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Release Notes
Grant's Family Reserve is one of the world's best loved Scotch whiskies and enjoyed in over 180 countries. First created by William Grant in 1898, the blend is today, five generations later, entrusted to Grant's Master Blender, Brian Kinsman. Brian skilfully blends around 25 of the finest single malt and grain Scotch whiskies to make Grant's Family Reserve. The basis for the blend is our widely acclaimed Girvan grain whisky. Vacuum distilled at a lower temperature to make it a lighter and more delicate spirit, it is then aged in oak to give it a deeper, sweeter, soft fruit flavour, creating the perfect foundation.
Grant's Whisky
3rd Party Tasting Notes
Nose: Light peat. Heather-honey. Orange blossom.
Palate: Delicate. Camomile. Apples, pears. A hint of oatmeal. Grainy.
Finish: Burnt grass. Dry.
Comment: I have always felt this blend to lack dimension but, as it warmed in the glass, more flavours emerged, especially heathery-peaty elements. Also a more honeyed, malty fullness.
Rating: 7.5/10
Palate: Delicate. Camomile. Apples, pears. A hint of oatmeal. Grainy.
Finish: Burnt grass. Dry.
Comment: I have always felt this blend to lack dimension but, as it warmed in the glass, more flavours emerged, especially heathery-peaty elements. Also a more honeyed, malty fullness.
Rating: 7.5/10
Michel Jackson, Whisky Magazine #9
Nose: I've always admired this biscuity, cake batter, honeyed, grainy bouquet.
Palate: Another blend with the word Speyside branded into it, especially in the feline dry, and smooth-as-glass palate entry. Toasted cereal, sweet malt, light caramel, vanilla extract, and almonds abound. Medium-bodied.
Finish: It excels in the aftertaste where the silky toasted cereal taste turns a bit fiery (love that), resin-like, and oily in the throat.
Comment: This blend has stayed at a very high level for the decade I've been sampling it. This time around I noticed the Balvenie presence more than in the past. Very nice job here.
Rating: 8/10
Palate: Another blend with the word Speyside branded into it, especially in the feline dry, and smooth-as-glass palate entry. Toasted cereal, sweet malt, light caramel, vanilla extract, and almonds abound. Medium-bodied.
Finish: It excels in the aftertaste where the silky toasted cereal taste turns a bit fiery (love that), resin-like, and oily in the throat.
Comment: This blend has stayed at a very high level for the decade I've been sampling it. This time around I noticed the Balvenie presence more than in the past. Very nice job here.
Rating: 8/10
Paul Pacult, Whisky Magazine #9
The Blender: William Grant & Sons
| Established: 1886 |
| Silent since: False |
| Address: Phoenix Crescent Strathclyde Business Park, Bellshill, Lanarkshire, ML4 3AN, UK |
| → website |
William Grant & Sons Ltd. is an independent, family-owned Scottish company which distills Scotch whisky and other selected categories of spirits. It was founded in 1886 by William Grant, and is now run by the descendants of the founder. It is the largest of the handful of Scotch whisky distillers remaining in family ownership. "William Grant & Sons" is often abbreviated to "W. Grant & Sons" or just "Grant"s", after their leading blended whisky of the same name.
William Grant & Sons pioneered single malt Scotch whisky as until Glenfiddich, only blended brands were common In 1997 the Grant entered into a joint venture with the Robertson family (The Edrington Group) creating a new company, Highland Distillers.
The company"s leading single malt Scotch brand is Glenfiddich, the best-selling brand in the worldwide single malt Scotch market (700,000 cases/year and 17.37% market share). This is more than the sales of the next two single malts combined. Their leading blended Scotch brand is Grant"s, the 4th best-selling brand in the worldwide blended Scotch market and the Scotch market as a whole (4 million cases/year). Grant"s is also the 4th best-selling brand in the domestic United Kingdom Scotch market (420,000 cases/year and 14.6% market share).
William Grant was born in Dufftown in 1839. The young Grant worked at Mortlach Distillery and dreamed of one day running his own distillery. He worked hard and saved and in 1886 Grant and his 9 children laid the first stone of the Glenfiddich Distillery. It was Christmas day 1887 when the first spirit ran from the stills.
In 1892 William Grant & Sons bought a second neighbouring Distillery called Balvenie. In 1898 the two distilleries started blending their whiskies and Grant"s Whisky was "born".
The company is the 3rd largest producer of Scotch whisky (10.4% market share) after Diageo (34.4%), and Pernod Ricard. The company"s central headquarters are in Strathclyde Business Park, North Lanarkshire. Sales and marketing headquarters are in Richmond, London. The company is a member of the Scotch Whisky Association.
The master blender of Grant"s is David Stewart, who has been in his post for 47 years, the longest serving master blender with one distiller in the industry.
Core brands include: Glenfiddich, Grant"s, Balvenie, Hendrick"s Gun, Sailor Jerry Rum. Other brands include: Reyka Iclandic Vodka, Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum, Old Vatted Demerara Rum, Wood"s 100 Old Navy Rum, Vat 19 Rum, Gibson"s Finest, Clan MacGregor Blended Whisky, Monkey Shoulder Triple Malt Whisky, Taboo, Milagro Tequila, Solerno. The company also produces a number of rare whiskies such as Girvan First Batch (from 1964 casks) and Ladyburn (silent distillery closed in 1975) as well private vintage bottlings. Via Highland Distillers the company has a stake in the following brands: The Famous Grouse, The Macallan, Highland Park, Black Bottle and Gloag"s Dry Gin. The company has also co-developed Virgin Vodka with Richard Branson"s Virgin Group
The company owns several distilleries including Glenfiddich, Balvenie, Girvan Grain Distillery, Convalmore (only the bonded warehouse), Kininvie and Ailsa Bay Distillery.
Trivia:
- allegedly the first company to market Scotch whisky abroad (this claim is very contentious - there are several, particularly Glen Grant and Glenmorangie, which would dispute it)
- revolutionized bottle design in the 1950s, creating a triangular bottle
- was the first to open up its distillery to visitors
- introduced the solera concept to Glenfiddich to create Glenfiddich Solera Reserve
from Wikipedia