Independent bottler

Independent bottlers of single malt whiskey are businesses that do not necessarily make their own whiskey, but purchase individual barrels from distilleries that they fill later under her own name. Most of these bottlings also the name of the original distillery may be mentioned on the label.

History

Probably the oldest independent bottler is the Scottish company Cadenhead's, which was founded in 1842 by William Cadenhead in Aberdeen. However, it was quite common until the mid 19th century that distilleries individual barrels of whiskey sold to merchants - whether in direct or through broker - which then often abfüllten the whiskey fresh from the barrel, for their clients. Only then discovered the large distilleries, the process of blending, and the Scotch Whisky initially began then to be internationally known in the UK and.

In the 1930s and 1940s laid the independent bottlers Gordon & MacPhail under John Urquhart extensive stocks of selected malt whiskeys and then also introduced the " Connoisseurs Choice Malt Whisky " a series. This happened at a time when the trend is clearly went to blended scotch and a few distilleries their single malt whiskeys ever sold as such.

Until the 1960s blended Scotch whiskeys dominated the market. Only slowly through a large advertising campaign of Glenfiddich in the 1960s was an increased demand for single malt whiskeys. Consequently, now the distilleries began increasingly to offer single malt bottlings on the market. The distilleries then placed a high value on continuity of their offered ten -, twelve -, or 18 -year-old malts.

Here now put on the independent bottlers ( so-called independents ). With their expert knowledge they acquired at the individual distilleries, selected barrels and decided now even how long they let the whiskey mature in the barrel. The type and location of storage - both influenced the later product - are really their decision. The standards of distilleries played with them not matter, but the independent bottlers decide at its own feeling and experience, when the time is ripe and the whiskey can be bottled and offered.

Importance

Significant is the philosophy of independent bottlers to have a single barrel so long to rest until the stored therein whiskey has reached its optimum point of ripeness and only then fill. So-called single cask bottlings, a product with the highest possible individuality so, therefore, there was initially only offer the independents, while commercial bottlings of distilleries (called original bottlings ) are geared more towards the recognition value of its standard bottlings from consumers. A whiskey of an original bottler who has tasted a customer 10 years ago, should taste just as him today.

In addition, the whiskeys of the Independents - often bottled in different alcohol strengths - contrary to the standards of the original bottlers. Again, they are different from the standards of the original bottlers who always offer their whiskeys generally with consistent alcohol strength. Most of these whiskeys are also not chill-filtered or provided with the dye caramel, that is that they naturally as possible and still be offered. These whiskeys will then appear brighter than the dark-colored with an additive products of the original bottlers, with the customer for maximum continuity, not only in taste but also in optics that explain this -staining. Experts suspect, however, that a so treated shall fake whiskey and a higher age and a better quality.

Independent bottlers were the first who filled whiskey for after-ripening in former port wine, rum, Sauternes or sherry casks, to explore how this barrel woods impact on the taste of malt whiskeys. Since these experiments proceeded positively and whiskeys thus obtained quite corresponded to the customer's taste and were in demand, Nachreifungen in foreign barrels have long been offered by the distilleries themselves.

With their high standards and the self-imposed commitment to the highest possible quality and individuality of their whiskeys represent the independent bottlers today represents an important building block in the history of single malt whiskeys and an enrichment of the market

Special

There are several features that make the whiskeys of the independent bottlers for the interested attractive: one is the chance to sample a malt whiskey, the age is different from that of the original bottlers; further but also the opportunity to get a whiskey from a distillery which do not themselves single malt whiskeys fills, but only to serve the Blender.

Not least thanks to the Independents consumer also gets the chance to a single malt whiskey acquire a distillery, which has long since closed, was shut down or is even already demolished.

In addition, the often limited in their number of fillings of the independents provide for the whiskey collector an interesting field dar.

Finally you can get from each independent bottlers also rare bottlings that have spent far more than the normal time in the barrel.

Bottler

Scottish bottler (selection)

  • Berry Brothers & Rudd
  • Blackadder
  • Douglas Laing & Co. Ltd..
  • Duncan Taylor & Co. Ltd..
  • Gordon & MacPhail
  • Hart Brothers Ltd..
  • Ian MacLeod Distillers Ltd..
  • James MacArthur & Co. Ltd..
  • Murray McDavid Ltd..
  • Scotch Malt Whisky Society ( SMWS )
  • Signatory Vintage Scotch Whisky Co.
  • William Cadenhead Ltd..
  • Wilson & Morgan

German bottler

  • Jack Wiebers Whisky World
  • Scotch Single Malt Circle ( SSMC )
  • Andrea Caminneci - Wine & Spirit partners (C & S Dram )

Dutch bottler

  • The Ultimate Single Malt Scotch Whisky Selection / Van Wees

Sources and Literature

  • Michael Jackson: Malt Whisky. Rolf Heyne GmbH & Co KG, Munich 2004, ISBN 3-89910-234-7.
  • Graham Moore: Malt Whisky. 75 major brands. Delius Klasing Verlag, Bielefeld 2001, ISBN 3-7688-1232-4.
  • Graham Nown: Malt Whisky - A gift of nature. Müller Rüschlikon Verlags AG, Cham (Switzerland) 1998, ISBN 3-275-01264-9.
  • Walter Schobert: The Whiskey Encyclopedia. 3rd edition. Fischer -Taschenbuch -Verlag, Frankfurt am Main, April 2007, ISBN 978-3-596-15868-3, pp. 577 ff
  • Walter Schobert: Whiskey Watch. Self Publishing, Issue No.. 7, May 1999 ISSN 1434-8217.
Blended whiskey Glenfiddich distillery Sauternes, Gironde
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