As a deal with for an important day, or just as a means of stress-free on a Friday evening after a protracted week at work, there’s nothing higher than grabbing a glass and pouring your self a wee dram of your favorite single malt Scotch.
Everyone knows how straightforward it’s to go to the grocery store, bypass the recent veg part, faux that they haven’t hiked their costs once more for the tenth time this 12 months, and make your means over to the booze part to see what’s on the shelf, and there’s nothing unsuitable with that in any respect. We additionally know roughly what whisky/whiskey manufacturers are going to be out there earlier than we even get there.
Whereas it’s all nicely and good taking part in it protected and going with a grocery store favorite, there’s a complete different world of whisky on the market simply begging to be explored. Smaller, unbiased bottlers are actually lastly beginning to get the popularity they deserve, and we expect it’s about time too.
However what’s the distinction between single malt distillery manufacturers that dominate the market and unbiased bottlers simply beginning to break via? Hold studying for the reply.
Single malt and Scotland – The Good Combo
There’s a cause why Scotch whisky can’t be replicated anyplace else on this planet. Whatever the high quality of your water, the profile of your barrels, or the grains that you just use, single malt Scotch simply can’t be overwhelmed and can’t be replicated.
Many years in the past, single malts have been rarer than Unicorn tears, however equally as magical. At present nevertheless, they’re simply as magical, however they definitely aren’t as uncommon.
Just about each distillery in Scotland produces its personal distinctive single-malt, and due to the truth that the demand for single malt is larger than ever, there’s now all method of various Scotch whiskies to select from, with each providing its personal distinctive notes and flavour profiles.
Because of this, single malts from throughout Scotland are actually in large demand, significantly expressions which have been aged and bottled by the distilleries themselves. These within the know will know that the time period for that is ‘personal bottling’.
Whereas personal bottlings from the distilleries themselves are massively well-liked, recently we’ve seen a pointy enhance within the quantity of unbiased whisky bottlers, however how do they differ?
What’s the distinction between whisky distillery manufacturers and unbiased whisky bottlers?
As talked about, when whisky distilleries create, mature, and bottle their very own whisky on the market, they accomplish that by advertising and marketing it as ‘personal bottling’. In distinction, unbiased bottlers provide small batches, or one offs.
Whisky distillery manufacturers have large distilleries, costly gear, a plentiful provide of recent water, staff, and different supplies and gear wanted to distil the fabulous beverage everyone knows and love right now. Unbiased bottlers nevertheless, can’t do this.
Unbiased bottlers don’t have large amenities or gear for distilling their very own whisky, as an alternative, they function in another way. Unbiased bottlers will supply small batches of Scotch, or one-off casks from the distilleries, to bottle, and sometimes age themselves.
Whereas the massive distillery firms have their very own model, advertising and marketing, promoting, grocery store offers, endorsements, and the entire different fancy issues wanted to market and promote a product, the unbiased bottlers are serious about simply the whisky.
Unbiased bottlers will supply only one cask, or a small quantity of whisky from the big distilleries, and can then both bottle it themselves, age it for longer, transfer it into a brand new barrel (hogshead), and even mix it with different whisky, or different spirits, to create their very own distinctive tackle the whisky being offered by the distilleries.
As soon as they’re proud of the ultimate product, they then bottle it beneath their very own labelling and branding, and provide their clients one thing completely different from a generic whisky discovered on grocery store cabinets and off-licences up and down the nation.
Why unbiased bottlers are so well-liked
Single malt whisky is arguably now extra well-liked than ever, and as youthful folks additionally start displaying an curiosity in whisky, that development solely seems set to proceed for the foreseeable future. Due to this, unbiased whisky bottlers are taking single malts to heights by no means seen earlier than.
To the untrained eye, all these firms are doing is shopping for a small quantity of whisky made by anyone else, slapping a special label on it, and promoting it as their very own. In actuality, this might not be farther from the reality.
Sure, the bottom nectar spirit is similar, however the magic occurs subsequent. These unbiased bottlers usually eat, sleep, dwell, and breathe whisky. What they don’t find out about whisky isn’t price realizing. They know what makes an awesome single malt, they usually go forward and make an already nice single malt into one thing really spectacular.
The bottom will be the identical however how the whisky is matured, aged, blended, and bottled, is what creates a very completely different product and is the place the magic occurs.
Decanting the Scotch into a brand new barrel, akin to an ex-Oloroso sherry cask for instance, and getting older it for longer, implies that the whisky will tackle traits from its new hogshead. Out of the blue it takes on traits from the sherry and its flavour profile has modified utterly. Different unbiased bottlers could mix one single malt with one other from a special distillery to create a brand new tipple. They could mix them after which age them for a number of years in several barrels. The chances are limitless.
Unbiased bottlings are usually restricted in quantity as a result of they’ve been constructed from only one cask. This makes them restricted editions and distinctive in their very own rights. They provide single malt lovers the prospect to get pleasure from one thing completely different and distinctive in contrast with that supplied by the big distilleries.
The beauty of shopping for from unbiased whisky bottlers is the truth that you by no means know what you’re going to get. A single malt that, from the distillery, offered notes of peppercorns and grapefruit, could possibly be reworked right into a sweeter tipple with notes of sticky toffee pudding, dates, and toffee apples, simply by getting older it for longer in a special cask.
If you happen to wish to assume outdoors the field and wish to attempt one thing new and distinctive, head on over to Nice Drams and take a look at the massive collection of whiskies they’ve out there.
Run by husband and spouse duo Greg and Kirsty Dillon, Nice Drams is likely one of the quickest rising unbiased bottling firms in the entire of the UK. With whiskies to go well with all palates, and every thing it is advisable find out about whisky/whiskey, it’s straightforward to see why they, together with many different unbiased whisky bottling firms, are at present extra well-liked than ever.
