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2011 products

Independent Bottlings

Movers and shakers in the distillery warehouse.

While distilleries are dedicated to the singular task of making spirit, selling it is another story. A portion will be reserved for blenders and official bottlings, but distillieries also swap and sell both new spirit and casks of fully mature whisky. This is where independent bottlers step in. In some cases, they're just enthusiasts wanting to try their hand in the whisky market. Mostly, however, casks are hand selected and purchased by professional brokers with large warehousing facilities. Once deemed mature, the whiskies are then bottled and marketed under an "independent' label.

There are close to one hundred indie bottlers currently working the Scotch whisky trade. One such bottler, Adelphi, discerningly nominate only 1 in 40 barrels for selection each year and from that, bottle only fifty single casks. A much older company, Cadenheads (founded in the 1840s) is legendary for their myriad single cask, cask-strength, non-chill-filtered whiskies and rums.

We have a huge selection of indie whiskies you can buy online.

Gordon & Macphail, Mackillop's Choice, Specialty Drinks, Signatory... the list goes on. Whichever you choose, chances are the independent bottler has gone to considerable effort to taste and select barrels with an emphasis on individuality, in other words, discovering a dram the offers an exciting contrast to the standard issue distillery house style.