 | |
| Type | Scotch Whisky |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Diageo |
| Country of origin | Scotland |
| Introduced | 1851 |
| Alcohol by volume | 40% |
| Website | bells |
Bell's is a brand of blended Scotch whisky produced by Diageo in Scotland. It was originally produced by Arthur Bell & Sons Ltd and is one of the best selling whiskies in the UK, only slightly behind The Famous Grouse which is the best selling Scotch whisky on the island. [1]
The Bell's producer Arthur Bell & Sons Ltd was founded in 1798. [2]
In 1851, Arthur Bell (1825–1900) began to blend various single malts together to create a more consistent blended whisky. [3] Arthur Bell was the first known whisky manufacturer to appoint a London agent, by at least 1863. [4] Bell's two sons joined the business in partnership in 1895. [5] Arthur Kinmond (1868–1942) was appointed to manage the domestic market and Robert was appointed as head of the brand overseas. [4]
By the 1880s, the company was focused on blended whisky. [4] Arthur Bell died in 1900. [4] In 1921, the partnership became a private company run by Arthur Kinmond after Robert retired to live as a country gentleman. The end of Prohibition in America created a surge in demand, which led Arthur Bell & Sons to acquire two distilleries in 1933: Blair Athol and Dufftown. [5] In 1936, the Inchgower distillery was also acquired. [6]
The Bell brothers died in 1942 and the company accountant, William Govan Farquharson, became chairman of the company. [4] He focused on advertising the brand more heavily. [4] Bell's became a public company in 1949. [6] In 1954, Arthur Bell exported to 130 countries. [7]
By 1970, Bell's was the highest selling whisky in Scotland. [4] In the early 1970s, Bell's could not afford the advertising budget of the larger whisky distillers. [8] Instead, it focused on the use of mixers with its product. [8] This increased the product's popularity with women, and Bell's revenues rose by 800% between 1970 and 1979. [8] In 1978, Bell's became the UK's highest selling whisky. [5] Much of the credit for this expansion is given to the then managing director Raymond Miquel. [9]
By 1980, the company had around 35 percent market share in the UK. [9] Arthur Bell & Sons acquired Gleneagles Hotels in 1984. [10]
In 1985, the company was acquired by Guinness for $518 million. [11]
n 1987, Guinness.combined the businesses of Arthur Bell & Sons and Distillers Company forming United Distillers. [12]
In 1997, Guinness merged with Grand Metropolitan to create Diageo, the current owner of Arthur Bell & Sons. [13]
Blair Athol is the main component of the blend. [14] Dufftown and Inchgower still figure, but Glenkinchie and Caol Ila are also components. [14]
The Pittyvaich distillery was used in the blend between 1974 and 1993. [15]
Bell's is bottled at Diageo's Shieldhall, Glasgow plant.
The product is 40% ABV in the UK, and 43% ABV in South Africa. [16]
Arthur Bell & Sons Ltd owned three whisky distilleries in Scotland: [14]
The brand's top markets are the UK, Portugal, Spain the Nordic countries, Brazil and South Africa. [17]
A religious man, modesty prevented Arthur Bell from using his name on his whisky. [15] The Arthur Bell name was not attached to the product until 1904. [15]
A yellow floribunda rose was named after Arthur Bell in the early 1960s. [18] Bell's has used the "Afore ye go" slogan since 1925. [5]
Speyside single malts are single malt Scotch whiskies, distilled in Strathspey, the area around the River Spey in Moray and Badenoch and Strathspey, in northeastern Scotland.
Diageo plc is a British multinational alcoholic beverage company, with its headquarters in London, England. It operates from 132 sites around the world. It is a major distributor of Scotch whisky and other spirits. Distilleries owned by Diageo produce 40 percent of all Scotch whisky with over 24 brands, such as Johnnie Walker, J&B and Old Parr.
Tormore distillery is a Speyside single malt Scotch whisky distillery located approximately 1 km south of the River Spey. Its water source is the Allt an Torra Mhoir Burn.
Lagavulin distillery is an Islay single malt Scotch whisky distillery located in the village of Lagavulin on the south of the island of Islay, Scotland.
Grant's is a blended Scotch whisky, produced by the company William Grant & Sons in Scotland.
William Grant & Sons Ltd is an independent, family-owned Scottish company that distills Scotch whisky and other selected categories of spirits. It was established in 1887 by William Grant, and is run by Grant's descendants as of 2018. It is the largest of the handful of Scotch whisky distillers remaining in family ownership.
A master blender is an individual who develops specific blended spirits using a combination of spirits with different characteristics. For example, in the Scotch whisky industry, master blenders choose which single malts and grain whiskies to combine to make particular brands of blended whisky. A master blender is not the same thing as a master distiller, although one person may do both jobs at small craft distilleries. As the name suggests, the blender creates blends using spirits from different casks and is responsible for making sure the product remains consistent across different batches, while the distiller is either directly responsible for the mashing and distilling of spirits or simply holds the title as the administrative and marketing figurehead of the company.
Dalwhinnie Distillery, situated in the Highland village of Dalwhinnie in Scotland, produces single malt Scotch whisky. Whilst labeled as Highland, as the Dalwhinnie distillery is located in the Badenoch and Strathspey ward of the Highland Council, it is in the Speyside region - noting that under SWA regulations the full Speyside region falls within the boundaries of the Highlands and so can be labeled as such. The distillery is owned by Diageo.
The Distillers Company plc was a leading Scotch whisky company and, at one time, a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. It was taken over in 1986 by Guinness & Co. and is now part of Diageo.
United Distillers was a Scottish company formed in 1987 from combining the businesses of Distillers Company and Arthur Bell & Sons, both owned by Guinness. The company owned six single malt Scotch brands, which were relaunched as the Classic Malts range. It also owned the Bernheim distillery and the Stitzel-Weller distillery, both in Louisville, Kentucky in the United States.
Dewar's is a brand of blended Scotch whisky. Dewar's parent company, John Dewar & Sons, Ltd. is owned by Bacardi Ltd.
Inchgower distillery is a whisky distillery producing a single malt of the same name located on the outskirts of Buckie, Moray, Scotland.
Cardhu distillery is a Speyside distillery near Archiestown, Moray, Scotland, founded in 1824 by whisky smuggler John Cumming and his wife Helen. The distillery is now run by Diageo and the distillery's Scotch whisky makes up an important part of the Johnnie Walker blended whiskies. The word "Cardhu" derives from the Scottish Gaelic Carn Dubh, meaning "Black Rock".
Glendullan distillery is a single malt Scotch whisky distillery in Dufftown, Scotland in the Speyside region. Glendullan is owned by Diageo.
Glen Ord distillery is a whisky distillery in the Scottish Highlands and is the only remaining single malt scotch whisky distillery on the Black Isle.
Haig is a brand of Scotch whisky, produced by Diageo in Scotland. It was originally manufactured by John Haig & Co Ltd. since the early 1720s.
Mortlach distillery is a distiller of Scotch whisky in Dufftown, Moray, Scotland. Founded in 1823, the distillery is currently owned by Diageo. The whisky is a key component in several Johnnie Walker bottlings, and Diageo also markets four Mortlach single malts.
Dufftown distillery is a Scotch whisky distillery in Dufftown, Moray, Scotland.
Grand Old Parr is a blended Scotch whisky produced by Diageo in Scotland. Is named after the Old Tom Parr, the reputed oldest man in England. Launched in 1909, it is found in export markets such as Japan, Mexico, South America and the United States, and is no longer distributed in the United Kingdom.
Convalmore distillery is a inactive Speyside single malt Scotch whisky in Dufftown, Moray, Scotland.
