The Cutty Sark brand confidently occupies one of the leading positions in the ratings of spirits in more than 120 countries. Blended Scotch whiskey has a characteristic light color and rich taste with notes of vanilla and citrus. The recognizable bright yellow label with the image of a sailboat has been decorating the windows of the best bars and clubs of the Old and New Worlds for more than 90 years.
Historical reference. The name of the brand was in honor of the Scottish tea clipper, which became legendary after the race from China to England in 1872. In those days, methods for long-term storage of tea had not yet been invented, so the aroma of the leaves was quickly exhaled during transportation. The only mode of transport capable of quickly delivering perishable products to British shores was light sailing ships.
The winner was the ship that was the first to deliver the tea of the new harvest to the capital of Great Britain. Caught in a storm, the clipper Cutty Sark lost her helm and, it would seem, dropped out of the race. But the team, led by Captain Henderson, showed unparalleled courage and perseverance: under gusts of wind and waves flooding the deck, the sailors made a new rudder without going to the nearest port for repairs.
Arriving at its destination a week late, the clipper won in another way: from now on, his name has become a symbol of perseverance and inexhaustible will to win. When the era of sailboats ended, most of the ships of this type went to landfill, and Cutty Sark became a training one. Subsequently, the only tea clipper that survived to the XNUMXst century was turned into a museum, which still attracts thousands of tourists to the dry dock in Greenwich.
The history of the heroic ship received a worthy continuation: in 1923, the name Cutty Sark adorned the bottles of scotch, which began to be produced by the wine trading company Berry Bros. & Rudd.
The distillery is located close to the shipyard where the sailboat left the stocks, so this continuity seemed quite natural for the head of the company and the artist who developed the image of the product. It was a completely new type of blend, strikingly different from dark blends with its golden hue. In April 2010, the brand was sold to Edrington.
Features of Cutty Sark Tape
If we compare a “single malt” with a virtuoso musician, then blended whiskey is a whole orchestra. Cutty Sark, as a premium blend, has more range, depth, complexity and balance than single malts.
For the production of master blender Kirsten Campbell uses up to 30 single malt and grain spirits from different regions of Scotland: mainly from Specialside, the Highlands and the islands. The main component of the blend is Glenrothes single malt whiskey. The scotch distillery was acquired by Berry Bros & Rudd in 2010.
Single malt and grain spirits are aged in American oak sherry casks and take at least 4 years. Then the components are mixed and the formed blend is again aged in barrels for 6 months. Only after double quality control, finished products with a complex and delicate aroma are bottled and labeled with a yellow label. Elite varieties have twenty-five years of aging and the label on the bottle is blue.
Awards:
- in 1971 and 1981 the Cutty Sark brand was awarded the prestigious QUEEN’S AWARD FOR EXPORT;
- In 2003, the influential WHISKY MAGAZINE magazine named Cutty Sark 25 Years Old Whiskey the winner in the blend category, giving the drink such characteristics as “a real masterpiece” and “a golden miracle”.
Interesting Facts:
- In 1961, Cutty Sark became the first Scotch whiskey to sell 1 million cases in the US.
American astronaut Gordon Cooper, the youngest of the first detachment, while performing the Mercury 1963 mission in 9, managed to sneak a bottle of Cutty Sark aboard the spacecraft.
- In 1971, the company offered a £1 million prize to anyone who caught the Loch Ness Monster.
- One of the most loyal fans of the brand is director Martin Scorsese: if the heroes of his films drink scotch, then it is Cutty Sark.
- One of the most famous gangster movie sagas also contributed to the popularity of the brand: Tony Soprano always kept a bottle of whiskey Cutty Sark in his desk drawer.
Types of Whiskey Cutty Sark
The bright yellow labels are adorned with the unaltered sailboat emblem, designed by artist McBay. The former inscription Scots whiskey has been replaced by Blended Scotch whiskey since 2005 in accordance with the requirements of the changed legislation.
- Cutty Sark is a light yellow whiskey with a golden hue. Soft non-aggressive aroma with hints of vanilla, coconut, oak bark. The taste is pleasant, with notes of herbs, peach, the aftertaste is medium, salty-floral.
- Cutty Sark 12 YO is a 12-year-old scotch, an excellent digestif with a soft, enveloping taste and rich aromas, tinted with notes of spices, honey and apples. In the finale, sweet notes of candied fruits are revealed.
- Cutty Sark 25 YO is a powerful complex bouquet with aromas of apples, oranges, hints of spices and dried fruits. Notes of vanilla, jasmine, creamy tones appear. Whiskey remains very fresh, despite its advanced age.