As the whisky industry continues to consolidate, the days of family-owned distiller/blenders is fast becoming a memory. William Grant & Sons is one of the few noble exceptions, proving that a family firm compete with the UDVs of this world by being as self-sufficient as possible.
Every firm uses its own malts as the core of its blends: Grant’s can draw on the Dufftown triumvirate of Glenfiddich, Balvenie and Kininvie, although it still buys or exchanges over 40 other malts for its blends. Grant’s also uses its own grain whisky from its distillery in Girvan, which it bottles as Black Barrel.
The need to keep as many of the fillings in-house was the rationale behind building Kininvie in 1990. Constructing a new distillery is always a slightly nervy experience, as you can never be 100 per cent certain how the malt will turn out, how it will mature or how it will behave in a blend. Thankfully, Grant’s ever-modest master blender David Stewart is happy with Kininvie’s performance so far. ‘We built it to give us a fruity note for the blends,’ he explains. ‘I’ve been using it in Family Reserve for the past four years...