Prevedeno na hrvatski, termini bi zvučali kao "neovisni buteljeri" i "osnovna ponuda". U tekstu ćemo koristiti engleske izraze, pa krenimo.
Kada čujete izraz "core range", radi se o osnovnoj ponudi boca koje su redovno dostupne izravno od destilerije. Na primjer, Glendronach 12, 15, 18 i 21 čine osnovnu ponudu destilerije Glendronach. Ova se ponuda može mijenjati, ovisno o zalihama bačava iz određenog razdoblja. Destilerija Arran je, na primjer, mijenjala svoju osnovnu ponudu iz 10, 14, 18 u 10, 18, 21, 25 i više verzija boca bez označenih godina (NAS) koje su odležale u različitim tipovima vinskih bačva. Original bottlings, poznate i kao OB ili Distillery Bottling, obuhvaćaju sve vrste boca koje su buteljirane izravno od strane same destilerije. Osim osnovnog asortimana (core range), u ovu kategoriju spadaju i razna limitirana izdanja, cask strength izdanja...Neke destilerije, kao što su Auchroisk, Benrinnes i Mannochmore... uopće nemaju core range, niti orginalna punjenja, te su njihove boce dostupne samo od independent bottlera ili kao Diageo special release.
Sada, kada znamo što su "core range", i "original bottlings" idemo objasniti što je "independent bottler" ili "indies" tj. IB. To su neovisni buteljeri koji kupuju bačve od destilerija i sami ih pune u boce. Neki kupuju destilat i pune svoje bačve, gdje ih i skladište. Drugi pak kupuju već odležane bačve direktno od destilerija. Često možete vidjeti ime destilerije na etiketi, a pored toga i ime buteljera. Međutim, neke destilerije ne dozvoljavaju da se njihovo ime pojavi na etiketi, kao oblik zaštite brenda. Umjesto toga, možete vidjeti nazive kao što su Secret Speyside, Secret Orkney ili Cambeltown.... Osim toga, neke destilerije zahtijevaju od buteljera tzv. "teaspooning."
Teaspooning je praksa dodavanja malih količina single malta (oko litre) u kupljenu bačvu. Zato se bačva, koja je pomiješana s malom količinom single malta iz druge destilerije, zakonski više ne može nazivati single maltom, niti se može povezati s originalnom destilerijom.
Danas postoji veliki broj nezavisnih buteljera, ali da ih nije bilo, nikada ne bismo probali single malt viskije iz npr. 50-ih godina nekih destilerija. U prošlosti, mnoge destilerije nisu plasirale svoje single maltove na tržište, fokusirajući se isključivo na blended viskije. Prva destilerija koja se počela reklamirati i prodavati single malt, tj. prvi original bottling , bio je Glenfiddich 1961., a prvi koji su prihvatili single malt viskije bili su Talijani, te su tijekom 60-ih i 70-ih godina prošlog stoljeća uvozili mnoge single maltove iz Škotske. Jedan od ikonskih nezavisnih buteljera je Talijan, Samaroli, koji je imao pristup najboljim bačvama. Njegove boce koje su buteljirane u 80tim (serija boca Slika u akvarelu i Cvijeće (Flowers)) često postižu vrtoglave cijene na aukcijama. Ovdje možete vidjeti neke od boca: Sothebys
Nekoliko najpoznatijih nezavisnih buteljera kroz povijest:
Cadenhead's
Cadenhead's je jedan od najstarijih neovisnih buteljera škotskog viskija, osnovan još 1842.
godine u Aberdeenu, Škotska. Iako je tvrtka u
početku bila fokusirana na trgovinu vinom, ubrzo je prepoznala potencijal single malt viskija. U to doba, mnoge destilerije bile su
usmjerene prema proizvodnji blendova i nisu pridavale veći značaj buteljiranju svojih viskija kao single malta. Kroz godine, Cadenhead's je stekao ugled buteljiranjem nekih od najfinijih i najrjeđih škotskih viskija. Najpoznatije (starije) su serija boca pod nazivom "dumpy" boce s crnom etiketom.
Gordon & MacPhail
Ova tvrtka osnovana je 1895. godine u Elginu, Škotska, od strane Jamesa Gordona i Johna
Alexandera MacPhaila. Iako je u svojim počecima bila trgovina prehrambenim proizvodima i
vinom, vrlo brzo su shvatili potencijal buteljiranja škotskog viskija. U ranijim danima, većina njihovih viskija buteljirana je na 40% alkohola, ali njihove boce iz serije Connoisseurs Choice postale su ikonske u viski svijetu.
Danas, osim serije Connoisseurs Choice, Gordon & MacPhail nudi i druge serije, s najekskluzivnijom među njima - Private Collection. Tvrtka je ostala u vlasništvu obitelji i sada je vođena četvrtom generacijom obitelji Urquhart. 1993. godine kupili su destileriju Benromach, a 2023. otvorili su novu destileriju pod imenom Cairn. No, u srpnju 2023. godine, direktor Ewen Mackintosh objavio je da tvrtka više neće biti neovisni buteljer, iako će i dalje buteljirati viski iz svojih postojećih zaliha.
SMWS
Scottish Malt Whisky Society (SMWS) osnovana je 1983. godine i jedna je od najpoznatijih i zajednica za ljubitelje viskija. SMWS je inicijalno pokrenut kao privatni klub entuzijasta koji su željeli zajedno istraživati i uživati u raznim single malt viskijima. SMWS kupuje destilat (spirit) od različitih destilerija, ne samo škotskih; u njihovoj ponudi se često nađu i boce irskog, bourbona, izraelskog viskija, pa čak i ruma.
Posebnost SMWS-a je u načinu imenovanja svojih boca. Svaka boca ima svoj jedinstveni kod, koji obično sadrži dva broja odvojena točkom, na primjer "44.23". Prvi broj ("44") predstavlja destileriju iz koje viski dolazi, dok drugi broj ("23") označava redni broj bačve iz te destilerije koju je SMWS buteljirao. Iako SMWS nikada nije službeno objavio poveznicu između brojeva i destilerija, neslužbeno se zna kojim destilerijama pripadaju određeni brojevi. Više informacija može se pronaći na stranici Onemoredram.
U sustavu SMWS-a, boje čepova često služe kao dodatni način identifikacije ili kategorizacije viskija. Osim jedinstvenih brojčanih kodova i opisa, boje čepova pomažu u brzom razumijevanju osnovnih karakteristika viskija u boci.
Za kupovinu boca od SMWS-a, potrebno je postati član i platiti godišnju članarinu. SMWS.eu nudi dostavu u Hrvatsku, a za narudžbe iznad 120€, dostava je besplatna.
Signatory Vintage
Signatory Vintage je jedan od novijih nezavisnih buteljera, osnovan 1988. godine nude širok spektar godišta i profila okusa.
Douglas Laing & Co
Douglas Laing & Co je nezavisni buteljer i trgovac viskijem koji je osnovan 1948. godine. Poznati su po mnogim asortimanima, uključujući Old Particular, Provenance i Directors' Cut.
A.D. Rattray
A.D. Rattray je nezavisni buteljer sa sjedištem u Ayrshireu, koji se fokusira na viskije iz manje poznatih destilerija i rijetke izdanja.
Murray McDavid
Murray McDavid je nezavisni buteljer i trgovac viskijem koji se fokusira na rijetke i ekskluzivne škotske viskije, te su poznati po tome što su jedni od prvih koji su eksperimentirali s završnom maturacijom u drugačijim bačvama od one u kojima je viski prvotno odležao. Njihov asortiman uključuje mnoge rijetke i zanimljive viskije koji su maturirali u bačvama koje su prethodno sadržavale različite vrste alkohola, uključujući rum, porto, sherry i drugi.
U današnje doba, pored ovih uglednih imena, ima i mnogo novih nezavisnih buteljera koji nude odlične boce za pristupačne cijene.
Maltbarn
Carn Mor
North Star
The Single Cask
The Whisky Lounge
Claxton's
Blackadder
Elixir Distillers
Valinch & Mallet
Hidden Spirits
Jack Wieber's
The Nectar
Sansibar
Single Cask Nation
Whisky Foundation
Wemyss Malts
Wilson & Morgan
i mnogi drugi...
Ovaj tekst je sastavljen kao osobni dojam i ne predstavlja stručno mišljenje. Ako smatrate da je nešto netočno ili pogrešno navedeno, slobodno nas kontaktirajte.
INDEPENDENT BOTTLER (IB) vs ORIGINAL BOTTLINGS (OB) vs. CORE RANGE
When you hear the term "core range" it refers to the basic offering of bottles that are regularly available directly from the distillery. For example, Glendronach 12, 15, 18, and 21 make up the core range of the Glendronach distillery. This offering can change depending on the stock of barrels from a certain period. The Arran distillery, for example, changed its core range from 10, 14, 18 to 10, 18, 21, 25, and more NAS (No Age Statement) bottles aged in various types of wine casks.
Original bottlings, also known as OB or Distillery Bottling, encompass all types of bottles that are bottled directly by the distillery itself. In addition to the core range, this category also includes various limited editions, cask strength releases... Some distilleries, like Auchroisk, Benrinnes, and Mannochmore, don't even have a core range; their bottles are available only from independent bottlers or as Diageo special releases.
Now that we know what "core range" and "original bottlings"are, let's explain what an "independent bottler" or "indies," i.e., IB, is. These are independent bottlers who purchase casks from distilleries and bottle them themselves. Some buy the distillate and fill their casks, where they also store it. Others buy already-aged casks directly from distilleries. You can often see the distillery's name on the label, along with the bottler's name. However, some distilleries do not allow their name to appear on the label as a form of brand protection. Instead, you may see names like Secret Speyside, Secret Orkney, or Cambeltown. Additionally, some distilleries require bottlers to perform "teaspooning."
Teaspooning is the practice of adding small amounts of single malt (about a liter) to the purchased cask. Therefore, the cask, which has been mixed with a small amount of single malt from another distillery, can no longer legally be called a single malt or be associated with the original distillery.
Today, there are a large number of independent bottlers, but if it weren't for them, we would never have tried single malt whiskies from, for example, the 1950s from some distilleries. In the past, many distilleries did not market their single malts, focusing solely on blended whiskies. The first distillery that began advertising and selling single malt as a original bottling was Glenfiddich in 1961. The first to embrace single malt whiskies were the Italians, importing many single malts from Scotland during the 1960s and 1970s. One of the iconic independent bottlers is Italian, Samaroli, who had access to the best cask. His bottles, which were bottled in the 1980s (A Series of Watercolour Images folowed by Flowers images), often fetch crazy high prices at auctions. You can see some of the bottles here: Sothebys
Cadenhead's
is one of the oldest independent bottlers of Scottish whisky, founded in 1842 in Aberdeen, Scotland. Although the company initially focused on wine trading, it quickly recognized the potential of single malt whisky. At that time, many distilleries were focused on producing blends and did not give much importance to bottling their whiskies as single malts. Over the years, Cadenhead's has gained a reputation for bottling some of the finest and rarest Scottish whiskies. Their most famous older series of bottles are known as "dumpy" bottles with black labels.
Gordon & MacPhail
This company was founded in 1895 in Elgin, Scotland, by James Gordon and John Alexander MacPhail. Although initially a grocery and wine shop, they quickly realized the potential for bottling Scottish whisky. In the early days, most of their whiskies were bottled at 40% ABV, but their bottles from the Connoisseurs Choice series have become iconic in the whisky world. Today, in addition to the Connoisseurs Choice series, Gordon & MacPhail also offers other series, with the most exclusive among them being the Private Collection. The company has remained family-owned and is now run by the fourth generation of the Urquhart family. In 1993, they purchased the Benromach distillery, and in 2023, they opened a new distillery under the name Cairn. However, in July 2023, Managing Director Ewen Mackintosh announced that the company would no longer be an independent bottler, although they will continue to bottle whisky from their existing stocks.
SMWS
The Scottish Malt Whisky Society (SMWS) was founded in 1983 and is one of the most well-known whisky enthusiast communities. SMWS was initially launched as a private club for enthusiasts who wanted to collectively explore and enjoy various single malt whiskies. SMWS purchases distillate (spirit) from various distilleries, not just Scottish; their offerings often include bottles of Irish whiskey, bourbon, Israeli whisky, and even rum. A unique feature of SMWS is their method of naming their bottles. Each bottle has its own unique code, usually containing two numbers separated by a period, for example, "44.23". The first number ("44") represents the distillery from which the whisky originates, while the second number ("23") indicates the cask number from that distillery that SMWS has bottled. Although SMWS has never officially disclosed the correlation between numbers and distilleries, it is unofficially known which numbers belong to which distilleries. More information can be found on the Onemoredram website.
In SMWS's system, cap colors often serve as an additional means of identification or categorization of the whisky. Besides the unique numerical codes and descriptions, the cap colors help in quickly understanding the basic characteristics of the whisky in the bottle. To purchase bottles from SMWS, one needs to become a member and pay an annual membership fee.
Signatory Vintage
Signatory Vintage is one of the newer independent bottlers, founded in 1988, offering a wide range of vintages and flavor profiles.
Douglas Laing & Co
Douglas Laing & Co is an independent bottler and whisky merchant that was founded in 1948. They are well-known for their various ranges, including Old Particular, Provenance, and Directors' Cut.
A.D. Rattray
A.D. Rattray is an independent bottler based in Ayrshire, focusing on whiskies from lesser-known distilleries and rare releases.
Murray McDavid
Murray McDavid is an independent bottler and whisky merchant that focuses on rare and exclusive Scottish whiskies. They are known for being one of the first to experiment with finishing maturation in different casks than the ones in which the whisky originally aged. Their range includes many rare and interesting whiskies that have matured in casks previously holding different types of alcohol, including rum, port, sherry, and others. In today's era, alongside these prestigious names, there are also many new independent bottlers offering excellent bottles at affordable prices.
Maltbarn
Carn Mor
North Star
The Single Cask
The Whisky Lounge
Claxton's
Blackadder
Elixir Distillers
Valinch & Mallet
Hidden Spirits
Jack Wieber's
The Nectar
Sansibar
Single Cask Nation
Whisky Foundation
Wemyss Malts
Wilson & Morgan
and many others....
This text has been written as a personal reflection and does not represent expert opinion. If you believe something is incorrect or wrongly stated, please feel free to contact us.