The Story of Black Bottle
Black Bottle is a blended Scotch whisky that launched in Aberdeenshire in 1879. Founding brothers Charles, David and Gordon Graham were branching out from their family tea blending business and sought to try their hand at blending Scotch whiskies instead. The outcome of their endeavours was packaged in an eye-catching black glass bottle that earned it the name it still holds today. The design remained in place until the dawn of war but the black glass used in the bottle had been sourced from Germany and since that trade was no longer possible, the bottle changed to green glass, whilst keeping the original name.
Under the stewardship of its founders, Black Bottle gained a reputation for quality but following the brand’s sale to Schenley Industries inc. in 1959 that reputation began to take a few knocks. Common perception was that standards had fallen and the brand slowly fell out of favour with regular whisky drinkers.
The 1990s brought a revival in fortunes. Burn Stewart acquired Black Bottle along with their acquisition of Bunnahabhain distillery and they made the bold decision to drastically re-invent the blend. Black Bottle had traditionally featured mostly Speyside malts, but had always carried a hint of smoke. Burn Stewart decided to enhance this smoky character with a new, Islay-centric recipe that featured malt from all 7 of the island’s working distilleries.
In the years that followed, Black Bottle became known as something of a character blend that won many fans but things don’t stand still for very long in the whisky world and in 2013, the owners decided to alter the recipe once again, this time returning, at least in part, to its Speyside origins, whilst retaining a little of the smoke it had become known for. Along with this new expression came an update to the packaging and a long-overdue return to the traditional black glass bottle.
The Whisky
Smell: Maybe not as smoky as it once was but there is still peat here, along with the coastal brine. There’s also fudge, golden syrup, caramel and vanilla cream with some light spices, apple and pear.
Taste: It’s quite light on the palate with notes of honeycomb, gentle spice, vanilla and sea salt. Wee touch of smoke at the finish.
Thoughts: Black Bottle usually costs around £20 a bottle but can occasionally be found cheaper in some supermarkets. For that price, it’s a solid, reliable purchase. I know some people lament the move away from the Islay-heavy style but the blend remains one of decent quality. In fact, I’d say it’s one of the better “bottom shelf” blends you can find in UK supermarkets.
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