It features whisky from Edrington's Glenrothes, Highland Park, Macallan, North British, swaps with other Scottish distilleries and until recently Glenturret.
First let's find out a little more about the famous bird from their website:
John Brown established his Perth grocery business in 1800 before moving the premises to Atholl Street seven years later. It was his daughter, Margaret, who married Matthew Gloag. She took over the family business from her father in 1824 and ran it until Matthew took control a little over a decade later.
Margaret acquired a license to sell wine and spirits in 1831; Matthew didn't join the business until 1835 when the name was changed to Matthew Gloag. Margaret died just five years later.
It wasn't until Matthew Gloag III inherited the business from his father William in 1896 that the company registered its first blended Scotch, the Brig o'Perth. A year later, The Famous Grouse was released at the same time as the Grouse Brand.
Following the Great French Wine Blight the company began to look at creating its own blended whiskies. In 1896, William's nephew, Matthew Gloag (1850-1912), took over the family business. He created a new blended brand called The Grouse in 1896.
In 1905 the limited company of Matthew Gloag & son was formed and the Grouse was renamed The Famous Grouse in the same year. Matthew Gloag's daughter Philippa first designed the label's grouse icon.
By the 1960s, business had grown to such an extent that exports to America alone had risen to 12 million proof gallons. By 1968 it had risen to 33m. The future was looking rosy for Matthew Gloag & Sons, but just two years later tragedy struck. Both Matthew Frederick Gloag – Matthew Gloag III’s grandson and a major shareholder in the company – and his wife, Edith, passed away within two days of each other.
In the same year Estate Duty costs, coupled with the death duties due on both his parents, forced Matthew Irving Gloag and his partners to seek a buyer for the company. Highland Distillers bought the company for £1.25m, although Matthew Irving Gloag remained as a director to continue the family’s involvement.
Highland Distillers’ ownership lasted until November 1999 when The Edrington Group purchased it for £601m. Part of the deal included the Glenturret distillery; which in 2002 they turned into a visitor attraction, The Famous Grouse Experience.
Since Edrington’s takeover, the process of premiumisation has been on-going at The Famous Grouse. In 2006, the peated Black Grouse was released, followed two years later by Snow Grouse, a blended grain whisky. In 2015 a distinctly purple-hued redesign of The Famous Grouse’s packaging was implemented in a bid to premiumise the brand.
In 2019 Edrington sold the Glenturret distillery to Glenturret Holding a joint venture between luxury goods company Lalique Group and Swiss entrepreneur Hansjörg Wyss.
The Famous Grouse is a blend of 20-30 single malts and grains which Edrington either distil themselves or trade from other Scottish distilleries, let's see how the whiskies compare:
| Dram | The Finest Famous Grouse | Bourbon Cask | Wine Cask | Smoky Black |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Characteristics | 40% ABV Coloured, Chill filtered. Ex-bourbon, European oak & ex-sherry casks. | 40% ABV Coloured, Chill filtered. | 40% ABV Coloured, Chill filtered. | 40% ABV Coloured, Chill filtered. |
| Distillery notes | Smooth and perfectly balanced. Scotland’s favourite whisky blend of the finest malts and exceptional grain whiskies. Aroma: Candied fruits, buttery shortbread, citrus peel Taste: Dried fruit, soft spices (cinnamon / ginger), hint of oak Finish: Smooth, well balanced | From the Cask Series Range - A smooth, honeyed caramel blend of whiskies aged in American oak and bourbon casks. Aroma: Fragrant, with hints of caramel and slightly honeyed Taste: Vanilla ice-cream, toasted coconut and citrus peel Finish: A sweet soft oak finish | From the Cask Series Range - Dark chocolate, cherries, nutmeg and a hint of black pepper. We call it The Famous Grouse Wine Cask Aroma: Red Berries, nutmeg and soft oak Taste: Dark chocolate, cherries and a hint of black pepper Finish: Full bodied | From the Blender's Edition Range - Smooth and aromatic with soft smoky notes from our blend of rare peated whiskies. Aroma: Smoky, aromatic, rich Taste: Dried fruit and spices (aniseed/cloves), smoky yet smooth Finish : long, sweet and smoky |
| My thoughts: | ||||
| Appearance |  | |||
| Mid gold in the glass, swirls cling and fall as slow thick legs. | Pale gold in the glass, swirls cling and fall as slow thick legs. | Dark reddy gold in the glass, swirls cling and fall as slow thick legs. | Dark reddy gold in the glass, swirls cling and fall as slow thick legs. | |
| Nose | Orchard fruit, digestive biscuit, hints of toffee and citrus. | Orchard fruit, digestive biscuit, sweet honey, fudge and vanilla with hints of citrus. | Dark chocolate, dried fruit, red berries and some vanilla notes. Not as sweet as the previous two. | Gentle smoke, tropical fruit, drying icing sugar. Lots of vanilla and butterscotch notes. |
| Palate | Smooth weak arrival, sweet honey and orchard fruit. Hints of dried fruit and Christmas spices from the sherry casks. | Again smooth and weak, a little sweeter than the Finest, more toffee notes and hints of coconut milk and vanilla. The spice notes aren't as strong. | Smooth buttery arrival, tropical fruit and berry notes. The chocolate from the nose comes through with a few more sips. Less spice than the previous two and a little drying - rather nice! | Another smooth buttery arrival, a little watery but still full of flavour. The smoke comes in immediately and then fades to give you dried pineapple, a little maritime salinity and some peppery spice - Yummy! |
| Finish | Short sweet honied finish with ginger spice notes. | Medium length vanilla and toffee notes with a gentle peppery spice. | Medium length fruity and dry with a little spice. | Long smoky peppery spice. |
| Overall | All of these bottles can be bought for less that £20, they're all coloured to some degree and chill-filtered but for a cheap blend they do offer some lovely flavours. The bourbon version is a different maturation marriage rather than a finish. The wine cask is a Rioja red wine hogshead finish. The Smoky uses Islay and Orkney malts to give the peat smoke notes. For me these are all good easy drinkers, I was impressed with the wine cask and especially the smoky black. Like I did put your single malt snobbery to one side for a moment and give them a try! | |||
I tasted these drams as part of Southport Whisky Club's Winter Festival where Calum Fraser, the Master Blender from The Famous Grouse led a tasting, taking us through a range of their expressions.
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