Famous Grouse 30 years Blended Malt

This is a wonderful aged Malt Whisky, part Highland Park, Part Macallan, and part Glenturret.

Like so many of these Giants of the Blended era, the origin story of the Grouse is the same: dad and mom start out as a wine merchant and high street retailer. Sons, or in this case, grandsons take over and shift the family grocer into huge Gold Machine.

The great wine blight of the late 19th century forced Mr Gloag Senior into an early grave and his son into a plan that changed it all. Uisge beatha of course. Registering his first brand in 1896, the Brig o’ Perth, his second child, but real first love, was born on a cool morning in 1897.

Fame and fortune followed, with the prohibition, smuggling, and subsequent inhibition playing no small part.

In the mid 1960’s the family was struck by tragedy and were compelled to sell the now very Famous Grouse to Highland Distillers, who would later sell it again to Edrington in 1999.

The bottle above is from this era, one of luxury and real malt, Macallan and Highland Park, the worlds number one and two, respectively. In no small part because of these great blends. And now they are nowhere to be found.