In this installment of his ongoing series exploring independent bottling, Nate Barlow explores the growing globalization of this unique element of the whisky industry.
Independent bottling stands out as a rather unique subset of the Scotch whisky business. Unique not only to the world of whisky but to the world of business at large. In what other industry do you have a product purchased from one company, often refinished by the purchaser, and then sold to the public with both companies’ names on it? Custom cars come close, and wine négociants bear some similarity. But neither mirror the world of Scotch independent bottling exactly.
And yet, independent bottling has not only flourished for generations but even played an integral part in the growth of Scotch whisky.
One would think that with such success, this paradigm would have expanded beyond its Scottish roots. It has. But, until recently, not as much as one would expect. Even now, such expansion has been limited. Independent bottling is certainly growing. The results are both exciting and on the cutting edge of the whisky world. In this article I examine the growing globalization of independent bottling.
Global independent bottlers can be divided into three categories. The first are those bottlers located outside of Scotland. The second are those that focus on world whiskies. And third, there are the hybrids, those independent bottlers that cross boundaries in their offerings.
Scotch Bottlers Outside of Scotland
Let’s refresh something I wrote earlier, “But, until recently, not as much as one would expect.” Independent bottlers of Scotch have indeed existed outside of Scotland for quite some time. The second great wave of independent bottling came decades after the godfathers of the industry Gordon & MacPhail and Cadenheads bucked the blending of other grocers. It was led by some “forward thinking Italians,” as Iain Croucher of independent bottler North Star Spirits has described them.
At the forefront of these Italians was Silvano Samaroli. Samaroli founded his namesake company in the 1960s as an importer, but soon branched into the world of independent bottling. In addition to leveling up the creative labeling of Scotch that had long been somewhat staid, Samaroli was responsible for some truly legendary bottlings. They include the 1967 Laphroaig Samaroli 15 Year Old and the 1967 Bowmore Bouquet. The latter is one of the most iconic bottles of Scotch of all time.
Despite Samaroli’s success, independent bottling did not expand to other foreign shores in a sizable manner until the last few years. This may have to do with the legality of what qualifies as Scotch whisky. The definition of Scotch whisky requires that the liquid be distilled, matured, and bottled in Scotland. While the first qualification goes without question, the limitations of the maturation and bottling may have discouraged other companies from following Samaroli’s lead.
Not so in the modern whisky landscape. As befits an ever-smaller world and global economy, numerous independent bottlers of Scotch whisky have cropped up outside of Scotland, including Alexander Murray (United States), The Islay Cask Company (Germany), Malts of Scotland (Germany), Wilson and Morgan (Italy), and WhiskyDudes (The Netherlands), among others.
As for Samaroli? The company is still at it, but now it bottles rum alongside Scotch, making it one of those hybrids we will discuss later.
World Whiskies
As much as independent bottling has been an integral and even crucial element of the Scotch whisky industry, independent bottlers have not, until recently, cracked the nut of world whiskies to a discernible degree.
Some “forward-thinking” companies are changing that circumstance. In the process, they are upending the conventional whisky world by developing an entirely new market segment. Just a short hop away from independent bottling’s ancestral home, Shane McCarthy’s Two Stacks is an Irish independent bottler that, you guessed it, focuses on blended and single malt Irish whiskey. Much like its Scottish brethren, Two Stacks features a wide range of unusual cask finishes, such as Mezcal, pineapple and coconut rum, and even apple brandy.
Further afield, our June interview, Nora Ganley-Roper and her partner Adam Polonski of Lost Lantern Whiskey, entered the independent bottling arena with the distinct goal of applying the Scottish independent bottling model to the gamut of American whiskey, including bourbon, rye, and American Single Malt. Before they launched, Nora and Adam drove around the U.S. visiting distilleries, most of which were completely unfamiliar with the concept of independent bottling. For some it was a tough sell, but a few years later, independent bottling is now embedded into their consciousness with Lost Lantern at the forefront, and other American independent bottlers in their footsteps.
Another such bottler is Pablo Goldbarg of Massachusetts-based Catador Itinerante. Despite being located in the U.S., Catador Itinerante is exclusively dedicated to world whiskies. Pablo’s first release is an Austrian whiskey, Broger. Future bottlings will venture into South America and beyond. Besides wanting to bring these often lesser-known whiskies to a wider audience, Pablo is quick to point out that, unlike the Scotch whisky market for which casks are both scarce and expensive, world whiskey casks are both available and affordable.
Then, There are the Hybrids
Scarcity of casks is one of the reasons the independent bottling world is seeing a rise in hybrids. These take a variety of forms, such the aforementioned Samaroli bottling rum in addition to Scotch. Another is our April interview, U.S.-based Single Cask Nation.
For years Joshua Hatton and Jason Johnstone-Yellin have offered American whiskies alongside their Scotch offerings. The last couple years have also seen whiskies from Israel, Sweden, and Australia, just to name a few.
Like Samaroli, Single Cask Nation has also branched into other spirits such as rum and cognac. Despite the breadth of offerings, Scotch is still king for Single Cask Nation, even as their recent acquisition by The Artisanal Spirits Company will allow them to expand their American offerings.
Even Scottish independent bottlers have delved into the hybrid game. Despite its namesake, the Scotch Malt Whisky Society–already a unique entity in the independent bottling field with its club membership format–has branched into bottling rum, Armagnac, and cognac, as well various world whiskies.
With a universe of whisky yet to uncover and the Scotch cask market already at peak saturation, the sky’s the limit for global independent bottling in all its format.
