Scottish Rogue returns to the Old Toll Bar in Glasgow with another exciting edition of DRAM JAM…

DRAM JAM is a unique whisky tasting event that includes cocktails, live Scottish traditional music and excellent whiskies.

In this latest instalment, we will be exploring a selection of single malt whiskies from a range of fantastic independent bottlers.

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What is an independent bottler?

Scottish Rogue’s Neill Murphy discusses independent bottlers…

The concept of independent bottlers can be a hard one to get to grips with. I certainly found it confusing in my early days. I had just begun to understand the difference between blends and single malts and it became obvious that all the malt brands in my local supermarket were named after the distillery that made them. It seemed so straightforward. Distillery makes whisky, distillery sells whisky. Simple.

A few years into my whisky journey, however, a new specialist spirits retailer opened up in Glasgow. Entering was like stepping into a different world. The brands I knew were there, but in greater numbers and more variety than I had ever seen, but there were other names, too. Gordon & MacPhail. Signatory Vintage. Douglas Laing. Berry Bros & Rudd. I had stumbled into the world of independent bottlers. Should you be where I was back then, I’ll explain exactly what an independent bottler does.

In short, an independent bottler does not produce whisky of its own accord. Instead, it will buy casks of mature whisky, either direct from distilleries, or from a broker. Those casks are then stamped with the label of the bottler, rather than that of the distillery.

New Takes on Old Favourites

What makes independent bottlers so special is the variety they offer. Distilleries that release their own whisky are often forced to work within certain parameters. Their brand is known for a particular “house style” and their core range reflects that. An independent bottler, however, has no such restrictions. They can concentrate instead on finding good whisky, regardless of how well it fits a particular brief.

Whisky making is a batch process and there are so many variables, not least in the unpredictability of oak casks. No two batches are ever identical. From time to time, an individual cask will produce a whisky that doesn’t fit with the distillery’s regular profile. Normal practice would be to blend the cask away, by mixing it with dozens of its siblings, but if sold to an independent bottler, that cask could make for a totally unique release in its own right.

Hidden Gems

Despite global high regard for single malt, whisky sales are still dominated by blended Scotch. Single Malt only accounts for about 15% of the market. That means there are a lot of distilleries that produce spirit purely to supply blenders. Some of those “blend-fodder” distilleries produce excellent spirit, but it rarely finds its way to the market. Until, that is, an independent bottler comes along and snaps up a few casks.

Independent Bottlers, therefore, provide whisky drinkers with an opportunity to try new takes on whiskies they know and love, whilst also providing a rare chance to try spirit from lesser seen distilleries.

Crucial to Success

Independent bottlers have been essential to the rise of single malt Scotch whisky. The early bottlers saw potential in the category, when the industry cared only about promoting its blends. Many independents favour bottling at cask strength, meaning they showcase the spirit at its most potent, and its most flavoursome. They present single malt Scotch whisky in its very best light.

Join us at the Old Toll Bar on Friday August 29^th and help us celebrate the independent bottlers at DRAM JAM.

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