Once upon a time, it was easy for whisky drinkers, at least for fans of The Famous Grouse. It has been the top selling whisky in Scotland for over 30 years and is one of the top-selling blended whiskies worldwide, exported to over 100 countries.
But now the owners of the brand, the Edrington Group, have created a series of other blends – so many that they’re calling them “the famous family”.
The first out of the nest (so to speak) was The Black Grouse, launched in 2008. The advertising agency in London charged with creating a distinctive “personality” for the blend talked of it being “a darker character”, possibly even “The Infamous Grouse”. What marked the Scotch out from the original was the way that an Islay whisky had been added to the blend, giving it a smoky aroma and taste.
This month, however, another two new members of the family have arrived: The Snow Grouse and The Naked Grouse.
Snow Grouse is a Highland name for the ptarmigan, sometimes described as “the toughest bird in Britain”. In the summer, the ptarmigan has a mottled grey-brown plumage, but in winter it takes on an extra layer of white feathers for warmth, becoming completely white, to help it survive in the frozen, snow-covered conditions.
This whisky is unique – the first Scotch designed to be served straight from the freezer; in fact, in some of the bars that sell it, it is served pre-chilled from a tap rather than from an optic. The Snow Grouse is also unusual in being a blended grain whisky which has been matured in oak casks and then chill-filtered. Straight from the freezer, it has been described as having a thicker consistency (one of the Edrington team called it “gloopy”) than a usual dram.
The Naked Grouse – the other new arrival – claims to be the world’s first whisky to choose taste over unnecessary packaging. It’s a premium blend made from two of the company’s best known malts – Highland Park and The Macallan. It is then slow-matured in sundried, Spanish sweet sherry casks – the most expensive in the world.
Living up to its name, the blend is sold in bottles which don’t have a large label, just an image of a bird pressed into the glass. It’s an elegant solution.
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