The Bicentennials: Scotch Whisky’s Big Birthday

Happy 200th

This year has seen a plethora of Scotch whisky distilleries celebrating their 200th anniversary. Six in fact. But why so many in one year?

The answer lies with a key event that happened during the year prior to 1824 – the introduction of The Excise Act by the Government of the day. When the Act was introduced in 1823, it brought harsh penalties for those discovered to be producing spirit illicitly and introduced the option to purchase a legal License to Distil. This cost £10 (around £1,400 in today’s money) and saw the authorities begin to collect tax on whisky. It is widely regarded as one of the main reasons for the significant improvement in the standards and consistency of Scotch whisky.

Thanks to The Excise Act 1823 there will be numerous more big birthdays coming up over the next five years or so. Here are the six established in 1824 in alphabetical order, and how they have celebrated their bicentenaries.

Balmenach

This little-known distillery was founded by James MacGregor and was originally a small operation on Balminoch Farm, towards the southwestern edge of Speyside. It has grown to be a 2.4 million litre per year facility in the 200 years since, but bottlings are few and far between. You will need to look hard to find one – the only official release appears under the Deerstalker name, otherwise they occasionally turn up through independent bottlers.

Why so scarce? Throughout its history, Balmenach single malts have been prized by blending houses across Scotland. And unlike many others that have branched out and become brands, Balmenach has never changed. Therefore, it is no real surprise that the distillery does not seem to be planning anything special for its bicentenary.

Cardhu

The Diageo-owned distillery of Cardhu in Speyside has also had a somewhat muted birthday. The distillery is a key one for Scotland’s largest whisky producer and is a major component in its best-selling range of Johnnie Walker blended whiskies. This is acknowledged by Cardhu being the Speyside representative for the Johnnie Walker Four Corners of Scotland – Caol Ila on Islay, Clynelish in the Highlands and Glenkinchie in the Lowlands are the others.

Bicentenary celebrations have been few and far between. The launch of the limited-edition Cardhu 12 years old 200th Anniversary Edition is the sole new whisky and was released to coincide with International Women’s Day. This is particularly poignant for Cardhu as it was operated for part of its early history by one of the first female distillery managers in Scotland, Elizabeth Cumming. Roselyn Burnett, the current distillery manager, is carrying on her tradition.

Fettercairn

The distillery of Fettercairn was founded by Sir Alexander Ramsey and was one of the first to receive its new license in the east Highlands. After less than a decade, it was sold to Sir John Gladstone – he was from the same family as William Gladstone, the four-time British Prime Minister. It is only really in the last decade that Fettercairn has come through as a single malt after decades as a workhorse distillery supplying blending houses.

The bicentenary has seen several key things happening for the brand. Firstly, both the core domestic and travel retail ranges got an overhaul and revamp with both designed to show off Fettercairn’s light, tropical and sweet spirit at its best. The pinnacle however is The 200th Collection – a set (and there are only 10 available worldwide) of six single malts ranging from three years old to 60 years old.

The Glenlivet

Founder George Smith is widely regarded as being one of the first people to take out the new License to Distil. The decision was so unpopular with many local illicit distillers that Smith was armed with two pistols for protection by his landlord. Fast forward 200 years and the distillery is the joint-largest in Scotland, with an annual production capacity of 21 million litres. The Glenlivet is the second highest selling Scotch single malt in the world.

As you may expect from such a popular brand there have been several events to mark the occasion. Most notable is the release of the oldest whisky released by the distillery to date – The Eternal Collection: First Edition 55 years old. This rare whisky from a single ex-sherry cask is limited to just 100 decanters, which are housed in the most extraordinary packaging designed by architect Michael Hansmeyer.

The Macallan

When Alexander Reid founded the Elchies distillery, which is now The Macallan, he could never have imagined what would evolve from his initial steps into the Scotch whisky industry. The Macallan is now the epitome of luxury within the category and boasts many rare and limited-edition releases in its ever-increasing collection. The core range also helps the Speyside distillery sit comfortably inside the top 5 for world Scotch single malt sales.

The Macallan has not been shy about celebrating its bicentenary. This has culminated in the exquisitely packaged Time: Space bottling being released. This features a dual chamber vessel that includes an 84 years old expression – its oldest ever bottling – plus a second single malt which is the first from The Macallan’s new distillery, which started production in 2019.

Miltonduff

The Speyside distillery of Miltonduff, which is near Elgin, is the final one to celebrate its bicentenary this year. This relatively unknown distillery is owned by Chivas Brothers, the Scotch whisky arm of Pernod Ricard. It is their second largest distillery with an annual capacity of 5.8 million litres, behind only The Glenlivet. Miltonduff exists to supply single malt to blends and is a key ingredient in both Ballantine’s and Chivas Regal.

Given this, the celebrations have been understandably low key. Outside of the occasional distillery release or independent bottling, not much Miltonduff escapes out into the whisky world. One exception is a bicentennial commemorative bottling that saw the distillery collaborate with indie bottler Duncan Taylor – the Miltonduff 1982, a 41-year-old single malt matured in ex-sherry casks.

If you would like to find out more about these and other whisky distilleries, please contact me at [email protected]

**Disclaimer**

Whisky cask investments are unregulated in the UK. The value of investments is variable and can go down as well as up. You have 14 days to change your mind and request a full refund under our cooling-off period. The volume of spirit will decrease over time (known as “the Angels’ share”). “New Make” spirit has to be matured for 3 years, during which time its alcoholic strength could be reduced. However, for the product to be classed as “whisky”, it must retain a minimum strength of 40%. Fees apply, see terms and conditions for details and terms around exiting your investment.

An investor may get back less than the amount invested. Information on past performance, where given, is not necessarily a guide to future performance. The capital invested can fluctuate and the price of casks can go down as well as up and is not guaranteed. The investments and services offered by us may not be suitable for all investors. If you have any doubts as to the merits of an investment, you should seek advice from an independent financial advisor. The Whisky 1901 Ltd sale price includes a discretionary markup to cover the cost of services provided, including but not limited to, storage, movement and maintenance of casks, insurance, front and back-office software.

by Matt Chambers
Master of Whisky
18.10.24

 

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