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A round bottle made of colorless glass with a golden amber content and a label depicting a Shetland Sheepdog against the backdrop of wooden barrels and high mountains is familiar even to those who are not part of the circle of active drink drinkers. The product of the world’s most famous Scotch whiskey company William Grant & Sons – Scottish Collie blend comes from Speyside distilleries. There, in Glenfiddich and Balvenie, spirits for blending are produced by triple distillation, aged in American whiskey barrels for at least three years, ready-made, honey-smelling scotch with a mild citrus flavor is mixed and bottled.
Scotch is bottled in QSI, a subsidiary of William Grant & Sons, which is focused on the Russian market, which is why many of our compatriots liked the drink. It is drunk neat, added with ice, cola, soda and often used in cocktails.
The Legend of Friendship
There are two legends about the appearance of the name and image of the Scottish Shepherd on the label of the drink. According to one of them, the Scottish Collie is named after the faithful dog Lues (Luath – translated from Irish as “fast”) – a friend and companion of Robert Burns. A fan of the poet and national hero of Scotland was the founder of William Grant & Sons.
The second is the legend of a devoted collie by William Grant himself. The dog’s name was Jock, and he was not only a true friend, but also a reliable assistant. Traveling with Grant around the country, the dog guarded not only Grant, but also barrels of whiskey, which were loaded on ships in Glasgow to be sent to American scotch lovers. And once he even prevented a robbery attack on the company’s warehouse: a ringing bark and an evil growl woke up the guards and the owner of the dog, the robbers were detained.
The dog is long gone, William Grant died in 1923, and Scottish Collie was created by blender David Stewart at the end of the last century. The great-grandson of the founder of the company, Sandy, managed the business at that time, the idea for the name of the new drink belongs to him.
History of Grants
William Grant, before starting his own business, changed several occupations: he was an assistant shoemaker, a courier, a security guard. He became interested in whiskey production when he worked as an accountant at a small Mortlach distillery in Speyside. William was a dreamer, and sitting at the books often imagined what the family business would look like: own distillery with dedicated people and the result of the work – “the best sip in the valley.” But he did not just dream, but consistently went to the goal, and in the end he realized the dream. True, it took 20 years.
All the while, Grant lived on austerity, saved up £750 and bought a small piece of land in Speyside, battered equipment and building materials. It was in 1886, by that time the novice distiller already had 9 children and the company was built all together, even two young daughters found something to do – they helped their mother in the kitchen and brought food to the workers, brothers and father. The distillery was built in a year, named after the Deer Valley Glenfiddich and launched equipment on Christmas Eve.
For the first 11 years, the Grants were engaged only in distillation – they drove spirits for large companies that create blended whiskey. A case helped to start the actual production of blends: the merchant house Pattison’s, which bought spirits in the Deer Valley, went bankrupt, the distilleries that lost their place of sale of spirits began to close, and the Grants decided to start blending and selling whiskey on their own.
The first blend was created by William Grant himself in 1898. He bought on the cheap the remains of closed distilleries and made his own blend of 22 single malts and three grain spirits aged five years.
Grant’s son-in-law Charles Gordon, who rented a store in Glasgow and consistently called potential buyers, offered them “the best sip of the Glenfiddich Valley.” The success of the drink cannot be called instantaneous – in the first month in Glasgow only 12 bottles were sold, but Charles Gordon’s perseverance did not weaken, and sales only increased in the following months. Gordon’s commercial abilities and his relentless search for markets led William Grant & Sons to create a wide range of consumers – not only residents of the British colonies, but also the Japanese and New Zealanders became fans of the drink.
At the same time, not the son of William Grant, John took advantage of family ties in Canada and opened an office in Ottawa. This allowed the company to conquer the North American market.
By the time of the death of the founder of the company in 1923, William Grant & Sons was known far beyond the borders of Britain, owned two distilleries and produced 5 blends. The family business continued to thrive even during the war years and during Prohibition in the States. For almost a century and a half of its existence, the family company has changed only five blenders – the first was William himself, and the sixth was Brian Kinsman, who replaced David Stewart in 2008. William Grant & Sons is now run by William Grant’s great-great-grandson Peter.
Scottish Collie production features
Most of the malt spirits for David Stewart’s blend come from the Glenfiddich and Balvenie distilleries, while the grains come from the Girvan distillery, built in the west of Scotland by William Grant’s grandson in 1963.
The grain alcohols involved in the creation of the blend are created by vacuum distillation, which makes them light and eliminates the harsh aftertaste of cereals.
Alcohols mature in oak bourbon barrels for at least three years, then they are mixed to create a blend, and the finished blend is aged for about six months in new white oak barrels. This technology allows you to achieve a bright color of whiskey and a pleasant honey aroma.
The company has its own workshop of coopers who burn old barrels and make new ones.
At William Grant & Sons, traditions are sacred and continuity is observed, therefore, master blender Kingsman, who took up his duties in 2008, strictly follows the Scottish Collie recipe created by his predecessor.
Types of Whiskey Scottish Collie
- Scottish Collie, 40%. Harmonious blend of 25 spirits with a traditional Scottish three-year aging in oak barrels has a bright tea color and a pleasant honey-citrus aroma. The soft taste is dominated by shades of orange and vanilla. The aftertaste is short, with a slight aftertaste of smoke.
- Scottish Collie 12 Years Old, 40%. Blend of rich honey color. Alcohols matured in bourbon barrels, this made the drink golden-bright and fragrant. Twelve years of aging explains the slightly oily taste that distinguishes it from the younger species. Scotch is easy to drink, and the original packaging in a tube or box along with glasses makes it a wonderful gift for lovers of strong drinks.
