles of Medicinal Value.
 
William Lawson’s blended Scotch, a relatively unknown brand, is a bestseller in Russia.It has just launched a 13 YO version, wherein the contents of the 12 YO bottle are matured for one additional year in an oak barrel that has been charred from the inside, giving it a best-selling smoky flavour. 

 

18,000 litres of Scotch whisky, worth over 800,000 dollars, were accidentally flushed down the drain at the Dumbarton bottling plant of Chivas Brothers in March 2013. 

In the UK, the five most popular blended Scotch whiskies are The Famous Grouse, William Grant’s, Bell’s, Teacher’s, and J&B Rare. 

Johnnie Walker, the world’s largest-selling blended Scotch whisky, is not among the top five selling brands in its home market. 

UK whisky is cheaper in Europe. The price of a bottle of whisky, including the excise duty, has been subject to Value Added Tax since 1973. The EU-mandated size of the Scotch bottle is 700 ml, minimum 40% ABV. Scotch actually costs less in Europe than in the UK, with the cheapest price in Spain. A 700 ml bottle of the average blended Scotch whisky might sell for around eighteen dollars in the UK. Tax would take around 12 dollars or 66 per cent of the retail price. In Spain, the same bottle would cost around eight dollars. Prices in France, Italy, and Germany would fall between eight dollars and twelve dollars. Duty-free prices in those countries would be even cheaper. 

You can watch whisky production live. Bruichladdich, a distillery on the island of Islay, has webcams that allow you to follow the whisky-making process as it happens. Go to www.bruichladdich.com/web_ cam and watch whisky being produced live (if they are working). 

Glenfiddich is the largest-selling single malt in the world, followed by Glenlivet and then The Macallan. Glenmorangie is catching up rapidly.

Johnnie Walker Red Label is the world’s largest-selling Scotch whisky. 

Johnnie Walker Black label is no longer the world’s best-selling deluxe whisky. That honour goes to Grand Old Parr, so named in 1909 after the oldest known man living in Scotland. This matter is under dispute.

The Famous Grouse is the most popular Scotch whisky in Scotland. 

Glenmorangie is the largest-selling single malt whisky in Scotland. 

Aberfeldy is the “heart” of Dewar’s White Label, the number one blended Scotch whisky in the US. 

Cadenhead’s Whisky Shop on Canongate, when owned by the Cadenhead family, was Scotland’s oldest independent bottler. It was taken over by J & A Mitchell & Co. Ltd., in 1972. The name remains unchanged, even though Mitchell & Co. bottle and sell Springbank, Longrow, and Hazelburn single malt whiskies, along with Campbeltown Loch and Mitchell’s 12 YO. Its unique selling point is that customers can have a custom bottle poured straight from a cask and labelled with their name. When sealed it has a label with the “born on date.” Since whisky stops ageing as soon as it leaves the wooden barrel each bottle is a unique expression, www.wmcadenhead.com or in London www.whiskytastingroom.com.

The source of the name Auchentoshan is Gaelic —it means “corner of the field.” 

Irish settlers probably started the distillery and they may also be responsible for Auchentoshan’s use of triple distillation. 

Antique records from the year 1800 mention an illegal Duntocher distillery, which may have been a predecessor to the legal Auchentoshan distillery. A license for distillation was obtained in 1823. 

The matter of the “e” in whisky. Scotch whisky is always spelled without an “e.” Most other nations, such as the United States and Ireland, call their similar spirits whiskey. Be sure you never add the “e” when writing to a Scotsman. It used to be that there was a very simple way to remember the spelling: if the spirit comes from a country without an “e” in the spelling of its name, (e.g., Scotland, Japan, India, Canada, etc.), then its spelt whisky, otherwise it is spelt whiskey with an “e.” With the proliferation of whisky production around the world, however, this rule does not apply any more. 88 of the 92 countries dealing with/ making this spirit spell it whisky.

Bruichladdich’s Octomore 8.3 of 2018-19 is the heaviest peated whisky in the world at 309 ppm phenol.

The Macallan claims that it has achieved success and fame through its “six pillars”: spiritual home, curiously small stills, finest cut, exceptional oak casks, natural color, and The Macallan  itself. It has released five expressions in honor of its pillars so far, starting in 2005 —the 50, 55, 57, 60, and 62 YO malts in a custom Lalique crystal decanter. The 62 YO was released on December 17, 2013, at a price of 26,000 US dollars. 

James Bond has a well-earned reputation as a drinker, with the vodka martini, “shaken not stirred” as his signature drink. In the collected novels of James Bond by Ian Fleming, Bond is depicted with a drink a total of 317 times. In 101 of those times, his drink is straight whisky. He drinks a total of 35 glasses of saki in You Only Live Twice, and 30 glasses of champagne in all of the other novels combined. He only calls for a vodka martini on 19 occasions. In his most recent movie, Sky Fall, Bond drank Macallan. He was known to have drunk Talisker in the movie Diamonds are Forever. In the novels he usually drank Haig and Haig’s Dimple or Black and White. 

Dean Martin’s favourite Scotch was J&B

Winston Churchill was partial to Johnny Walker Red; not surprisingly, he was a good friend of Sir Alexander Walker II. He liked Black Label too!

Franklin Roosevelt was also a Scotch drinker. Would you expect anything less from the man who oversaw the repeal of prohibition? His son, James Roosevelt, teamed up with Joseph Kennedy to obtain the US distribution rights for Dewar’s Scotch & Cutty Sark shortly before the repeal of Prohibition — a lucky break no doubt.

Richard Burton and Humphrey Bogart were both Scotch drinkers. So was Lee Marvin.

Sean Connery is a devotee of Macallan, although that didn’t stop him from doing commercials for Jim Beam.

A bottle of Glenfiddich always seems to turn up in movies starring George Clooney.

Cary Grant was obsessed with Black and White, at least in the movie Father Goose.

For Harrison Ford it's Bruichladdich. For Peter Falk, it was Chivas Regal. He even starred in commercials for them.

Michael Buble’s contracts require that a bottle of Macallan or Oban be provided at each of his concerts.

Truman Capote also ordered J&B. For fellow author Stephen King and Hunter S. Thompson it is/was Chivas Regal. George Bernard Shaw described whisky as “liquid sunshine.”

In Uruguay, people don’t say ‘cheese’ to force a smile for the camera – they say ‘whisky’.

World War II reshaped the industry. Could whisky be made when rationing? The government argued that as the country was bankrupt and needed to earn more currency overseas, cereals would only be released if companies agreed to export more. Whisky rationing only came to an end in 1959.

Since 1956, whisky has been the W word of choice for the NATO phonetic alphabet. It replaced William.

There are only 12 working distilleries in Ireland, compared to ~117 in Scotland.

John ‘Johnnie’ Walker was a grocer in Kilmarnock in the mid-1800s who specialised in blending tea, and switched over to blending whisky.

Saturday, May 18, 2019, was World Whisky Day. It takes place on the third Saturday of May each year (launched in 2012).

Throughout the years, whisky has been thought to have magic powers and hugely restorative qualities, including being splashed on to men’s heads in an attempt to cure baldness, feet being soaked in it to prevent blisters, given in milk to cats to help them catch more mice and even poured around the base of trees to give them a boost.

1994 saw the 500th anniversary of Scotch Whisky production in Scotland.

An 1896 Scotch from Ernest Shackleton’s Antartic expedition found in 2006 is being preserved in a museum in Christchurch, NZ. It didn’t freeze, even at -30 temperatures, and 11 full bottles were found in crates. It will never be poured for drinking but samples have been taken and used to recreate the taste.

The ‘cup of kindness’ mentioned in Auld Lang Syne, written by Robert Burns, refers to whisky.

There are over 300,000 varieties of barley but only a few are suitable for malt whisky production.

Depending on the strain of barley that is used, one metric ton of barley can be converted into ~ 400 litres of pure alcohol (at + 95.6%).

Many Scottish distilleries now give the grain waste produced by distilling to farmers as a nutrient-rich food supplement for livestock.

The first Scottish distillery to install a Coffey Still was the Grange Distillery, Alloa.

In Victorian times at some Scottish distilleries, a curious – and somewhat benevolent – rule allowed workers to stop for a dram each time a bell rang. It rang 4 times a day!

Distillery workers have been known to take used barley home to be packed into a drawer and stored overnight to set, then cut and taken the next day for snack/lunch. A predecessor of the flapjack!

Coopers use more than 20 different tools to build a whisky barrel.

The liquid maturing inside a barrel cannot be called whisky till that barrel is opened for bottling. 

It cannot be called Scotch if the barrel is opened before 3 years have elapsed from the date of casking, as printed on the barrel.

No whisky may be made in Scotland other than Scotch.

Master Blenders may extract a 1.0 L syringe of maturing new make for close examination. Barrels that fail-about 2.0 to 2.5%-are withdrawn after paying holding and other taxes and most often sold as Scottish Whisky to distillers from other countries like India.   

‘Flogging a bung’ means using a mallet to pry open the bung of the cask – bashing the barrel on either side of the bung hole to loosen it up and allow sampling.

Recently, whisky barrels have found an unusual use once they are no longer required for maturing whisky – there is a company which now transforms them into flooring for your home or workplace, as well as for bars and restaurants.

There are over 25 descriptive terms for the colour of whisky. 

Whisky does not mature once it has been bottled.

Most new make spirit is diluted to around 62.5% ABV before being placed in casks to mature.

Blending was pioneered by Andrew Usher in Edinburgh in 1856.

Whisky gains as much as 60% of its flavour from the type of cask used in the ageing process. 

As of November 23, 2012, Single Malt Scotch Whisky must be bottled in Scotland.

On Sunday, Aug 12, 2012, the Guinness Book of World Records recorded the largest bottle of whisky in the world at 228 litres. The earliest known ‘whisky bottles’, in 1841, were reused wine bottles, often used by local grocers.

There are currently 117 operational distilleries across Scotland, 7 grain and 110 malt.

There are 9 distilleries (soon to be 10) on the island of Islay.

In 1941, German U-boats sank the SS Eriskay Politician with 28,000 bottles of whisky on board.

Scotch Whisky can not only be enjoyed as a drink or paired with food, but also in recipes including cakes, preserves and sauces – often in place of more traditional brandy or wine.

The first distillery came into ‘official’ existence in 1824 following the Excise Act of 1823.

Scotch Whisky was so popular that people began to make their own to avoid the tax man.

John F Kennedy’s father, Joseph Kennedy was an agent for the first legal Scotch Whisky brand to be delivered into the US after Prohibition. The whisky was landed in New York and Chicago the moment the law was repealed on Dec 5, 1933.

The Ardbeg Distillery on Islay sent compounds of unmatured malt – new make spirit – to the International Space Station (ISS) in an unmanned cargo spacecraft on 30 October 2011. It also sent up particles of charred oak and, once the spacecraft docked at the ISS, the two sets of molecules were mixed. 

Glenmorangie has the tallest stills in Scotland. Their long copper necks stand at 5.14 metres, the same height as a fully grown adult giraffe! They are not small and squat like traditional stills as the company’s founder was a ‘canny’ Scot who bought second-hand gin stills rather than purchase new, more expensive stills. The ones used today are exact replicas of this original design.

The oldest recorded visitor to a Scottish distillery was 103.

KT Tunstall was given a handmade guitar built from oak cask staves by her favourite distillery (Talisker).

Degrees of peating are measured in ‘parts per million phenols’, or ppm. Well-known distilleries generally range from 1-55 but, experimentally, a ppm of 320 has been achieved on Islay. 

The Quaich, a uniquely Scottish invention designed specifically for whisky, is used to offer a guest a cup of welcome and also as a farewell drink.

Scotch Whiskies contain more than double the number of flavour components (congeners) of its nearest competitors, cognac and rum – with more than 100 complex flavours versus 5 to 10 in vodka.

While a dram is a standard pub measure, ‘A Wee Dram’ has an altogether different definition. The term can only be applied to a measure poured by a host, and its size is dependent not on HM weights and measures, but on the generosity of the host.

Standard measures of Scotch Whisky (25ml) contain 55 calories and no fat.

Diageo invested £10 million in its state-of-the-art Cambus Cooperage to make it a completely up-to-date operation combining innovation with traditional skills.

There are more than 500 species of oak growing throughout the world but only a few are suitable for coopering.

The art of making barrels is one of the world’s oldest crafts.

The Scotch Whisky production process has changed little in the last two hundred years.

The Wine and Spirit Brand Association was formed in 1912, becoming the Whisky Association in 1917 and the Scotch Whisky Association in 1942.

The Coffey or Patent Still has been in use since 1831.

Until 1821, glass bottles for Scotch Whisky were free-blown.

In 1887 Josiah Arnell and Howard Ashley patented the first bottle-blowing machine.

Scotch Whisky only began to be sold in bottles after 1860 when blending became widespread. 

Glenturret’s record-breaking distillery cat Towser, caught 30,000 mice in his 24-year lifetime (1963-1987).

Scotch Whisky water sources on Islay flows through rocks thought to be 800 million years old. 

The description ‘Single Malt Scotch Whisky’ must appear exactly in that form.

In 1827, Cameronbridge became the first distillery to produce grain whisky.

The 1915 Immature Spirits Act brought in the three-year rule for ageing whisky.

There are more than 1.5 million visits to Scotch Whisky distilleries annually. This means they rank among many well-known UK attractions, including Edinburgh Castle, the Scottish National Gallery, Tate Britain, Stonehenge and London Zoo.

Elgin architect Charles Doig invented the iconic ‘pagoda’ roof which is still used in many Scotch Whisky distilleries.

Agents who bought whisky from smugglers were called ‘Blethermen’.

Cooper’s apprentices must work accompanied for 4 years before being allowed to tackle their own barrel.

There were 400 illicit stills in Edinburgh alone in 1777.

Campbeltown could at one point boast more than 30 distilleries and proclaimed itself ‘the whisky capital of the world’; it was nicknamed ‘Spiritville’ or ‘Whiskyopolis’. 

Robert Burns was once employed in the Scotch Whisky industry as an exciseman or ‘gauger’.

Islay peat is made up of moss, heather and seaweed while mainland peat contains wood, bark and needles from the Caledonian pine forests, giving two very distinct flavours.

Visitors to Scotch Whisky distilleries spend £ 50 million per year, an average of £32.50 per head.

The largest proportion of visitors came from Scotland and other parts of the UK, Germany, the USA and France. The source of visitors reflects some of the largest markets for Scotch.

A crystal decanter of Macallan Imperiale ‘M’ whisky scooped the prestigious title of the world’s most expensive whisky when it sold at auction in Hong Kong for $628,205 in 2015. The luxury decanter contains 6 litres of whisky and stands 28 inches tall.

Scotch whisky is now being sold in a can in the United States, putting liquor prized for its pedigree into a humble container known for its affordability and portability. Johnnie Walker has released Red Label Blended Scotch Whisky with Soda, which will be available in both 345ml bottle and 375ml can formats. Cola mixes are at or below 5% ABV.

Approximately 15% of blended Scotch whisky is bottled overseas.

Glenfiddich buys German Oak casks and sends them to Jerez, Spain. A sherry-maker is paid rent to make a 'fino' sherry in this cask and bottle it in 2 yrs. The cask is brought back to Scotland and filled with a brand new make of raw malted whisky and matured for 10-15 years. The end result is an expensive Scotch whisky. Macallan does the same, except that at 10-12 years, the whisky is shifted for another 2-5 years into once-used American bourbon casks that last held Oloroso sherry.  The end result is a bloody expensive Scotch whisky, most popular in China for corporate gifts.

Glenmorangie is more exclusive. LMVH has its own Oak plantation in the US, makes its own bourbon barrels and pays Bourbon manufacturers to use these casks for one-four years. Thereafter, the casks are split open into staves and exported to Scotland to mature Glenmorangie raw make.

Some 20 million casks, over 500 million cases, are maturing in warehouses in Scotland. This represents the equivalent of approximately 10 billion bottles of Scotch after bottling.

Scotch is sold in more than 200 markets globally.    

The total amount of Scotch released for sale to the UK market was 90m bottles of 70 cl. each.

Scotch sells three times its nearest foreign whisky rival.

The industry generated about £3 billion in tax revenue for the UK government.

Scotch whisky accounts for a quarter of UK food and drink exports.

Export of Scotch whisky has increased by 87% in the past decade.

A closed bottle of Scotch can be kept for 100 years+ and will still be good to drink.

After opening, a half-full bottle of Scotch whisky will remain good for six to eight months.

The most expensive bottle of Scotch whisky today is Isabella’s Islay ($6.2 Million).

The oldest Scotch whisky on the market is the Aisla T’Orten 107 Years old, distilled in 1906 and available for $ 1.43 million (£870,000). Probably an April Fool's Day prank.

The highest price paid at an auction for a Scotch Whisky is £288,000 (for a 64-year-old 42.5 % Macallan malt whisky).

Glenfiddich is the largest-selling single malt in the world, followed by the Glenlivet.

Johnnie Walker Red Label is the world's largest-selling Scotch whisky. 

The Famous Grouse is the most popular Scotch whisky in the UK.

Glenmorangie is the largest-selling malt whisky in Scotland.

Aberfeldy is the most popular single malt Scotch whisky in the US.

Experts advise you to drink Single Malt whisky neat or with a tiny bit of water. The water supposedly ‘Releases the Serpent’ from the whisky.

If there is a serpent, there is also an Angel. As it ages, 2.0-2.5 % of the whisky maturing in a barrel is lost to evaporation every year. Distillers refer to this as the ‘angel’s share’.

But the Devil has the last word. Besides the loss due to ageing as stated earlier, the term also includes the fact that the larger the barrel used to mature whisky,

the more the spirit that is absorbed by the wood and lost, called by distillers the ‘Devil’s Cut’. The professional term for it remains INDRINK.

 
Maturation of the new make has to be done in a wooden oak cask not exceeding 700 L capacity.

The most expensive first-world country in which to buy Scotch is New Zealand. In the EU, Austria and Switzerland are the most expensive. 

Although their proof differs, standard drinks of beer, wine and spirits (liquor) contain an equivalent amount of alcohol – 0.6 ounces each. They’re all the same to a breathalyzer.

Glenturret is the oldest distillery in Scotland (1775), followed by Bowmore (1779). 

Glenturret, Oban and Glenlivet are the three oldest malt whiskies currently sold.
William Lawson’s blended Scotch, a relatively unknown brand, is a bestseller in Russia.

18,000 litres of Scotch whisky worth over $800,000 (£ 500,000) were accidentally flushed down the drain at the Dumbarton bottling plant of Chivas Brothers in March 2013. 

There are a total of 117 distilleries in Scotland, 110 malt and 7 grain or multipurpose, according to the research briefings and fact sheets presented to the UK Parliament.

In the UK, the six most popular Scotch blended Whiskies are The Famous Grouse, Bell’s, William Grant’s, Teacher’s, J&B and High Commissioner.

LVMH’s Glenmorangie distillery is one of the smallest in the Highlands and employs just sixteen craftsmen – ‘The Sixteen Men of Tain’ - who have become synonymous with the Glenmorangie brand all over the world.

Edradour was the smallest distillery in Scotland - Three people run the entire operation.

Strathearn Distillery claims to hold that distinction. It is temporarily closed today.

Loch Ewe is the smallest distillery in Scotland; the owner is a one-man show.

Releases of Scotch whisky from bond for sale in the UK in the first half totalled 37.3 million bottles, down about 5.5% on the corresponding figure of 39.5 million in the opening six months of 2012. The SWA blamed the domestic excise duty regime, and called for UK Government help in this regard.

The fastest-growing Scotch whisky in the world over the last five years was Black Dog. Not any more after a lawsuit was filed against Diageo and USL for falsification and fabrication of facts. Read about The Black Dog at https://noelonwhisky.blogspot.com/2017/02/the-intriguing-history-of-black-dog_10.html  / You may have noticed the totally changed gold-coloured and black cover describing its history.

The Australian Wine Research Institute has introduced a measure called a standard drink. In Australia, a standard drink contains 10 g (12.67 ml) of alcohol, the amount that an average adult male can metabolize in one hour.

Japanese-owned Tomatin is the largest capacity distillery in Scotland.

Haig’s Pinch (Dimple) is the fourth largest blended Deluxe Scotch whisky in the world.

Persian overlords were required to rule twice on a case; once when stone-cold sober and again when intoxicated, in the belief of ‘in vino veritas’. 

UK Whisky Cheaper in Europe: The price of a bottle of whisky, including the Excise Duty, has been subject to Value Added Tax since 1973. The EU-mandated size of the Scotch bottle is 70 cl or 700 ml, minimum 40 per cent ABV. In a single European market, Scotch actually costs less in Europe than in the UK. A 70cl of the average blended Scotch whisky might sell for £10.70 in the UK. Tax would take £7.07 or 66% of the retail price. In 10 out of 15 European countries, lower taxes mean that the same bottle is sold for less. Look at the list below:
Spain about £4.50 about 40%
Italy about £4.85 about 40%
Greece about £ 5.50 about 44%
Germany about £6.40 about 49%
France about £6.60 about 55%
Andorra about £ 3.75, about 35%

Age Mentioned on a Blended Whisky Label: A blended whisky contains anywhere from 15 to 50 different malt whiskies. The skill of the blender is to create character and consistency in the product – and to choose only the whiskies that complement each other. The age of the blended Whisky mentioned on the bottle refers to the youngest whisky in the blend. If it says 10 years it means that the youngest Whisky has been matured for a minimum period of 10 years in oak casks. The same holds good for Single Malt Whiskies as well. 

Dewar’s Adds Honey to Scotch: Bacardi, in an attempt to woo the younger generation, unveiled a brand called Dewar’s Highlander Honey, which the company describes as a Scotch whisky “infused with Scottish heather honey filtered through oak cask wood.” The Scotch Whisky Association argues that this Dewar’s product is not Scotch whisky and that under EU law, it has to be sold under the sales description ‘Spirit Drink’. The label may refer to Scotch whisky as one of its constituents.

The first malt whisky ever to be exported to Australia was the Dalmore, in 1870. 

The Dalmore is the only distillery permitted to source Matusalem sherry wood casks for finishing its single malt at Gonzalez Byass.

Cadenhead’s Whisky Shop on Canongate, when owned by that family, was Scotland’s oldest independent bottler till taken over by J & A Mitchell & Co. Ltd. in 1972. The name remains unchanged, even though Mitchell & Co bottle and sell Springbank, Longrow and Hazelburn Single Malt whiskies, along with Campbeltown Loch and Mitchell's 12-year-old. Its USP is that customers can have a bottle poured straight from a cask and labelled with a person’s name. When sealed it has a label with the ‘born on date’, as whisky stops ageing as soon as it leaves the wooden barrel so each bottle is a unique blend.

The source of the name Auchentoshan is Gaelic. It means 'corner of the field'. 

Auchentoshan was probably started by Irish settlers, led by the MacBeathas.

Some sources claim that these Irish whisky distillers brought the Irish custom of triple distillation with them. Auchentoshan uses triple distillation.

Antique records from the year 1800 mention an (illegal) Duntocher distillery, which may have been a predecessor to the legal Auchentoshan distillery. A license for distillation was obtained in 1823.

The ‘e’ in whiskey: Scotch whisky is always spelt without an ‘e’? Most other nations such as United States and Ireland call their similar spirits Whiskey. Be sure you never add the ‘e’ when writing to a Scotsman. The tip on a very simple way to remember the spelling: if it comes from a country without an ‘e’ in its spelling, then it's spelt Whisky. (e.g., Scotland, Japan, India, Canada, etc.) was proved to be fallacious.

Bruichladdich’s The Octomore 08.3 is “the most heavily peated Octomore to date”, containing barley peated to 309 ppm. Octomore 2009 Edition 06.3, peating level is 258 ppm. 

The Macallan claims that it has achieved success and fame through its ‘Six Pillars’, viz., Spiritual Home, Curiously Small Stills, Finest Cut, Exceptional Oak Casks, Natural Color and The Macallan itself.  It has released five expressions in honour of its pillars so far, starting in 2005; the 50, 55, 57, 60 and 62-year-old single malts in bespoke Lalique crystal. The 62nd was released on December 17, 2013, at a price of US$ 26,000.

A comprehensive list of 2250 fun facts is available at this site https://noelonwhisky.blogspot.com/2019/09/120-more-fun-facts-about-whisky.html OR AT THIS LINK.

A further set of 2,500 fun facts, following on from the first, is available at THIS LINK.