Cutty Sark

The Cutty Sark brand confidently holds one of the leading positions in the rankings of strong drinks in more than 120 countries. Blended Scotch whiskey has a distinctive light color and rich taste with notes of vanilla and citrus.

A recognizable bright yellow label depicting a sailboat has been decorating the windows of the best bars and clubs of the Old and New Worlds for more than 90 years.

History

The brand received its name in honor of the Scottish tea clipper, which became legendary after the race from China to England in 1872. In those days, ways to long-term storage of tea were not yet invented, so when transported, the aroma of leaves quickly ran out of steam. The only mode of transport capable of quickly delivering perishable products to the British shores was light sailing ships.

The winner was the vessel, the first to deliver tea of ​​the new crop to the capital of Great Britain. Caught in a storm, clipper Catti Sark lost the helm and, it would seem, dropped out of the race. But the team, led by Captain Henderson, showed unprecedented courage and perseverance: under the gusts of wind and the waves that flooded the deck, the sailors made a new steering wheel without going to the nearest port for repairs.

Arriving at the destination a week late, the clipper won in another: from now on his name has become a symbol of steadfastness and inexhaustible will to win. When the era of sailboats ended, most ships of this type went to landfill, and Cutty Sark became training. Subsequently, the only tea clipper preserved by the 21st century was turned into a museum, which today attracts thousands of tourists to the dry dock in Greenwich.

The history of the heroic ship received a worthy continuation: in 1923, the name Cutty Sark adorned bottles of scotch tape, which was launched by the wine trading company Berry Bros. & Rudd.

The distillery is located not far from the shipyard, from the stocks of which the sailboat descended, so this continuity seemed completely natural to the head of the company and the artist who developed the product image. It was a completely new type of blend, dramatically different from dark blends in its golden hue.

In April 2010, the brand was sold to Edrington.

Features of Cutty Sark Whisky

If we compare the “single malt” with a virtuoso musician, then blended whiskey is a whole orchestra. Cutty Sark, as a superior quality blend, has a greater range, depth, complexity and balance than single malt whiskey.

Kristen Campbell uses up to 30 single malt and grain alcohols from various regions of Scotland for production, mainly from Speyside, Highlands and islands. The main component of the blend is Glenrothes single malt whiskey. The distillery tape producing tape in 2010 was acquired by Berry Bros & Rudd.

Extract of single malt and grain alcohols is made in American oak barrels from sherry and takes at least 4 years. Then the components are mixed and the formed blend is again aged in barrels for 6 months.

Only after double quality control, are finished products with a complex and delicate aroma bottled and marked with a yellow label. Elite varieties have a twenty-five year exposure and the label on the bottle is blue.

Awards

• in 1971 and 1981, the Cutty Sark brand was awarded the prestigious QUEENS AWARD FOR EXPORT Award;
• In 2003, the influential WHISKY MAGAZINE magazine named Cutty Sark 25 Years Old whiskey the winner in the blend category, giving the drink characteristics such as a “true masterpiece” and a “golden miracle”.

Interesting Facts

1. In 1961, Cutty Sark became the first Scotch whiskey, whose sales in the United States reached 1 million cases.
2. The American astronaut Gordon Cooper, the youngest of the first detachment, carrying out the Mercury 9 mission in 1963, managed to secretly bring a Cutty Sark bottle onto the spacecraft.
3. In 1971, the company offered a £ 1 million prize to anyone who caught the Loch Ness Monster.
4. One of the brands most loyal fans is director Martin Scorsese: if the characters in his films drink scotch tape, then it is Cutty Sark.
5. The brand’s popularity was also promoted by one of the most famous gangster movie saga: Cutty Sark always kept a bottle of whiskey in the drawer of his table Tony Soprano.

Types of Cutty Sark Whiskey

Bright yellow labels adorn the unchanged sailboat emblem, designed by artist McBay. The previous Scots whiskey inscription has been replaced by Blended Scotch whiskey since 2005 in accordance with the requirements of the changed legislation.

• Cutty Sark blended whisky – whiskey light yellow with a golden hue. Soft non-aggressive aroma with notes of vanilla, coconut, oak bark. The taste is pleasant, with notes of herbs, peach, the finish is average, brackish-floral.
• Cutty Sark 12 YO – a 12-year-old whisky – an excellent digestive with a soft enveloping taste and rich aromas, tinted notes of spices, honey and apples. The finale reveals the sweet notes of candied fruit.
• Cutty Sark 25 YO – a powerful complex bouquet with aromas of apples, oranges, hints of spices and dried fruits. There are notes of vanilla, jasmine, creamy tones. Whiskey remains very fresh, despite its venerable age.