Highland Bird is a very young blend, the recipe of which was invented by William Grant & Sons Master Blender Brian Kinsman, who replaced the famous David Stewart in 2008. But lovers of strong drinks have already managed to remember a bottle with a proud golden eagle on the label, and Jim Murray in his Whiskey Bible rated scotch 95 points out of 100 possible.
Historical reference. The company “William Grant and Sons” is invariably traditional in the recipe, preparation of malt, selection of the best employees, has been and remains a family business, and the blending masters, of whom there have been only six in 130 years, are very careful about the experience of colleagues and their findings. Company founder William Grant started the family business in 1886 by building his own distillery in the Glenfiddich Valley. Today, William Grant & Sons has 6 distilleries in Speyside, one in the Highlands, and a subsidiary of Quality Spirits International, or simply QSI, headquartered around Glasgow. It is QSI, known for the Scottish Collie and Scottish Hunter brands, that produces the Highland Bird.
Quality Spirits International creates blends (upage), which annually receive awards from the IWSC (International Wine and Spirit Competition) – International Competition for Wine and Spirits. This is the most important annual event in the world of spirits, the right to be on the jury is considered an honor by the best experts in the world. The competition is as objective as possible: the best samples are selected in two stages – according to the results of a blind tasting, when whiskey is served to the judges in identical glasses with numbers, and according to the results of a detailed laboratory analysis in an independent laboratory. Therefore, Quality Spirits International is proud of each of the awards received – gold and silver. As well as the fact that the reputation of the drinks produced by the company has already passed the test of time.
QSI produces not only whiskey, the list of products includes vodka, bourbon, French grape brandy. The company has a number of resources at its disposal:
- one of the largest distilleries in Europe with a capacity to produce 200 million bottles of spirits per year;
- 58 warehouses, which store 2,1 million containers of spirits;
- 11 high-speed bottling lines.
In addition to drinks, the company is engaged in the production of original glass containers, labels, corks, gift boxes and everything that attracts attention and makes shopping a pleasure.
Features of Highland Bird Whiskey
This is a light amber scotch, formed as a result of three years of aging in oak barrels. The aroma of Highland Bird is subtle, the most striking notes are smoky peat, pear, cherry, spices. The taste is oily, rich, with hints of prunes, peat smoke, vanilla. Warm honey aftertaste of medium duration, with a hint of smoke.
The blend of the drink is made up of 23 varieties of malt spirits and three varieties of grains. The fortress is traditional – 40%. Whiskey is recommended by bartenders as a digestif – in its pure form, but can also become an ingredient for a cocktail.
At the IWSC competition, scotch won gold awards twice – in 2012 and 2016, and was awarded silver in 2013, 2014 and 2015.
Cocktail recipes from brand ambassador Bacardi
Argentinean Davida Cordoba, one of the most famous bartenders in the world and global brand ambassador for Bacardi, spent 8 years in Scotland studying whiskey. He is willing to experiment with new varieties that appear on the market, and William Grant & Sons considers him the most reputable scotch company.
1. Whisky Collins.
Ingredients:
- 50 мл Highland Bird;
- 25 ml sugar syrup;
- 15 ml of lemon juice;
- 60 ml soda;
- 150 g ice cubes.
Recipe: Fill a tall highball glass with ice cubes, then pour in lemon juice, sugar syrup and scotch. Gently stir with a cocktail spoon and garnish the glass with a slice of lemon.
2. Sweet Lady.
Ingredients:
- 40 мл Highland Bird;
- 10 ml of peach liquor;
- 10 ml of White Cacao liqueur;
- 150 g crushed ice.
Recipe: pour ice into a shaker, pour in scotch and liqueurs, mix vigorously. Pour the drink into a chilled glass.