Blair Athol 26 years 1989 Cadenhead's Sherry Cask One of 216 - bottled 2015 (Brown)

Scotland, Southern Highlands. Distillery operational. Owner: Diageo

Located right at the entrance to the village of Pitlochry, the Blair Athol distillery has become fairly well-known among collectors due to the quality of its bottlings from the 1960s. In terms of both aromas and aesthetics, its 8 Year Old and 12 Year Old are worthy representatives of the prosperous post-WWII period (1945-1975). This meant that, for a long time, Blair Athol was limited to these two sherry cask bottlings. Later, under the influence of the United Distillers group, it joined the Rare Malts Selection, Flora & Fauna, Manager's Choice and Manager's Dram ranges. It is the primary malt used in the Bell's blend.

A single cask of Blair Athol distilled in 1989, aged in sherry casks and bottled in 2015. Cadenhead was founded in Aberdeen in 1842 by George Duncan. William Cadenhead then joined the company and, when George Duncan died in 1858, took over and renamed the business after himself. William’s nephew Roberth Duthie developed the company in the early 20th century and it remained a family business until 1969. William Cadenhead Ltd was then sold to the Springbank distillery’s owner J. & A. Mitchell and Co. Hedley G. Wright, a direct descendent of Archibald and John Mitchell, became William Cadenhead Ltd’s CEO. In the past, Cadenhead had mainly sold its own brands, such as Putachieside, The Hielanman, Seven Stars and Green Label rums. Under Hedley G. Wright, the company began to take more of an interest in single malts. This led to the creation of the legendary collection of dumpy bottles in 1977. This series of single malts stood out for its very gentle filtration, lack of artificial colouring, and relatively high bottling strength for the time (80 proof/45.7% ABV). The labels included lots of information, including the month and year of distillation and bottling, and whether or not sherry casks were used. Also in 1977, the business moved to another address in Aberdeen, and finally to Campbeltown. In the 1980s, Cadenhead sold casks to legendary bottlers such as Samaroli and Corti Brothers through the subsidiary Duthie’s. Finally, two new whisky ranges were created in 1991 and 1992, the Original Collection bottled at 46% and the Authentic Collection bottled at cask strength. Other special series to mark Cadenhead’s major anniversaries (150 and 175 years), as well as new ranges launched since (Small Batch, World Whiskies, etc.), have all contributed to the company’s ongoing history up to the present day. A limited edition of 216 bottles.