Bell's whisky

Last updated

Bell's
BellScotch.jpg
Type Scotch Whisky
Manufacturer Diageo
Country of origin  Scotland
Introduced1851
Alcohol by volume  40%
Website bells.co.uk
Bell's Scotch Whisky barrel at the Blair Athol distillery in Pitlochry, Perthshire Bell's Scotch Whisky - geograph.org.uk - 777281.jpg
Bell's Scotch Whisky barrel at the Blair Athol distillery in Pitlochry, Perthshire

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]

Contents

History

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]

Production

Shieldhall bottling plant, Glasgow Shieldhall Whisky Bottling Plant - geograph.org.uk - 59318.jpg
Shieldhall bottling plant, Glasgow

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]

Distilleries

Arthur Bell & Sons Ltd owned three whisky distilleries in Scotland: [14]

Markets

The brand's top markets are the UK, Portugal, Spain, the Nordic countries, Brazil and South Africa. [17]

Advertising

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]

Bell's 2016 Christmas TV advert campaign starred actor Matt Berry in character as "Steven Toast". [19]

References

  1. ↑ "Leading whiskey brands ranked by on-trade sales value in the United Kingdom in 2022". statista.com. 8 October 2022. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  2. ↑ "Bell's Whisky – The Distillery". www.bells.co.uk. Archived from the original on 9 June 2019. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
  3. ↑ Gavin D. Smith; Dominic Roskrow; Davin De Kergommeaux (2012). Whisky Opus. DK. p. 83. ISBN   978-1-4053-9474-1 . Retrieved 8 January 2014.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Scotch Whisky : Most authoritative guide to Scotch whisky online – Scotch Whisky". scotchwhisky.com.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Bell's Whisky – Home". www.bells.co.uk. Archived from the original on 12 December 2018. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
  6. 1 2 Ronald B. Weir, ‘Bell, Arthur (1825–1900)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, Jan 2011 accessed 8 Jan 2014
  7. ↑ "Bell's Whisky – Home". www.bells.co.uk.[ permanent dead link ]
  8. 1 2 3 James, Barrie G. (1985). Business Wargames. Taylor & Francis. p. 60. ISBN   978-0-85626-441-2.
  9. 1 2 Philip Hills (21 December 2012). Scots On Scotch: The Book of Whisky. Mainstream Publishing. p. 14. ISBN   978-1-78057-788-3.
  10. ↑ David Parker (19 June 2013). The Official History of Privatisation, Vol. II: Popular Capitalism, 1987–97. Routledge. p. 438. ISBN   978-1-136-33123-7.
  11. ↑ Feder, Barnaby J. (24 August 1985). "Bell's Stockholders Back Guinness Bid". The New York Times .
  12. ↑ "The Guinness / Distillers Saga: The Aftermath". Scottish Whisky Magazine. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  13. ↑ "DIAGEO SCOTLAND LIMITED overview – Find and update company information – GOV.UK".
  14. 1 2 3 "Bell's Whisky – Home". www.bells.co.uk. Archived from the original on 12 December 2018. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
  15. 1 2 3 "Bells Whisky – one of Scotlands big brands". Archived from the original on 8 January 2014. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
  16. ↑ "Bell's Whisky – Home". www.bells.co.uk. Archived from the original on 6 October 2018. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
  17. ↑ Whisk(e)y Archived January 8, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
  18. ↑ "Arthur Bell (Climbing) – Country Garden Roses". Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 9 June 2014.
  19. ↑ "Bell's whisky launch hilarious new advertising campaign with Steven Toast". The Scotsman . 16 November 2016.
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