Relaunch for Glen Garioch Scotch whisky

Published: 05 October, 2010

The 200-year-old Scotch whisky brand Glen Garioch has reappeared on the market, after a 15-year hiatus, with three new single malt expressions.

The distillery, which dates from 1797 and is pronounced Glen Geery, closed for a two-year period between 1995 and 1997 for extensive refurbishments. Since 1995 its whiskies have been available only in very small quantities, usually through travel retail, until it could build its stocks up again.

Brand ambassador Tom Jones said: "For independents and whisky shops it's an oportunity to have a brand that's not widely available in national chains. I'd expect to sell around 16,000 cases per annum by 2013 or 2014."

It now aims to focus its attentions on independent retailers and specialist whisky shops, and plans to specialise in vintage expressions.

Glen Garioch Founder's reserve, a non chill-filtered single malt, retails for £29.99, while its 12 year old, matured in Bourbon and Oloroso Sherry casks, retails for £36.99.

Glen Garioch plans to release small batch vintage expressions to complement the core range ? the latest is 1991. It was matured in North American oak, bottled in 2010 at cask strength of 54.7% abv, and retails for £64.99.

Jones said the distillery used peated barley until 1993, so the 1991 vintage has quite a distinct flavour compared to the other two in the range. He said the distillery's location, at Oldmeldrum in Aberdeenshire, meant there was "no maritime influence on the smokiness".

Glen Garioch is distributed in the UK through Cellar Trends.

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