Whiskey Black & White: the history and review of the drink

Scottish scotch “Black & White” has a mild honey-citrus taste, affordable price and soft golden color.

It belongs to a rare category of alcohol that almost everyone likes. Many real and fictitious celebrities have been among the fans of the drink: the physicist Richard Feynman, the great “storyteller” Walt Disney, the unsurpassed James Bond and the heroes of Scott Fitzgerald highly appreciated the whiskey.

Taste

Whiskey is characterized by its sweet and, at the same time, moderately dry taste, saturation gives a light fruity tone with an admixture of honey.

Color

The light yellow color, which is a tone higher than the standard shade of whiskey, is a distinctive feature of the Black and White brand.

Smell

Soft, but rich shade of malt with an admixture of grain, subtle peat notes. A pleasant addition is the slightly noticeable smell of hay and freshly cut grass.

How to distinguish a real “Black and White” from a fake

Due to the rapid spread of counterfeit goods when choosing – Scotch whiskey – there is a considerable chance of purchasing low-quality counterfeit alcohol.

When choosing original alcohol, you should pay special attention to the following criteria:

The price of the product

To begin with, you should conduct a little analytics: compare the price of this adhesive tape at several outlets. Real Scotch whiskey “Black and White” in stores has a cost of at least $ 8 per bottle of 0.7 liters and aging for 3 years.

If the price indicated on the product is several times lower, you should not hope for discounts and so on, most likely, you have low-quality contraband.

Bottle

The Black and White bottle has a number of distinctive features that make it easier to determine the quality of an alcoholic beverage. Its color is dark green, but the yellowish tint of the alcohol itself is easily visible through the glass.

In smuggling, the quality of the glass is much worse, because of this the bottle has a more caustic green color, it is almost impossible to determine the color of the liquid inside.

The next distinguishing feature is the presence of the embossed logo of the company James Buchanan (the creator of the brand) above the label. Under the label there is also a prominent inscription.

Important! Embossed signs of the manufacturer are practically not used on bottles of counterfeit alcohol, but be careful: before buying, check for the presence of exactly two (!) eye-catching elements (the logo is on the rounded “shoulders” of the bottle, the inscription is at the bottom, immediately after the label).

Pay attention to the presence of an excise stamp. If it is not there, it already means that the product was delivered to your country illegally.
The last difference in appearance: a bottle of real scotch does not have a dispenser.

Color

Whiskey “Black and White”  – the result of a blend of its creator. That is why the drink has a light yellow barley color, which distinguishes it not only from a fake, but also from other brands of scotch manufacturers.

History of Black & White

Today, Black & White scotch is so popular that you can recognize it just by looking at the two cute dogs on the label. But at the dawn of its existence, the drink was so unremarkably decorated that it was practically lost in the window. It did not stand out with a bright taste, and what can I say – it was even called differently.

The creator of the simple House of Commons whiskey, which became the prototype of the modern Black & White, was Canadian James Bukinan. For a long time he grew grain on family plantations, until in 1884 he decided to move to London. From that moment on, the farmer’s life changed dramatically: he became a sales agent for the sale of whiskey, and soon began the first experiments to create his own blended scotch. Thus was born the light, smooth, unpretentious “The Buchanan Blend”, designed for the English taste.

The thoughtful combination of Dalwhinnie, Glendullan and Clynelish malts was loved not only by pub regulars, but also by members of the House of Commons, which is why the blend was soon renamed House of Commons.

single malt whiskey

Due to the unusual design – the drink was bottled in dark bottles with a bright light label – the people began to call it nothing more than “the same black and white whiskey.” James Bukinan had no choice but to rename the blend again.

In 1902, Scotch received the third – and last – name that has survived to this day – “Black & White”. By this time, the product was already being actively exported, and even the emperor of Japan was among the fans.

By 1910, Black & White was considered the most popular whiskey in England, and Dalwhinnie spirits began to dominate the blend. Around the same time, 2 terriers appeared in the brand’s advertising: black and white. According to the legends, the idea to make them symbols of the drink came to James Bukinan while visiting a dog show. The inseparable couple moved to the label much later – almost a hundred years later.

Consumers also remember the unusual delivery of scotch tape: until the middle of the XNUMXth century, it was transported to London establishments in stagecoaches, driven by coachmen in black and white uniforms, horses also flaunted a two-color blanket.

Today the brand is owned by Diageo. Whiskey is in high demand not only in Europe, but also in South Africa, India, Latin America.

Review Black & White

A distinctive feature of Black & White Scotch is a soft yellow color – lighter than is typical for traditional whiskey.

The composition is dominated by grain alcohols (about 60%). The malt components are produced primarily at the Dalwhinnie distillery, the highest distillery in Scotland. It is located at an altitude of 300 meters above sea level.

In the gentle taste of whiskey there are grassy, ​​honey, peaty notes, complemented by a slight sweetness and a clean citrus plume.

The secret of exceptional softness lies in the mountain source of water.

Fortress standard: 40%.

The drink is good in its pure form, with ice, as part of popular cocktails, in combination with desserts, coffee, fruits.

The Success Story of Black and White Tape

The history of the brand began in 1879 in London. The future creator of this alcohol, James Buchanan, received a position at Charles Mackinlay & Co, a whiskey company. This gave the young talent the opportunity to experiment in the field of blending, and after 5 years James managed to launch the production of the legendary Black and White.

The main components of Scotch were 60% grain whiskey and 40% single malt raw materials. Thanks to this, the drink got its characteristic light yellow color. The production was more than successful, and Buchanan’s new Scotch was soon delivered to theaters and bars in the House of Commons throughout London.

To this day, the company preserves the traditions of making alcohol, which were established in the 19th century. She is the creator of a truly legendary whiskey, which is currently widely known not only in Europe, but throughout the world.

Scotch etiquette

For many people, the question of the correct serving of this alcohol remains unattended, however, neglect of such norms is the main factor in disappointment in the chosen brand of alcohol. In order for the taste of Black and White scotch to be fully revealed, you should remember simple but important rules:

• Temperature. The most common mistake is storing whiskey in the refrigerator. Its optimum temperature varies from 18 to 21°C –
  this is room temperature. If the alcohol is too cold, even the most intense smell will go unnoticed. Overheating will give a clear alcohol shade.
• Ice. The beautiful stereotype of a wide glass with ice should be abandoned. – Expensive whiskey – has a rich aroma that is released during evaporation. Ice stops this process, thereby killing all the richness of the drink’s smell. In addition, after a few moments, the ice begins to melt, thereby spoiling the taste.
• Glasses.  For blended Black and White, the use of a Tumbler whiskey glass is recommended. It has a thick bottom and barrel-shaped walls. This form is the best way to strike a balance between the taste and aroma of a mixture of malt and grain spirits.

Drinking Black and White whiskey itself also has several rules.

Initially, drinking or eating good whiskey was considered a gross violation of etiquette by the native Scots.

However, in any restaurant, it is customary to serve a glass of water with a drink to dilute the scotch if necessary. This method is applicable to single malt old varieties.

Although “Black and White” is blended, it would be useful for a novice connoisseur to add a couple of drops of water directly into the glass. This will soften the taste, eliminating the burning effect in the throat.

Permissible snacks for “Black and White”

In traditional whiskey drinking, snacks are superfluous. It is believed that the jamming of good alcohol only prevents its taste and smell from fully revealing. However, this drink itself is very strong, so if you are not afraid to break the established rule, we recommend the following:

• To blended whiskey, in order not to block its taste, it is best to serve smoked salmon or trout from seafood. Fresh oysters with sauce or fried shrimp are also excellent options.
• From fruits it is better to give preference to white grapes or melon. Citrus fruits or thinly sliced ​​green apple slices are also suitable.
• A good inexpensive option that will preserve the taste of whiskey is cheese slices. We recommend using creamy soft cheeses.
• Meat dishes are allowed in a well-done form. It can be pork skewers or chicken chop.

Cocktails and uses “Black and White”

For those who do not like high-grade scotch, we offer options for using it in cocktails. There are a lot of options – with what they drink whiskey -, we will give the most popular of them.

For lovers of hot drinks, Irish coffee is perfect. Natural ground coffee will help preserve the saturation of the taste of blended alcohol, and whipped cream will block the alcoholic burning in the throat. The drink is perfect for a relaxing evening with the family.

The famous whiskey and cola  is the most affordable and popular cocktail throughout Europe. The taste of this drink has generated a lot of controversy due to the addition of ice to it. However, despite the significant blunting of the taste of a carbonated drink, whiskey with cola is gaining more and more fans and is great for noisy gatherings with friends.

If sweet cocktail options aren’t for you,  whiskey sour might be an alternative . Lemon juice or orange juice combined with whiskey will have a rich sour taste. The drink is an ideal option for dessert alcohol.

If you are a connoisseur of an open aroma and aged taste, feel free to buy Black and White scotch tape . For you, this will be an excellent alternative to more expensive brands, while scotch tape will satisfy all your wishes.

If you are just accustoming yourself to drinking this alcohol, you should also pay attention to this brand. Blended scotch is light and tender to your taste buds.