A blended whiskey (or blended whisky ) is the product of blending different types of whiskeys and sometimes also neutral spirits , colorings, and flavorings. It is generally the product of mixing one or more higher-quality straight or single malt whiskey with less expensive spirits and other ingredients. This typically allows for a lower priced finished product, although expensive "premium" varieties also exist.
23-622: The Famous Grouse is a brand of blended Scotch whisky produced by The Edrington Group in Scotland. It was first produced by Matthew Gloag & Son in 1896. The single malt whiskies used in The Famous Grouse blend include the Edrington-owned Highland Park and The Macallan . Its emblem is the red grouse , Scotland's national game bird . It has been the highest-selling whisky brand in Scotland since 1980, although Bell's
46-429: A black grouse in place of the usual red grouse. The following year a special version, meant for chilling, was released called The Snow Grouse . The packaging features a ptarmigan . In 2011, The Naked Grouse was launched as its premium product. Initially as a high-end blended whisky, in 2017 it was turned into blended malt whisky . Suntory Global Spirits distribute The Famous Grouse and other Edrington brands in
69-593: A malt whisky is assumed to be made from barley . In the case of Scotch whisky, blended malts do not contain any whisky made from grains other than barley or spirits distilled using continuous distillation , unlike products labelled as " blended whisky ". For the Scotch whisky industry, the terms vatted malt or pure malt have been reclassified as "blended malts" per the Scotch Whisky Regulations of 2009 , and it has become unlawful to label Scotch Whisky using
92-404: A vatted malt , or pure malt , is a blend of different single malt whiskies from different distilleries . These terms are most commonly used in reference to Scotch whisky , or whisky in that style, such as Japanese whisky . The legally anachronistic term vatted was used to describe the blending process but does not automatically equate to creation of a vatted malt. Likewise, the use of
115-439: A blend of two or more single grain Scotch whiskies that have been distilled at more than one distillery; and Blended Scotch Whisky means a blend of one or more single malt Scotch whiskies with one or more single grain Scotch whiskies. The regulations also allow the addition of caramel color , regardless of whether the final product is labeled as blended or not. American "blended whiskey" – alternatively labeled as "whiskey –
138-461: A blend" – must contain a minimum of 20% straight whiskey . Blended whiskey that contains a minimum of 51% straight whiskey of one particular grain type (i.e., rye, malt, wheat, or bourbon whiskey) includes the grain type in its label description (e.g., "blended rye whiskey" or "blended bourbon whiskey"). Spirits containing less than 20% straight whiskey but greater than 5% whiskey of any kind can be labeled "spirit whiskey". American "blended whiskey"
161-451: A standard taste for their products by blending casks of varying ages among batches. Where there is no age statement the blenders need not worry the impact a relatively young cask's whisky might have on said statement. Ageing is done in oak casks. In 2007 a peated special version of The Famous Grouse called The Black Grouse developed for the Swedish market was released. The packaging displays
184-590: Is not far behind in second place. As a standard price blended Scotch whisky, its main competitors in its home market are Grant's , Bell's and Teacher's . The majority of its sales in the United Kingdom are during the Christmas period . Matthew Gloag was a grocer and wine merchant at 22 Atholl Street, Perth, Scotland . Gloag originally specialised on imported wines and ports from France , Spain and Portugal . When Queen Victoria visited Perth in 1842, he
207-445: Is not to be confused with American whiskey labeled as a "blend of straight whiskeys". A "blend of straight whiskeys" is a mixture of one or more straight whiskeys that either includes straight whiskeys produced in different U.S. states or coloring and flavoring additives (and possibly other approved "blending materials") or both, but does not contain neutral grain spirits. Blended malt whisky A blended malt , formerly called
230-478: Is produced from other malted grains, such as malted rye , and the term "rye malt whisky" is specifically recognized along with (barley-based) malt whisky in the code of federal regulations for whisky in the United States . Moreover, in much of the world, whisky is often made using grain that is not malted (for example, using maize in a corn mash ). In practice, unless a different grain is specifically mentioned,
253-533: The pot still , malt , and grain whiskey categories. Its production usually includes Irish grain whiskey that is produced from a distillate that "is much less intense in flavor when compared to pot still distillates ... at a strength of c. 94.5% vol. " Under Scotch Whisky Regulations , Blended Malt Scotch Whisky means a blend of two or more single malt Scotch whiskies that have been distilled at more than one distillery; Blended Grain Scotch Whisky means
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#1733085221509276-472: The Gloag family, was sold to Highland Distillers , after the death of the chairman, Matthew Frederick Gloag. The marketing and distributive power of the company saw Famous Grouse become the highest selling Scotch in Scotland by 1980 and the second highest selling in the United Kingdom. From the 1980s the brand began to be exported overseas, where it now sells over 2 million cases annually. In 1984, The Famous Grouse
299-565: The U.S. market. The Famous Grouse has focussed its television advertising around the Christmas period since 1996. The Famous Grouse was the primary sponsor of the Perth-based football team St Johnstone between 1986 and 1989 and again between 1991 and 1998. It also sponsored the Scotland national rugby union team from 1990 until 2007, and was 'The Official Spirit of Scottish Rugby' from 2013 for three years. In May 2014, The Famous Grouse
322-533: The content — used within the blend. As neutral spirits are not considered whiskeys, they do not have to be aged at all for the production of U.S. blended whiskey. Most Canadian whiskies are blends. Any grain spirit aged for at least three years in Canada may be called Canadian whisky. Regulations do not specify any distillation limit, although in practice, it differs little from the Scottish and Irish limit of 94.8%, as
345-426: The drink needs to be matured for at least three years. This implies that all single malt and single grain whiskies used to create any "Blended Scotch" must have been matured as prescribed for at least three years. If shown, the manufacturers must state the age of the youngest constituent malt of their whisky -- however an age statement is not legally mandatory for any scotch whisky, blended or otherwise. Blenders optimize
368-462: The primary spirits in blends, along with more premium whiskies and other ingredients added for flavoring. Most cocktails and mixed drinks that contain whiskey are made using economically priced blended whiskeys rather than higher priced whiskeys, primarily because the presence of the other ingredients makes the subtleties of the taste of the whiskey less critical to the overall taste of the drink. Most blended whiskeys do not list an age, although
391-550: The purity of neutral grain spirit has a practical limit of approximately that value. Whiskies with a lower distillation proof are also often included for flavor, with rye whisky being characteristically included. Canadian whisky may contain both caramel coloring and flavoring. Irish blended whiskey is defined by the Republic of Ireland 's Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine as a blend of two or more different whiskey types among
414-404: The regulations governing its production in some countries specify a minimum aging requirement. All spirits in a Canadian, Scottish, or Irish whiskey must be aged at least three years, and any age statement refers to the minimum age of the spirits used in the blend. In the United States, the age statement only refers to the minimum age of the straight whiskey — which must comprise at least 20% of
437-425: The term "blended" did not necessarily refer to the creation of what is typically referred to as a blended whisky . A blending of different casks or batches of single malt whisky produced from the same distillery is still considered a single malt whisky. The "malt" part of the term refers to the use of a malted grain to make the whisky. In Scotch whisky, this grain is required to be barley . Outside Scotland, whisky
460-434: Was awarded a Royal Warrant . In September 2024, Edrington reached an agreement to sell The Famous Grouse to William Grant & Sons , subject to customary regulatory approvals. The standard blend is 40% ABV . The blend goes through a marrying process for up to six months at 46% ABV. It is mandated by The Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) that, in order to call a whisky "Blended Scotch", the youngest alcoholic component in
483-470: Was invited to supply the wines for the royal banquet . In 1860, his son, William Gloag, took over the company. Following the Great French Wine Blight the company began to look at creating its own blended whiskies around 1875. In 1896, William's nephew, Matthew Gloag (1850-1912), took over the family business. He created a new blended brand called The Grouse in 1896. at this time the company
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#1733085221509506-665: Was named the official whisky of the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow . Blended whisky Some examples of blended whiskey include Canadian Club , Canadian Mist , Jameson Irish Whiskey , Seagram's Seven , Kessler Whiskey , Hibiki , and the various Scotch whisky blends sold under the Johnnie Walker brand, as well as Ballantine's , Grant's , Chivas Regal and other Scotch whisky blends. Higher proof spirits with less time aging are usually much less expensive to produce than straight whiskeys or single malt whiskeys and are often
529-528: Was still operating from the grandfather's premises but had expanded to occupy adjacent shops, jointly covering 20 to 26 Atholl Street. In 1905 the limited company of Matthew Gloag & son was formed and the Grouse was renamed The Famous Grouse in the same year. Matthew Gloag's daughter Phillippa first designed the label's grouse icon. Only at this point did the company move to new purpose-built premises on Kinnoull Street. In 1970, Matthew Gloag & Son, owned by
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