Whyte and Mackay Master Whisky Maker Gregg Glass (third from left) is joined by colleagues and members of the Scotch Whisky Association – including CEO Mark Kent (fifth from left) – at the filling of Scottish Oak barrels at the Tamnavulin distillery, Speyside.

Esteemed whisky making house Whyte and Mackay has announced a landmark achievement, with every distillery in its collection now incorporated into the company’s industry-leading Scottish Oak Programme – an industry first!

The initiative, founded by pioneering Master Whisky Maker Gregg Glass, led the industry to explore the potential for responsibly sourced, locally grown Scottish Oak to mature Scotch Whisky. The industry has historically favoured Oak sourced from outside Scotland.

Tamnavulin, in Speyside, joined the programme this week as Mark Kent, CEO of the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA), joined the whisky makers to personally fill these special Scottish Oak casks.

The distillery follows island distillery Jura, and Fettercairn, located in ‘the Garden of Scotland’ – Aberdeenshire, where the initiative was born. Each distillery now has whisky experiments laid down to explore and evaluate the impact locally grown Oak has on each distinct distillery style and to identify the flavour characteristics that Scottish Oak lends to Scotch Whisky.

In doing so, the distilleries are paving the way for the wider use of responsibly sourced Scottish oak for future generations of whisky makers.

Led by Gregg Glass, Whyte and Mackay’s move towards Scottish oak maturation is an exploration into the unique flavour that the oak species possesses, as well as future-proofing both the sourcing and seasoning of cask options for the wider whisky industry, striving towards a more sustainable future.

The filling of these special casks is really a celebration of the partnerships Whyte and Mackay has nurtured over time, which will ultimately benefit the whole industry.
– Ludo Ducrocq: Head of Whisky Experience at Whyte and Mackay

Glass has been exploring the use of native oak species for many years through Whyte and Mackay’s experimental arm, Whisky Works, which has previously celebrated the release of The King of Trees, a 10 year old blended malt finished in Scottish oak casks.

Since his appointment in 2016, Glass has developed long lasting partnerships with landowners and cooperages that share Whyte and Mackay’s vision for the future. Rooted in exemplary forestry management and considerate cooping practices, Whyte and Mackay believes that focusing on responsible sourcing and meaningful partnerships will drive positive change in the industry, leading to better whisky for everyone.

The Scottish Oak Programme seeks to inspire change within the Scotch whisky industry. We want to champion the potential that home-grown oak offers the spirits industry, and the incredible diversity of flavour it offers the whisky maker.
– Gregg Glass: Master Whisky Maker

The Picture above shows From left to right:

Kirsty Hodge, Blender and Whisky Maker

Whyte & Mackay ‘Steps Up and Digs In’ With Scottish Oak Programme!

Whyte & Mackay is expanding its Scottish Oak Programme across its entire estate of distilleries to help establish the use of native oak as a quality raw material for the wider spirits industry, starting with Scotch.rtc

Spearheaded by Master Whisky Maker Gregg Glass, the programme aims to establish the use of Scottish Oak widely among whisky makers while addressing some of the historical challenges around working with Scottish Oak, such as porosity, quality, consistency of the wood, and cost versus true value.

Typically casks used in the production of Scotch whisky are sourced from abroad, most commonly ex-Bourbon barrels from the USA, and European fortified wine casks from Portugal and Spain. Inspired by his time exploring local sawmills with his Grandfather on the Black Isle, Glass wanted to explore how to harness all that the local environment has to offer the whisky maker. He set about exploring the role Scottish Oak could play, and what it would take in terms of forestry management, and every skill required from harvest to cask creation.

When Gregg Glass joined Whyte and Mackay in 2016 he then began to implement the programme in earnest. He has developed partnerships with other organisations – including local landowning estates, sawmills and coopers – to create an initiative with the vision to one day be adopted by the Scotch Whisky industry.

Gregg Glass

The Scottish Oak Programme seeks to inspire change within the Scotch whisky industry. We want to champion the potential home-grown oak offers the spirits industry, and the incredible diversity of flavour it offers the whisky maker.

Our close relationships with industry partners mean we know the provenance of Scottish Oak and are even able to trace it right back to the individual tree. Through experimental whisky maturation and analytical trials, we can assess how the different variables – including growing conditions, drying and wood seasoning, oak type, coopering skills and heat treatment – can impact the flavour of the resulting whisky and there is a myriad of exciting flavour profiles to explore.
– Gregg Glass: Master Whisky Maker

As the programme develops, the adoption of Scottish Oak will grow to support local businesses and craftspeople and stimulate demand for traditional skills from forestry management to coopering, alongside apprenticeships and shared learning. A key aspect is the use of local sawmills and adapting historical sawmill practice and kit, some dating back to the 1930s, to equip local businesses with the tools required to process Scottish Oak, ensuring our local skilled craftspeople have what they need to apply their skill to locally sourced Oak.

Glass’ vision looks not only to sourcing oak for cask production, but to encouraging a circular economy and future-proofing Scottish Oak for the next generation of whisky makers. To that end, the programme has developed a planting scheme which has already seen over 15,000 trees replanted across Scotland. In addition, Glass and his partners are establishing dedicated oak forests that are carefully looked after to ensure longevity.

In 2019, Whyte & Mackay’s experimental arm, Whisky Works, launched its first Scottish Oak part-finished expression suitably named ‘King of Trees’. The 10-year-old blended Highland malt was created using wood from two 200-year-old wind-felled Scottish Oak tree to make one cask. The whisky maker is set to announce a second Scottish Oak release under its Fettercairn brand later this year.

Owned by Tonnellerie Francois Freres Group, Speyside Cooperage Ltd was established in 1947 in the heart of malt whisky trail. We now have cooperages in Tullibody in Clackmannanshire and Shepherdsville in Kentucky as we continue to preserve the time-honoured craft of coopering by continually training apprentices at all our sites.

Whilst we supply and cooper casks mainly built from American and European oak to the drinks industry worldwide in many sizes and for many liquids, the building of Scottish oak casks is something very different for us.

From the selecting of trees, to the sawmilling, air drying and coopering of the oak grown in Scotland for over 100 years, it is a project we are very proud to have been part of with Gregg and Whyte & Mackay. We look forward to producing casks from local forests in Scotland for generations to come.
– Andrew Russell: General Manager at Speyside Cooperage Ltd

The Scottish Oak Programme is one part of Whyte & Mackay’s commitment to a sustainable future for whisky making. The responsible sourcing of Scottish Oak allows full traceability, will create tree planting initiatives in rural and urban communities, and help support forest stewardship across Scotland.

The whisky maker’s sustainability agenda is to be published in an upcoming Green Print report, which lays out their approach towards carbon neutrality by 2030 and the Scottish Whisky Association’s target to achieve net zero emissions by 2040, ahead of the Scottish Government’s target of 2045.

Whyte & Mackay – 2021 Scottish Distiller of the Year

Schweppes ginger ale given away with 1L bottles of Whyte & Mackay Triple Matured Blended Scotch Whisky

Whyte & Mackay have continued to lead the way in blended whisky category by launching a limited-edition “special banded pack” – giving away a bottle of Schweppes ginger ale with 1L bottles of Whyte & Mackay Triple Matured Blended Scotch Whisky. The pack is exclusive to stores in Scotland.

The offer is available to customers in Scotland

The initiative will add value to the category by giving consumers an offering that is both convenient and offers value for money, particularly for younger adult drinkers with whom ‘spirit and mixer’ serves are very popular.

The limited edition pack allows them to purchase their whisky and mixer together in a handy banded pack and each comes with a recommended serve printed on the back, giving them a simple recipe on how best to enjoy the drink.

The packs offer great shelf stand-out and are available now in Tesco, Asda and Morrisons stores across Scotland with a RRSP of £20.

At Whyte & Mackay, we pride ourselves on delivering consumer satisfaction and convenience, which is why we decided to introduce this handy new Whyte & Mackay plus Schweppes mixer pack.

We have seen strong demand especially amongst younger adult consumers to try our whisky as an easy to make mixed long drink, and with Christmas on the horizon, we’re confident our mixer pack will sell out soon.
– Ruairi Perry: Head of Blended Whisky at Whyte & Mackay Ltd

Schweppes are thrilled to be partnering with Whyte & Mackay for this special initiative. We know a simple ‘spirit and mix’ serve is always popular with consumers, especially younger adult drinkers, so combining our popular ginger ale with their Whyte & Mackay Triple Matured Blended Scotch Whisky, as part of a banded pack, makes perfect sense.

We’re not only offering added value but easy mixability. Cheers to that.
– Alexandra Lund: Commercial Brand Development Senior Manager at Schweppes

The introduction of the new mixer pack comes after Whyte & Mackay Blended Malt became first to the market with a 50cl bottle earlier in 2018, in response to Scotland’s minimum unit pricing laws.

Whyte & Mackay is available to buy from these Whisky Merchants:-

• Master of Malt
• The Whisky Exchange
• Edencroft Fine Wine & Spirit Specialists
• Abbey Whisky
• The Whisky Barrel
• The Green Welly Stop
• Whisky Online

Whyte & Mackay is giving away limited edition glasses with 70cl bottles throughout the UK!

Whyte & Mackay is distributing 120,000 limited edition glasses with their 70cl of Whyte & Mackay Triple Matured Blended Scotch Whisky throughout the UK, as part of their #FunnyAsFolk campaign.

Triple Matured Blended Scotch and 13 Year Old were awarded Gold Medal status at the International Spirits Challenge (ISC) 2018

The on-pack promotion gives consumers the chance to collect one of four bespoke whisky glasses, each featuring a funny one-liner making it a must-buy for blended scotch whisky drinkers. The quips include:-

The limited-edition bottles are available now, across the UK, in Tesco, Asda, Morrisons and Co-op stores.

The giveaway is part of Whyte & Mackay’s Funny as Folk campaign, which sees them celebrate the everyday funny people of the UK. As part of the campaign, the brand became named sponsors of the Whyte & Mackay Glasgow International Comedy Festival and Lead Sponsors of Comedy at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe’s Underbelly.

The Underbelly partnership which saw the blended scotch brand launch the Surprisingly Smooth Fringe Bar in the heart of Bristo Square. In it, they built the Roaring Review Booth – a specially built booth which resembled an old comedy club, where festivalgoers could review Fringe shows for a chance to win Whyte & Mackay prizes.

Through our Funny as Folk campaign, we’ve been sharing a dram good laugh with people throughout the UK – from grassroots comedians, to Fringe festival attendees and audiences at home. Which is why we decided to toast a busy year by giving away these limited-edition glasses with bottles of our award-winning Whyte & Mackay bottles.

The quippy one-liners depict characters every consumer can relate to, making them a must-buy, either for the home cabinet or a humorous gift.
– Ruairi Perry: Head of Blended Whisky Brands

Whyte & Mackay’s on-pack giveaway comes shortly after both their Whyte & Mackay Triple Matured Blended Scotch and Whyte & Mackay 13 Year Old were awarded Gold Medal status at the International Spirits Challenge (ISC) 2018. The accolade from the ISC is regarded to be the most respected and sought after in the drinks industry, due to the stringent nature of the judging process.

Whyte & Mackay is available to buy from these Whisky Merchants:-

• Master of Malt
• The Whisky Exchange
• Edencroft Fine Wine & Spirit Specialists
• Abbey Whisky
• The Whisky Barrel
• The Green Welly Stop
• Whisky Online

Triple Matured Blended Scotch and 13-Year-Old were awarded Gold Medal status at the 2018 ISC awards

To celebrate winning two gold medals at this year’s International Spirits Challenge (ISC), Whyte & Mackay Triple Matured Whisky is releasing a limited-edition run of 200,000 commemorative neck tags.

The commemorative neck tags

Both Whyte & Mackay Triple Matured Blended Scotch and Whyte & Mackay 13-Year-Old were awarded Gold Medal status at the 2018 ISC awards – one of the most respected and sought-after accolades in the drinks industry due to the stringent nature of the judging process.

Featuring on 70cl and 1 litre bottles of Whyte & Mackay Triple Matured Blended Scotch Whisky, the celebratory neck tag will drive consumer confidence and aid decision making at point of purchase.

A mark of industry excellence, the neck tag ensures Whyte & Mackay will stand out on crowded shelves. The eye-catching design mirrors the gold medal status of the product, helping consumers to navigate the blended scotch category with ease, reassuring consumers that Whyte & Mackay Triple Matured Blended Scotch is of the best quality.

The bottles are available to purchase across the off-trade including supermarkets, wholesale and convenience stores nationwide from September 2018.

As always, the calibre of entrants at the International Spirits Challenge was extremely high, so we’re honoured to receive the Gold Medal for not one but two of our whiskies. Which is why, to celebrate, we want our bottles to wear their awards with pride.

A lot of dedication goes into our product – from our harmonious blend of flavours, to the rich golden colour created by our triple maturation process – and these award wins are a wonderful recognition of the hard work we distil into each bottle of Whyte & Mackay.
– Ruairi Perry: Head of Blended Whisky Brands, Whyte & Mackay

Whyte & Mackay is available to buy from these Whisky Merchants:-

• Master of Malt
• The Whisky Exchange
• Edencroft Fine Wine & Spirit Specialists
• Abbey Whisky
• The Whisky Barrel
• The Green Welly Stop
• Whisky Online