Independent bottler

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It has been common practice in the whisky industry for more than a century for distilleries to sell barrels of whisky to blenders and independent bottlers as a means of making additional income. [1] [2] [3] [4] In fact, some distilleries exist solely to serve independent bottlers, and do not market any brands themselves. [5] [6]

Contents

Famous independent bottlers include Milroy's of Soho, who began their trade in 1964 and continue to release interesting old and rare expressions.

In the United States, the first whiskey brand that was sold exclusively in glass bottles was Old Forester – introduced in the 1870s by an independent bottler. The brand was promoted with the idea that by buying whisky sold in a sealed bottle, the customer could be assured that the whisky met the quality standard of the brand and had not been adulterated.

Distilleries also pass on barrels of whisky to ensure consistency. When blending whisky, they ensure consistency by using barrels with similar flavours. If a particular flavour is notably different, it may be deemed uncharacteristic of the distillery and as such cannot be used in "official" product bottlings. Whiskies bottled by independent bottlers may or may not be labelled with the distillery of origin, but tend not to use the distillery's trademarks such as logos, fonts and images as they may not have the authorization to do so.

Quality

In general, the fact that a whisky was produced by an independent bottler does not, by itself, provide any indication of quality. Independently bottled whisky ranges from "bottom shelf" products of low price and quality to the finest classes of whiskies. However, an independent bottler can sometimes provide more niche-style products due to the nature of their business model. [7]

Independently bottled whisky is sometimes bottled at cask strength, which means it is not diluted from the strength that comes out of the barrel. [8] This often results in a more full-flavoured whisky, because lowering the strength by dilution also dilutes the flavour. Independent Bottlers may also not chill filter the whisky, a process which involves removing fatty acids, proteins and esters to give the whisky a clearer appearance. Chill filtering can affect flavour, however, because these compounds account for a lot of the taste (the esters, for example, have a fruit-like aroma). One further measure often not taken when independently bottling whisky is the addition of spirit caramel for colouring. [9] [10]

Due to the long history and marketing campaigns undergone by some distilleries, their brands may be associated with a great deal of prestige. As such, proprietary bottlings can sometimes command a higher price than an independently bottled whisky from the same distillery. Because of this, independently bottled whisky is often much cheaper, which can enable connoisseurs and whisky drinkers to try "rarer", older whisky without paying quite so much. [11] However, as distilleries often strive for consistency, and are careful not to tarnish their reputations, their branded bottlings can sometimes be more reliable.

Secret bottlings

Some whiskies that are bottled by independent bottlers are marketed without identification of the source distillery. These are often referred to as "secret bottlings". The distiller may be unnamed because the distilleries that produce them only want their name associated with whisky released by themselves, or because the bottler wants to have the ability to buy from various distilleries without changing their label or revealing their trade secrets.

This type of secrecy is not always absolute. An example of a not-so-secret bottling is the "Tactical Selection" from Douglas Laing & Co's Old Malt Cask range. The bottlers have not stated the distillery, but in the style of many independent bottlings, there are clues as to its origins. In this case, the clue is a geographical location; Tactical Selection was distilled on the Isle of Skye – which is home to only one whisky distillery, Talisker. [12]

Tactics such as these may allow bottlers to indicate their source without breaching trademark or contract agreements. [13]

Regulation in Scotland

Under the Scotch Whisky Regulations of 2009, it became unlawful for Single Malt Scotch Whisky (only Single Malts – not blends) to be exported from Scotland other than in a bottle labelled for retail sale, effective 23 November 2012. [14] [15] Section 7 of the Act contains the pertinent provisions:

(2) During the period until (and including) 22nd November 2012, a person must not move any Single Malt Scotch Whisky from Scotland to another country in a wooden cask or other wooden holder.

(3) On and after 23rd November 2012 a person must not move any Single Malt Scotch Whisky from Scotland to another country except in a bottle (made of any inert material) that is labelled for retail sale.

See also

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whisky</span> Distilled alcoholic beverage

Whisky or whiskey is a type of liquor made from fermented grain mash. Various grains are used for different varieties, including barley, corn, rye, and wheat. Whisky is typically aged in wooden casks, which are typically made of charred white oak. Uncharred white oak casks previously used for the aging of port, rum or sherry are also sometimes used.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Single malt whisky</span> Malt whisky from a single distillery

Single malt whisky is malt whisky from a single distillery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Talisker distillery</span> Island Single Malt Scotch whisky

Talisker distillery is an island single malt Scotch whisky distillery based in Carbost, Scotland on the Minginish Peninsula on the Isle of Skye.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tennessee whiskey</span> Type of American whiskey

Tennessee whiskey is straight whiskey produced in the U.S. state of Tennessee. Although it has been legally defined as a bourbon whiskey in some international trade agreements, most current producers of Tennessee whiskey disclaim references to their products as "bourbon" and do not label them as such on any of their bottles or advertising materials. All current Tennessee whiskey producers are required by Tennessee law to produce their whiskeys in Tennessee and – with the sole exception of Benjamin Prichard's – to use a filtering step known as the Lincoln County Process prior to aging the whiskey. Beyond the perceived marketing value of the distinction, Tennessee whiskey and bourbon have almost identical requirements, and most Tennessee whiskeys meet the criteria for bourbon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laphroaig distillery</span> Scotch whisky distillery on Islay, Scotland

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Grant & Sons</span> Scottish alcohol distillery

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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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Springbank distillery</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Single barrel whiskey</span>

Single barrel whiskey is a premium class of whiskey in which each bottle comes from an individual aging barrel, instead of coming from blending together the contents of various barrels to provide uniformity of color and taste. By contrast, some other whiskeys, even ones that are not blends, may be combined from more than one batch, or even from differing years to achieve consistency. The whiskey from each barrel is bottled separately, with each bottle bearing the barrel number and in most cases the dates for the beginning and end of aging. Each barrel is believed to contribute unique characteristics to the finished whiskey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Auchentoshan distillery</span> Whisky distillery in Dalmuir, Scotland

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Redbreast (whiskey)</span> Irish whiskey

Redbreast is a brand of single pot still Irish Whiskey produced by the Irish Distillers subsidiary of Pernod Ricard. It was originally bottled by Gilbey's, a Dublin spirits merchant using distillate sourced from Jameson's Bow Street Distillery. In the 1980s, the brand was purchased by Irish Distillers, the producer of Jameson. It is the largest selling single pot still Irish whiskey in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Small batch whiskey</span>

Small batch whiskey is whiskey produced by mixing the contents of a relatively small number of selected barrels. Small batch whiskeys are commercially positioned for the upper-premium market. The term is most commonly used for American whiskey but is sometimes used for other whiskeys as well. For example, the Bowmore distillery in Islay, Scotland, has produced a single malt Scotch whisky labeled as "small batch".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tamdhu distillery</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Willett Distillery</span>

Willett Distillery Ltd, is a private, family-owned-and-operated company that produces bourbon and rye whiskey. Over the years, the company has bottled whiskeys that range from two years of aging maturity up to 28 years. The company was named Kentucky Bourbon Distillers (KBD) between 1984 and 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Willett Pot Still Reserve</span>

Willett Pot Still Reserve Bourbon is brand of a bourbon whiskey produced in Bardstown, Kentucky by the Willett Distillery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dingle Distillery</span> Irish whiskey distillery

Dingle Distillery is an Irish whiskey distillery established in 2012 and billing itself as an 'artisan' distillery. The distillery is located in a converted sawmill in Milltown on the outskirts of Dingle, in a Gaeltacht in the southwest of Ireland. The first whiskeys distilled and matured at the distillery were released in late 2016. In addition to whiskey, the distillery also produces and markets Dingle vodka and Dingle Gin.

Knappogue Castle Irish Whiskey is a brand of premium single malt Irish whiskey produced by the Irish Distillers subsidiary of Pernod Ricard. The brand is named for historic Knappogue Castle in County Clare, Ireland, originally built by Clan MacNamara in 1467. Knappogue Castle is known for bottling one of the oldest and rarest known Irish whiskies, Knappogue Castle 1951, a pot still whiskey produced at the now-defunct B. Daly Distillery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outline of whisky</span> Outline of the knowledge of whisky

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to whisky:

References

  1. ScotchWhisky.net - What is an Independent Bottler?
  2. Whiskey Wednesday: American Independent Bottlers, Sku's Recent Eats: Eating Adventures in the Los Angeles Area and Beyond (and Whiskey on Wednesday!), April 28, 2009. (Access date December 11, 2010.)
  3. Charles K. Cowdery, Non-Distiller Producers; Make The Brands, But Buy The Whiskey Archived 2012-10-29 at the Wayback Machine , American Distiller #89, Reprinted with permission from The Bourbon Country Reader, Volume 10 Number 5 (September 2007). (Access date December 13, 2010.)
  4. Charles K. Cowdery, Who Made That Whiskey?, The Chuck Cowdery Blog: American Whiskey & Other Stuff, February 19, 2008. (Access date December 13, 2010.)
  5. "Malt Maniacns Allt-A-Bhainne". Archived from the original on 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2010-08-10.
  6. "Glenlochy Distillery – History". Archived from the original on 2010-11-03. Retrieved 2010-08-10.
  7. "List of Independent Whisky Bottlers". TopWhiskies. TopWhiskies. Retrieved 25 June 2021.
  8. "What is an Independent Whisky Bottler". TopWhiskies. TopWhiskies. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  9. "The Whisky Guide – Independent Bottlers". Archived from the original on 2010-11-28. Retrieved 2010-08-10.
  10. The Single Cask - Independent Bottler
  11. Whisky for Everyone - Indie bottling companies
  12. Whisky Magazine Independent Bottlings of Talisker
  13. Jackson, Michael (2004). The Malt Whisky Companion, Penguin Books 2004 ISBN   978-1-4053-0234-0
  14. The Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009, The National Archives, 2009.
  15. The Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009: Guidance for Producers and Bottlers Archived 2010-07-05 at the Wayback Machine , Scotch Whisky Association, February 12, 2009.
  16. Whiskey Wednesday: The Distiller That Doesn't Distill - Kentucky Bourbon Distillers (KBD), Sku's Recent Eats: Eating Adventures in the Los Angeles Area and Beyond (and Whiskey on Wednesday!), May 5, 2009. (Access date December 11, 2010.)
  17. American Whiskey: American Distilling Institute, American Whiskey, April, 2012.