 | |
| Type | Scotch Whisky |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | William Grant & Sons |
| Country of origin | Scotland |
| Introduced | 1887 |
| Alcohol by volume | 40% |
| Website | Grant's |
Grant's is a blended Scotch whisky, produced by the company William Grant & Sons in Scotland.
It is the world's third highest selling Scotch whisky. [1]
In 1886, William Grant started working in the distillery business as a bookkeeper. In 1898, Pattison's, the largest Scotch whisky blender at the time, went bankrupt, and William Grant stepped in and launched Grant's whisky. William built the Glenfiddich distillery in Dufftown, Scotland, with the help of his seven sons and two daughters. On Christmas Day 1887, it produced its first product. [2]
Later, William's son-in-law Charles Gordon became the company's first salesman, and in 1909, he spent a year taking Grant's to Australia and the far east. In 1915, a new law stated that the minimum maturation period for Scotch whisky was to be two years (today it is three). [3] While this led to the ruin of many Scotch whisky distilleries, William Grant had kept a supply of aging whisky in stock and was able to ensure continuous production.
William Grant died in 1923 but by this time, the family business was already established. In 1963, William's great-grandson Charles Gordon, oversaw construction of the Girvan grain distillery. [4] In 1979, Grant's UK sales surpassed 1-million cases for the first time. Today, Grant's continues to be family-owned and operated. The current CEO, Glenn Gordon, is the fifth generation of the family to lead the business. [5]
Grant's is the oldest family-owned blended whisky and is currently sold in over 180 countries. It is the world's fourth largest Scotch whisky brand, selling 4.1 million cases of whisky in the first half of 2020. [6] The mother company, William Grant & Sons also owns single malt whisky brands, including Glenfiddich and The Balvenie. [7]
Beginning in 1957, Grant's is sold in a bottle that has a triangular cross section. The designer, Hans Schleger, came to Britain as a refugee from Nazi Germany. He was asked to create a distinctive, elegant bottle that would showcase the quality and colour of the whisky as well being able to be stacked and packed efficiently. The triangular-shaped bottle was first used in 1956 for Glenfiddich Single Malt Scotch, also owned by William Grant & Sons. [8]
In 2002, the Grant's bottle and label were both updated. This included embossing the bottle with the Grant coat of arms and the motto "Stand Fast" – the war cry of Clan Grant, to which William belonged. The words "Est. 1887" and "Independent Family Distillers for Five Generations" were also added.
Grant's blended whiskies are made using grain whisky from the Girvan distillery as the invariant base, with which a variety of single malts and other grain whiskies are blended. The full range includes the Grant's Triple Wood, Triple Wood Smoky, Ale Cask Finish, Rum Cask Finish, 8 Year Old Sherry Cask Finish, Triple Wood 12 Year Old, Rare 18 Year Old and the 25 Year Old blended Scotch whiskies.
Scotch whisky is malt whisky or grain whisky, made in Scotland.
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.
Single malt Scotch refers to single malt whisky made in Scotland. To qualify for this category, a whisky must have been distilled at a single distillery using a pot still distillation process and made from a mash of malted barley. Therefore, a single malt means that the whisky has not been blended elsewhere with whisky from other distilleries. As with any Scotch whisky, a single malt Scotch must be distilled in Scotland and matured in oak casks in Scotland for at least three years, although most single malts are matured longer.
Single malt whisky is malt whisky from a single distillery.
The Glenlivet distillery is a distillery near Ballindalloch in Moray, Scotland, that produces single malt Scotch whisky. It is the oldest legal distillery in Scotland. It was founded in 1824 and has operated almost continuously since.
The Macallan distillery is a single malt Scotch whisky distillery in Craigellachie in Moray in the north-east of Scotland. The Macallan Distillers Ltd is a wholly owned subsidiary of Edrington, which purchased the brand from Highland Distillers in 1999.
Glenmorangie distillery is a distillery in Tain, Ross-shire, Scotland, that produces single malt Scotch whisky.
Glenfiddich distillery is a Speyside single malt Scotch whisky distillery owned by William Grant & Sons in the Scottish burgh of Dufftown in Moray. The name Glenfiddich derives from the Scottish Gaelic Gleann Fhiodhaich meaning "valley of the deer", which is reflected in Glenfiddich's stag logo.
Balvenie distillery is a Speyside single malt Scotch whisky distillery in Dufftown, Scotland, owned by William Grant & Sons.
Chivas Regal is a blended Scotch whisky produced by the Chivas Brothers subsidiary of Pernod Ricard 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.
David Stewart is the long-time master blender and malt master for William Grant & Sons distillers.
Ballantine's is a brand of blended Scotch whisky produced by the Chivas Brothers subsidiary of Pernod Ricard in Dumbarton, Scotland.
Tamdhu distillery is a single malt Scotch Speyside whisky distillery, located in the village of Knockando in Banffshire, Scotland. Tamdhu comes from Gaelic for "little dark hill".
Murray McDavid is a bottler of Scotch whisky, offering a range of whisky from vintage single malts and grains to blended malts.
English whisky is a liquor made from cereal grains, malt and water. There are currently two types of English whiskies produced malt whisky and grain whisky.
Girvan distillery is a grain whisky distillery located in South Ayrshire, Scotland.
House of Hazelwood is a brand of aged Scotch whisky, owned and produced by the Gordon family, owners of William Grant & Sons. The whisky is made with spirit from the Gordon family's private collection.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to whisky:
