North British
Just two miles from Edinburgh Castle, right next to the football stadium of Heart of Midlothian, a distillery has been producing grain whisky continuously since 1885 - in the heart of Scotland's capital rather than in rural seclusion. North British was founded by whisky merchants Andrew Usher, John Crabbie and William Sanderson as a deliberate counterweight to the market dominance of the Distillers Company, which then controlled almost the entire grain whisky business. The gamble paid off: the distillery remained independent for 108 years before passing to Lothian Distillers in 1993 - a joint venture now equally owned by Diageo and the Edrington Group. Without the grain whisky produced here, world-famous blends like Chivas Regal, Famous Grouse or J&B wouldn't exist in their current form.Code: PFINGSTEN26
Content: 0.7 Liter (€88.56 / 1 Liter)
Available, delivery time: 1-3 business days
Content: 0.7 Liter (€61.41 / 1 Liter)
Available, delivery time: 3-6 business business days
Content: 0.7 Liter (€149.99 / 1 Liter)
Available, delivery time: 3-6 business business days
Content: 0.7 Liter (€95.70 / 1 Liter)
Available, delivery time: 3-6 business business days
Content: 0.7 Liter (€81.41 / 1 Liter)
Available, delivery time: 3-6 business business days
Why was North British founded in the first place?
Andrew Usher, John Crabbie and William Sanderson wanted to break the Distillers Company's monopoly on the grain whisky business and built North British in 1885 as their own independent alternative right in Edinburgh.
Which well-known blends contain North British whisky?
The grain whisky produced here is a key ingredient in numerous globally successful blends, including Chivas Regal, Cutty Sark, Famous Grouse, Lang's and J&B - without North British, many familiar Scotch blends would taste quite different.
Flavour profile
Taste: Depending on the cask and maturation period, the range spans from delicately vanilla-forward to robustly spiced, always with pronounced sweetness, hints of biscuit or cake - and completely free of smoke.
Recommended enjoyment: Neat at room temperature, to discover the fine vanilla and pastry sweetness of grain whisky - an interesting contrast to bolder malt whiskies.
Start with North British 13 Year Old "Select Grain" by Murray McDavid.
Facts and figures
Founded 1885 by Andrew Usher, John Crabbie and William Sanderson in Edinburgh. Independent for 108 years, part of Lothian Distillers (Diageo/Edrington) since 1993. Capacity approx. 63,000,000 litres. 4 Coffey stills.