The Naked Grouse, owned by Edrington, has launched its first special edition for global travel retail.
The product, which is limited to 4,000 bottles, has been created exclusively for Viking Line’s Nordic ferries which travel mainly between Finland and Sweden. A second batch of 4,000 bottles, containing a different style of Naked Grouse, will also be created for Viking Line.
To create the whisky, Famous Grouse Master Blender Kirsteen Campbell blends aged malts and grain whiskies from four different regions across Scotland; Lowland, Highland, Speyside and Island. The extra maturation then takes place before Campbell samples the casks and approves them for bottling once she is happy with the depth of flavour.
The whisky is said to give off hints of vanilla, coconut and honey on the nose with bursts of cherry cake, pineapple and nutmeg when tasted. The product is aged in American oak casks, instead of European oak casks, which are claimed to provide a more intense taste as they have not been seasoned with sherry, bourbon or any other liquid previously.
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The Naked Grouse special edition, available from September, is the first of a series of Naked Grouse exclusives for global travel retail. According to the brand, future products will include liquid matured in berry wine casks from Perthshire.
Edrington European Travel Retail Commercial Director Kasper Andersen said: “The Naked Grouse special edition is a fantastic example and result of the co-operation between Edrington European Travel Retail and Viking Line.The Naked Grouse special edition will allow consumers to get a premium product and a unique blend at a really good price.
“The product itself is a true testament to the quality of our blends at Edrington supporting again the importance of our casks in the whisky production. With the Naked Grouse we truly feel we have a product that will appeal to both traditional whisky drinkers, malt-drinkers as well as having the potential to attract new consumers into the scotch category.”
Famous Grouse Master Blender Kirsteen Campbell commented: “This special-edition product has been bottled from only five casks, making it a genuinely small batch product. Instead of the European Sherry casks that we traditionally use with The Naked Grouse, we have experimented with American Virgin oak casks, the result giving a wonderfully rich full-flavoured taste. The Famous Grouse team is excited to launch this product exclusively with Viking Line.”
