Black Bottle was created in 1879 by Gordon Graham and Co. based in Aberdeen. The three Graham brothers (Charles Innes, Gordon and David) original business was tea but they switched their attention to whisky blending. Soon the popularity of the whisky spread through the East Coast fisherman who favoured it on long sea journeys.

Black Bottle’s name came from its original bottle design based on black German glass and echoing the traditional pot whisky still. In 1914, following the outbreak of war, production was switched to green glass as it is to be found today.

Black Bottle combines the finest of grain whiskies with malts from the seven distilleries of Islay, which form the heart of the blend.

As part of Black Bottle’s Alchemy series, the Andean Oak blended scotch is the first to be made with virgin rare Andean Oak at the centre of their recipe. Known for thriving in high altitudes where many trees would not survive, this oak imparts tannins and spice onto the whisky flavour profile. Bottled at 46.3%, its an experiment to try with great value.

Tasting Notes

Nose: Dried nut and rich fruit stand out against a backdrop of maple syrup and oak.

Palate: Layers of vanilla, toasted coconut and caramel coated nuts fuse with raisins, cherries, nutmeg and cinnamon.

Finish: Sweet with a soft smokiness.