Black Bottle

Black Bottle is a brand of Scotch whisky that was originally produced by Gordon Graham & Co, a company based in Aberdeen, Scotland. The brand is currently owned by Distell Group Limited, a South African drinks company.

History

Gordon Graham & Co was established in 1801 by brothers Gordon and Alexander Graham. Initially, the company was involved in the tea trade, but later shifted its focus to whisky blending. The Black Bottle brand was introduced in 1879 and quickly gained popularity due to its unique taste and distinctive black glass bottle.

The original recipe for Black Bottle was lost during the First World War, when the company was forced to source its whisky from different distilleries. The recipe was rediscovered in the 1990s and the brand was relaunched with a blend that closely matched the original.

Production

Black Bottle is a blended Scotch whisky, which means it is made by combining several different types of whisky. The blend includes both malt whisky and grain whisky, sourced from several different distilleries. The exact recipe is a closely guarded secret, but it is known that the blend includes whiskies from all over Scotland, including the Islay, Speyside, and Highland regions.

The whisky is aged in oak casks for a minimum of three years before it is bottled. The ageing process gives the whisky its distinctive flavour and character.

Taste

Black Bottle is known for its rich, smoky flavour, which is a result of the Islay malts used in the blend. It also has notes of fruit, spice, and oak, which come from the other whiskies in the blend. The finish is long and warming, with a hint of peat.

Packaging

The distinctive black glass bottle that gave the brand its name was used until the early 20th century, when it was replaced with a green glass bottle due to shortages of black glass during the First World War. In 2013, the brand returned to its roots with the reintroduction of the black glass bottle.

See also

• Scotch whisky
• Blended whisky
• Distell Group Limited