SPEYSIDE 30 YEAR OLD - JOHN CRABBIE & CO.
DISTILLERY ACTIVE
£575
Auction: 5 December 2018 at 18:00 GMT
Description
bottle number 224 of 330, with presentation case and certificate of authenticity
Dimensions
70cl/ 48.6%
Footnote
Note: The name of John Crabbie has its roots in the earliest incarnations of the Scottish whisky industry. The whisky brand has recently been revived and the true spirit of the company brought to a new generation of connoisseurs. Not in a small part due to this award-winning Speyside 30 year old.
John Crabbie was a titan of the whisky industry in the early 19th century who built his substantial business through sourcing and selling exceptional whiskies from some of the best known distilleries across Scotland including Laphroaig, Bunnahabhain, Dalmore, Bowmore, Oban and Macallan.
From his bonded warehouses in Leith, Crabbie exported whisky throughout the world, developing a reputation for outstanding quality and consistency.
He distilled single malt whisky in Leith and Haddington, and in 1885 he, along with Andrew Usher and William Sanderson, founded the North British Distilling Company to produce grain whisky for his revolutionary new blend. By 1897 their new distillery was producing over 13 million litres of grain whisky each year.
Like many family whisky brands the Crabbie name disappeared during a period of market consolidation, living on only in the 'ginger wine' created by his wife.
However he really must be remembered as a visionary in the whisky trade. His commitment to fine whisky is honoured in the recent bottlings released in his name.
The new team behind the reborn John Crabbie & Co have their roots in many of the big names in the Scottish whisky industry including Managing Director David Brown (formerly Dalmore) and have the support of influential figures such as Bob Dalgarno (the former Master Whisky Maker at Macallan).
Following in John Crabbies footsteps they have been sourcing exceptional whisky from around Scotland. This 30-year-old Speyside was the first rare cask release under the Crabbie name and is from an 'unknown' Speyside distillery. Although never revealed by the tight lips at John Crabbie & Co, the distinct quality and character of the whisky clearly points to one distillery. Described by David Brown as a "unicorn whisky" which has not been produced since 1988, the Crabbie 30 has found favour with the judges in international competition scooping double gold at the 2018 San Francisco world spirits challenge and Master at the Hong Kong whisky masters the highest possible award.