MORE TIDBITS ABOUT SCOTCH WHISKY

  A FOLLOW UP TO FUN FACTS ABOUT WHISKY

For a comprehensive list of nearly 1500 Fun Facts, please click here.

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.    

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 to 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. 

Johnnie Walker Black label is the world's best-selling deluxe 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. 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 is INDRINK.

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 size in Scotland.

Releases of Scotch whisky from bond for sale in the UK in the first half totaled 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.

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%

You Can Watch Whisky Production Processes Live: Bruichladdich, a distillery on the island of Islay, has webcams that allow you to see each of the whisky making processes as they happen. Go to www.bruichladdich.com/web_cam and watch whisky being produced live (if they are working).

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 the Cadenhead 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 unique selling point 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 aging 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 spelled 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. A very simple way to remember the spelling: if it comes from a country without an ‘e’ in its spelling, then its spelt Whisky. (e.g., Scotland, Japan, India, Canada, etc.).

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 honor of its pillars so far, starting in 2005; the 50, 55, 57, 60 and 62-year-old single malts in bespoke Lalique crystal. The 62^nd was released on December 17, 2013 at a price of US$ 26,000.

BLENDED MALT WHISKIES

AN EXCELLENT CHANGE: BLENDED MALTS

Blended malts are, as the name suggests, a combination of two or more single malt Scotch whiskies – unlike blends, there’s no grain whisky here. Instead, you have some of the most innovative Scotch whiskies around, from Islay-influenced smoke and seaweed to the typical Speyside character of rich, spiced fruit.

These whiskies are big business in Taiwan, which remains by far the world’s biggest blended malt market. There’s no limit to the number of single malts you can use in a blended malt: while Monkey Shoulder combines only three, Wemyss The Hive comprises no fewer than 16, many of them from Speyside. You might think you’re firmly rooted in Islay when tasting Peat Monster from Compass Box – but peated Speysider Ardmore is a crucial part of the mix. A very large percentage of these expressions are NAS.

Here is my order of priority. The Odyssey is far too expensive to buy, so it's your choice. A bottle every month or two would be fine if there is a well-stocked bar close by.

-Islay Pillaged Malt 2003, with Single Malt whiskies from Ardbeg, Bruichladdich,   Bowmore,  Bunnahabhain, Caol  Ila, Lagavulin & Laphroaig distilleries, bottled at   Bruichladdich.
-Celtic Pillage 2005, a cask strength vatting of 12 YO Jura and Bushmills   (Northern Ireland).
-Three Isles Classic Pillage, a 10 YO vatting of Ardbeg, Jura and Tobermory.
-Buchanan & Co's Strathconon 12-Year-Old.
-Ardbeg Serendipity NAS, marketed by Glenmorangie
-Chivas Regal Ultis NAS, with SMs from Allt a'Bhainne, Braeval, Longmorn, Strathisla and Tormore
-Johnnie Walker Island Green Label NAS
-Cardhow (Cardhu) 12 YO, run entirely by women. Production stopped in 2009
-Bowmore 12 YO Blended Malt Whisky
-Bell's 12 YO using SMs mainly from Blair Athol, Caol Ila and Glenkinchie
-Clan Denny, both versions, Sweetly Spiced and Heavily Peated
-Johnnie Walker Green Label 16 YO
-Famous Grouse Vintage Malt Whisky 1987
-Wemyss Peat Chimney 46% ABV with Islay Malts
-Angel's Nectar Rich Peat Edition with Highland Malts, NAS 46% ABV
-Highland Journey NAS from Hunter Laing 46.2% ABV Highland Malts
-Poit Dhubh 12 YO Uisge Beatha Albannach. An 8 YO is also available
-J & B Exception 12 YO using Speyside Malts
-Big Peat 54.6% ABV NAS, an all Islay BM with whiskies from Ardbeg, Bowmore,   Caol Ila and   Port Ellen
-Shackleton's Discovery NAS 47.3% ABV
-Compass Box Spice Tree Extravaganza NAS
-Glenleven 12 Year Old
-William Grant Ghosted Reserve 26 YO 42% ABV
-Compass Box The Peat Monster NAS 46% ABV
-Monkey Shoulder NAS with SMs from Kininvie, Glenfiddich and Balvenie
-Berry Bros & Rudd's Blue Hanger 11th Release NAS 45.6%
-Smokey Joe Islay Blended Malt Whisky NAS 46% ABV
-Sheep Dip 8 YO with 16 SMs from Whyte & Mackay

The MacKinlay Whisky's Journey on Shackleton's Expedition

From The Ice Below Shackleton's Hut To Skilled Recreation:

This Is A Story To Savour In The Telling

46 Cases of Mackinlay's Rare Old Highland Malt

In June 1907, the Glen Mhor distillery in Inverness received an order from the famous explorer Ernest Shackleton for a total of 46 cases of Mackinlay's Rare Old Highland Malt – one of the more indulgent items included among the provisions designed to sustain his British Antarctic Expedition of 1907.

The Discovery

In February 2007, after almost a century entombed in thick ice beneath Shackleton's expedition hut in Antarctica, three crates of this long lost whisky were discovered by a team from the New Zealand Antarctic Heritage Trust. The team was carrying out a full programme of conservation work on the aging expedition hut at Cape Royds when they made their stunning discovery.

However, in line with international protocols agreed by the Antarctic Treaty Nations, the crates could not be removed from Antarctica unless it was for conservation or scientific reasons. The Press Release of Friday 5 February '10 can be read using this link.

In early 2010, one crate of the whisky was removed from the ice by the Antarctic Heritage Trust and flown directly back to Canterbury Museum for careful thawing and stabilisation. Eventually, this crate was returned – and became one of over 14,000 expedition artefacts which the New Zealand Antarctic Heritage Trust cares for across this frozen continent.

Mackinlay's Rare Old Highland Malt

In Canterbury Museum, the temporarily liberated crate of Mackinlay’s Rare Old Highland Malt was slowly defrosted in a purpose-built cool room. Over a two-week period in mid-2010, while captured in the increasing glare of worldwide media interest, the temperature of the crate itself raised extremely slowly from around -20ºC to 0ºC.

The team of conservators were able to examine the contents and were eventually delighted to recover 11 bottles, 10 of which are perfectly intact, still wrapped in protective paper and straw. With the whisky finally freed from the frozen crate, the museum conservators were able to complete their detailed analysis of the packaging, labels and bottles. However, the global spotlight was intensely focused on what these precious artefact bottles contain – a Highland malt whisky that was already well over 100 years old.

Indeed, never before in the history of whisky experts had access to a century old bottle of whisky that had been stored in a natural fridge well beyond human reach. So it was arguably only a slight exaggeration when this rare and valuable malt was described as ‘a gift from heaven for whisky lovers’ by Richard Paterson, Master Blender at Whyte & Mackay, the owners of the Mackinlay brand. And, with the bottles now ice-free, plans were made to undertake an analysis of the whisky so that it could be re-created in all its long-lost glory.  

The Return Journey

In January 2011 three bottles of the Mackinlay’s whisky finally began their return journey to the Highlands of Scotland. The bottles were deemed so rare that the Antarctic Heritage Trust refused to let them travel unaccompanied or in the hold of a plane. So they were personally collected by Whyte & Mackay company owner, Dr Vijay Mallya, and flown back to Scotland onboard his private jet.

Arriving home in Scotland, for the first time in more than 100 years, the whisky was transported to W&M’s Invergordon Spirit Laboratory for detailed scientific analysis. Richard Paterson, and his expert team led by Dr James Pryde, spent several weeks in the laboratory nosing, tasting and deconstructing the whisky to reveal its true heritage.

February 2011: Analysis

The analysis of the whisky first determines its strength at 47.3% alc./vol. The team described the whisky as light honey in colour, straw gold with shimmering highlights, and with an aroma that is soft, elegant and refined on the nose. Indeed, detailed nosing revealed delicate aromas of crushed apple, pear and fresh pineapple with notes of oak shavings, smoke and hints of buttery vanilla, creamy caramel and nutmeg. And, finally, the tasting revealed a spirit that has plenty of impact on the palate; a tantalising array of flavours that is both harmonious and exhilarating.

Analysis of the cask extractives indicated that the spirit was matured in American white oak sherry casks, while testing of the phenol content, which was lighter than expected for a whisky of this period, revealed that the peat used for the malting originated in the Orkney Islands.

Indeed, documentary evidence supports this, recording the supply of peat to both Glen Mhor and Glen Albyn distilleries in Inverness from the Isle of Eday in Orkney during the early 1900s. Final examination of each bottle delivered almost identical spirit profiles, suggesting that these far-travelled bottles may be representative of all whisky made at Glen Mhor.

Mackinlay’s Shackleton Rare Old Highland Malt - The Journey

MACKINLAY'S THE JOURNEY BOTTLING NOTE

The 2007 discovery of whisky left in Antarctica by Sir Ernest Shackleton during his famous expedition in the early 1900s led to Richard 'The Nose' Paterson using all his skill and experience to recreate this historic whisky, raising £250,000 for the Antarctic Heritage Trust in the process.

Approached by the charity and Alexandra Shackleton (Ernest's grand-daughter) to produce a second edition of his blended malt to coincide with Tim Jarvis' Shackleton Epic (the first authentic re-enactment of Shackleton's extraordinary Antarctic survival journey of 1916), how could Paterson refuse?

Digging out another rare cask of Glen Mhor (an even older one, this time from 1980), as well as some heavily-peated Dalmore(!), he once again recreated the Shackleton whisky, also using malts from Glenfarclas, Mannochmore, Tamnavulin, Ben Nevis, Aultmore, Fettercairn, Pulteney and Jura.

The resulting masterpiece of blending offers something different, whilst clearly coming from the same lineage as his first lovingly recreated malt. A new and critically-acclaimed interpretation of a truly classic whisky.

PAUL JOHN'S SINGLE MALTS FROM GOA

World Class Single Malts From India

India produces two well-known Single Malt Whiskies that are in demand globally. They come from the Amrut and Paul John Distilleries and are so named. We were lucky to get the former at Rs. 1475/- (US$21.70) per 750 ml bottle, at 43% ABV or 75 proof. The latter is not as easy to obtain and costs a fair amount. There are numerous versions, all NAS (No Age Statement) and at much stronger ratings, like 55% ABV. That said, a few expressions are available at 46% ABV, but not as classy as the stronger versions.

Paul John Distilleries are based in the Cuncolim Industrial Estate, South Goa, an area subject to very high day temperatures and intense humidity. This raises the Angels' share to as much as 10-12% and no barrel under maturation can withstand such high losses per year. Paul John whiskies are mostly in the 4-7 year range, with the odd 3 and 9-year old.

Paul John whiskies are made from only Indian ingredients. They use six-row barley, unlike Scotch whiskies that are made from two-row barley which has very high carbohydrate but low protein content. Six-row barley offers a distinct tannic character to the spirit. The alcohol yield is also much lower.

At Paul John, after grinding where the malted barley is mashed into coarse grist, the three-stage hot water wort creation process is replaced by a single hot water process (70° C). They use eight stainless steel washbacks that hold about 18,000 litres of wort each. They cannot use wooden washbacks as is done in Scottish distilleries because the high humidity and proximity to sea causes the wood to rot, requiring continuous maintenance. 

The only import is of two types of Scottish peat, used specifically for kilning (heating) and to increase the phenolic content of the spirit. One type comes from Aberdeen which has a marine and grassy character and the other is from Islay which has obvious high phenolic properties. The raw spirit is made using both these peats and blended according to the desired recipe. 

In India, Customs officers go by the final bottling rather than the spirit output at the distillation point. The spirit safe is thus kept unlocked. This helps the blender to gain a real feel of the cut he is going to make. The entire middle cut is done by actual organoleptic senses and by constant monitoring. Paul John extracts the middle cut at 63.5%. In Scottish distilleries, the human element has been gradually removed and the middle cut is made by computer diktats re timing and monitored by a spirit meter. 

Paul John produces malt whiskies matured only in imported American Oak barrels and stored in two warehouses, with a total capacity of 10,000 casks. Bottling is done in situ and the whiskies are not chill filtered.

Tasting Notes: Some Paul John Whiskies

Paul John, Edited, 46%, NAS– Gentle on the nose. You get barley sugars but with hints of orange marmalade and peat. The peat is not blatant, but gentle, suggesting that the malting was done with Aberdeen peat. After some time you get green capsicum, wet chalk and vanilla. On the palate, it is much rounder and peat reappears with sweet and honey flavours. Medium finish. 

Paul John, Classic, c.s 55.2%, NAS – On the nose you get those complexities immediately. Lots of sugars and tannins mistaking it to be a sherried whisky. Some lactones with a feel like asafoetida followed by a mix of citrus notes. On the palate it is dry and you get some tannins with a wholesome feeling of a full bodied whisky. Very sweet. Finishes long with a mix of spices.

Paul John, Bold, 46%, NAS – On the nose you get some smoke with definite peat notes. Vanilla and lemon, spices with green peppers. On the palate it is very sweet. Finishes with long peaty notes.

Paul John, Peated, c.s 55.5%, NAS – Bonfire smoke and peat. Sweet and honeyed and mild medicinal notes like any Islay whisky. Lots of complexities, green grass juices, vanilla and citrus notes. On the palate you get those dry tannins but the mouthfeel is very full and wholesome. Sweet and syrupy. Finishes very long with a satisfying feeling. 

Tasting Notes by Krishna Nukala

 

THE REAL McKOY

 CUTTY SARK: THE REAL McCOY

The Cutty Sark is the world’s last remaining clipper ship. It was built on the Clyde, in Glasgow, in 1869 for the China tea trade, and was one of the fastest clippers ever built. 

I’ve been on it; it is narrow and, except for the top deck and the Captain’s cabin, there is no headroom. The average height of ceilings reduce progressively as you descend four decks, from 5 feet to 3’9”. 

Edrington PLC, a company whose head office was located ten miles from where the famous ship was built, used the name for a whisky it launched on March 23, 1923. Cutty Sark was the first light coloured, blended whisky. Launched at the height of the “cocktail culture”, it was designed to be mixed and was aimed squarely at the American market. It started as a 3 Year Old whisky during Prohibition in the US (1920-33); immediately after Prohibition was repealed in 1933, the 5 YO hit the market. Current blends are 8 YO. 

During Prohibition, Cutty Sark gave rise to the term “the real McCoy.” The whisky was bootlegged by the legendary Bill McCoy, an American smuggler based in the Bahamas. McCoy, a nondrinker, guaranteed his contraband was uncut and unadulterated. The quality of his whisky gave rise to the expression, “the real McCoy”, an expression that remains a synonym for integrity and authenticity. During Prohibition, “ordering a real McCoy” became slang for ordering a Cutty Sark.

Following the repeal of Prohibition in 1933, the impeccable reputation of the whisky led to a surge in sales and Cutty Sark became one of the best-selling Scotch whisky brands in the United States. It remains one of that country’s most popular blends. Bill McCoy died a multi-millionaire in 1948. 

In 2013, Edrington released Cutty Sark, Prohibition Edition, a 50% ABV blended Scotch, to commemorate Bill McCoy and the 90th anniversary of the repeal of Prohibition. A 12 Years Old version is also on the market, priced higher than JW Black Label.

SOMETHING SPECIAL LEAVES INDIA FOR LATIN AMERICA

THE NEW DECANTER

I first tasted SOMETHING SPECIAL in 1977 in Poona. It was an exquisite experience and I decided to carry out detailed research on this Blended Scotch. I found that it was an illegal and raw blend first bottled in 1793 from what was to become Bon Accord Distillery in 1860. The SOMETHING SPECIAL website claims that Hill & Thomson Wines and Liquor in Edinburgh started the production and sale of an excellent blended Scotch whisky in 1793 and that it was granted a Royal Warrant by King William IV in 1838. This is a hoax, as William IV died in 1837. The whisky and distillery are not named. Moreover, blending of malt and grain whisky was permitted only in 1860 for distillers; other traders, like grocers, were permitted such blending in 1863. The term Scotch came from 'Scottish' and was first used in the mid-18th century (1855, Gavin Smith).

It came out as a 12 YO Premium Whisky thereafter, not an 8 YO. Bon Accord distillery, renamed to North of Scotland distillery, was taken over by the Longmorn Distillery Company in 1893, and the whisky was bottled soon thereafter as a Grant's Distilleries' product (1897). The website also claims that it was granted a Royal Warrant by Queen Victoria, who died in 1901. This is most probably another hoax, as no distillery was given the prefix ‘Royal’ in that period. In 1877 Hill, Thompson & Co. offered the role of export salesman to William Shaw. In 1902 he established the Queen Anne blend, which soon became the company’s flagship whisky.

Grant's Distillery was destroyed by a fire in 1910, but was repaired and running in 1911. A new blended whisky, named SOMETHING SPECIAL, came out with great fanfare in 1912, quietly burying its dubious past. The website states that the business was still owned by Hill & Thomson and advertised as “A Scotch for a Special Occasion.” It quickly became popular in the United Kingdom and around the world. 

The iconic decanter was first produced in the distinctive diamond shape in 1959 and heralded around the world as a statement of quality and originality.

In 1972, the Glenlivet and Glen Grant Distilleries Ltd amalgamated with the blending concerns of Hill, Thomson and Co.Ltd and Longmorn Distilleries Ltd to become The Glenlivet Distillers Ltd. SOMETHING SPECIAL was then bottled by Hill, Thomson and Co.Ltd, Paisley, Scotland as an 8 YO at very good prices [$12 for an 75 proof 43% ABV 750 ml decanter(86 proof in the USA)]. The Glenlivet Distillers Ltd. was then purchased by Canadian drinks and media company Seagram in 1977. The website claims SOMETHING SPECIAL™ whisky was launched in new markets across Latin America and Asia in 1985, where discerning connoisseurs were demanding high quality Scotch whisky. This is a part lie, as SOMETHING SPECIAL™ was freely available across India, even in its Military Canteens in the 70s. I bought my first bottle in 1982 in Bhuj, a back-of-beyond city in North Gujarat.

Seagram's was owned by a Canadian Jew, Samuel Bronfman, and his company was barred from the Islamic middle-east gateway to the liquor demanding market of South-central Asia. He was unable to get his personal baby, Chivas Regal, going in a huge and lucrative market. He then routed his supplies via Singapore. But Something Special, strikingly similar to Chivas Regal 12 YO, didn't cede its market share to Chivas Regal. Phipson's Black Dog and Johnnie Walker Red and Black labels were making rapid inroads into this market. This is why Something Special was withdrawn from the Indian and Asian market, to make way for Chivas Regal. Once sale in India and most of Asia was stopped, its primary market became Latin America and Italy. A bottle or two is often found in odd locations.  Seagram's was taken over by Pernod Ricard in 2000 and a fresh market analysis led to the release of their 15 YO in 2006, focussed on in Latin America with a few bottles trickling over to Asia as rarities. All barriers to trade via the Middle East were lifted.

The archives paint a very different story. In 1709 Andrew Thomson inherited the business of his father–in–law, Mr Brown, who was a brewer and vintner in the Grassmarket in Edinburgh. About 20 years later the business was moved to "The Vaults" in neighbouring Leith, which were bought by the company on 29 July 1782. The firm of J G Thomson & Co was founded by James Gibson Thomas in 1785 at the Vaults to supply goods like whisky, brandy and wines. James Gibson Thomson junior, the son of the company’s founder, was associated with the company from 1820 to 1876.

In its early years the major part of the business was in the import and distribution of wines from the continent. Later it traded in wines and spirits of all descriptions, imported or home produced. The company’s wholesale business was carried out under the name of J G Thomson & Co and the private trade was carried out under the name of Thomson Lauder & Co.

In 1884 the firm acquired Glen Garioch Distillery in Old Meldrum, Aberdeenshire and owned it until 1908. In 1890 it took over the Leith firm, Scott & Allan, and its two clippers, which brought cargoes of wines and brandies into Leith. Scott & Allan were also cork cutters. In 1905, J G Thomson & Co became a limited liability company.

The company went into voluntary liquidation in 1921 and the buildings and stocks were taken over by J M Hogge on behalf of the new company, which was a private company without a stock exchange quotation. By the 1930s, J G Thomson & Co was supplying wines to most of the top hotels in Scotland and had become one of the country’s leading independent whisky blenders, with a prosperous overseas trade. By 1959 it owned three bonded warehouses and large duty paid warehouses. The company acted as agent, stockist and distributor in Scotland for many famous and internationally known brands of wines and spirits. It also functioned as a very large exporter of whisky to all parts of the world, especially to the USA, and was involved in the blending of whisky. The company maintained a large transport fleet with depots in Leith and Glasgow, and it maintained its own cooperage.

After the Second World War many private hotels amalgamated into larger chains or were acquired by breweries. This effectively removed J G Thomson’s principal outlets. In 1960 it was bought by Charrington United Breweries Ltd of London. Three years later Charrington acquired the Glasgow firm J & R Tennent Ltd and in 1966 J G Thomson became a subsidiary of Tennent Caledonian Breweries Ltd.

IN THE ITALIAN MARKET

ONE OF THE FINEST 15 YEAR OLDS

SOMETHING SPECIAL RETURNS TO INDIA IN 2020 BUT AS A NAS EXPRESSION

SOMETHING SPECIAL is still a premium Blended Scotch whisky, the no. 1 Scotch whisky in the Dominican Republic, the no 2. in Colombia and overall no. 3 premium Scotch whisky brand in South America. It’s considered an outgoing and sociable whisky that celebrates life, an optimistic attitude and everyday success. As may be seen in the photos at the top, it is an NAS expression today and the decanter, while retaining its diamond cut, has been slimmed down a mite. The decanter of its newest release, the SOMETHING SPECIAL LEGACY, is unique and quite a collector's item.  

Surprisingly, SOMETHING SPECIAL made its debut in Latin America in 2004 as a 12 YO Blended Scotch whisky. The award-winning 12 YO blend contains fine Speyside malt whiskies and is sculptured around the outstanding Longmorn single malts, embellished by classy single malts from the Glenlivet, Glen Grant, Laphroaig and Allt A Bhainne distilleries, among others, which are melded together in Strathclyde Single Grain whisky to give it its unmistakably smoky sweetness. The hint of peaty character is imbued from a single malt produced at the Allt À Bhainne distillery in Keith, Speyside. The Islay contribution is made by an unpeated whisky from, surprisingly, Laphroaig, a distillery well-known for its unmistakable pungent, medicinal and smoky spirit. This expression is said to age in Bourbon and Sherry casks but the Sherry influence in this blend seems minimal. With Longmorn stock running low, SOMETHING SPECIAL turned both slim and NAS in 2010. It is now carried by Allt A Bhaine, Glen Grant, Strathisla, Aberlour and The Glenlivet.

It is deep gold in colour with E150A caramel additive, chill filtered and blended in Scotland. It is bottled in both Scotland and India. The Scottish version is at 40% ABV in a 70cl bottle; it is at 43% ABV in a 75cl bottle in India.

Nose: When you pour this blend in your glass you immediately get peat and light smoke that remind you of a light Islay whisky. However, on inhalation, the peat and smoke prove evanescent and are driven back quickly to the back of the glass and grain, wood, sundry dried fruit and malt come into play. After a while in the glass, earth and wood tones begin to dominate. There isn’t much sharp alcohol, which is good but this blend would benefit from some more fruity tones.

Taste: Sweet (Sugar, Honey) and Spicy Oak. The sweetness becomes syrupy if swigged after a chillied momo.

Finish: Not overly long and quickly getting dry. Some Cocoa powder, nuts and wood.

If you add four or five drops of water, the peat on the nose withdraws to the background. Floral and mineral tones appear. The palate however just gets watered down. So you can nose this blend with and without a few drops of water but it is best sipped neat.

Eagerly awaiting the release of the SOMETHING SPECIAL LEGACY.