Haig (whisky)
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Haig () is a brand of
Scotch whisky Scotch whisky (; sco, Scots whisky/whiskie, whusk(e)y; often simply called whisky or Scotch) is malt whisky or grain whisky (or a blend of the two), made in Scotland. All Scotch whisky was originally made from malted barley. Commercial distil ...
, originally manufactured by John Haig & Co Ltd. The brand and its original distillery are now part of
Diageo Diageo plc () is a Multinational corporation, multinational alcoholic beverage company, with its headquarters in London, England. It operates from 132 sites around the world. It was the world's largest distiller before being overtaken by Kweich ...
, the world's largest
spirits Spirit or spirits may refer to: Liquor and other volatile liquids * Spirits, a.k.a. liquor, distilled alcoholic drinks * Spirit or tincture, an extract of plant or animal material dissolved in ethanol * Volatile (especially flammable) liquids, ...
company and a major producer of beer.


Products

Haig offers four whiskies: * Haig Club, described as "light and sweet", in a rectangular blue bottle. It was launched in 2014 as a
single grain whisky Grain whisky normally refers to any whisky made, at least in part, from grains other than malted barley. Frequently used grains include maize, wheat, and rye. Grain whiskies usually contain some malted barley to provide enzymes needed for mashi ...
with no
age statement Whisky or whiskey is a type of distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash. Various grains (which may be malted) are used for different varieties, including barley, corn, rye, and wheat. Whisky is typically aged in wooden c ...
, in association with
David Beckham David Robert Joseph Beckham (; born 2 May 1975) is an English former professional footballer, the current president and co-owner of Inter Miami CF and co-owner of Salford City. Known for his range of passing, crossing ability and bending fr ...
and
Simon Fuller Simon Fuller (born 17 May 1960) is a British entrepreneur, artist manager, and film and television producer renowned for nurturing and inspiring world class entertainment talent. He is the creator of the ''Idols'' TV format, including the UK s ...
. The spirits for Haig Club are sourced from the
Cameron Bridge Cameron Bridge is a village in the conurbation of Levenmouth in Fife, Scotland. It is near to the village of Windygates and west of the town of Leven. A distillery was established in the 19th century by the Haig family, which is now part of Diag ...
distillery. The range includes Mediterranean Orange Spirit Drink, made with single grain whisky and other natural orange flavours. * Haig Gold Label, in a low-shouldered round bottle. * Haig Dimple, a more expensive blend with "a heavier malt influence of whiskies from Glenkinchie and Linkwood", labelled as 15 years old, in the dimpled, three-sided bottle. * Haig and Haig Dimple Pinch, the U.S. version of Haig Dimple.


History

Kane McKenzie Haig founded a distillery in the early 1720s in the Kennetpans near
Stirling Stirling (; sco, Stirlin; gd, Sruighlea ) is a city in central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the royal citadel, the medieval old town with its me ...
, which became Scotland's largest distillery by 1733. It has been called the world's first commercial distillery. Stein had taken over some land and distilling operations from a local monastery. (Stein's distillery is now in ruins, and fund-raising was attempted in early 2015 in an effort to try to preserve its remnants.) Robert Haig was a distiller in the early 1600s and a member of the Scottish
Clan Haig Clan Haig is a Lowlands Scottish clan. History Origins The 13th century poet, Thomas the Rhymer, made the prophecy ''Tyde what may, what'er betyde, Haig shall be Haig of Bemersyde''.Way, George and Squire, Romily. ''Collins Scottish Clan & Fa ...
family. His great-grandson Kane McKenzie Haig, who lived in the Kennetpans area, married Margaret Stein of the Stein family in 1751 and founded the company known as John Haig & Co. Their daughter, also named Margaret, married a local lawyer John Jameson from Alloa in 1788. On marriage, John and Margaret Jameson moved to Dublin to run a new Stein family distillery in Bow Street which had been opened in 1780. Contrary to popular belief, the
Jameson Irish Whiskey Jameson ( or ) is a blended Irish whiskey produced by the Irish Distillers subsidiary of Pernod Ricard. Originally one of the six main Dublin Whiskeys at the Jameson Distillery Bow St., Jameson is now distilled at the New Midleton Distillery ...
company was not actually founded in 1780, but in 1810 when John Jameson bought the distillery from his wife's cousins, the Steins. The original Jameson Distillery in Bow Street is now home to the Jameson Visitor Centre. The Stein, Haig, and Jameson families were significant figures in the whisky market from that time forward. A Haig distillery, now known as the
Cameronbridge distillery Cameronbridge distillery is a grain whisky distillery located in Cameron Bridge, Scotland. The distillery was founded in 1824 and in 1830 became the first distillery to produce grain whisky using the column still method invented by Robert St ...
, was founded in 1824. In 1830, it became the first distillery to produce
grain whisky Grain whisky normally refers to any whisky made, at least in part, from grains other than malted barley. Frequently used grains include maize, wheat, and rye. Grain whiskies usually contain some malted barley to provide enzymes needed for m ...
using the
column still A column still, also called a continuous still, patent still or Coffey still is a variety of still consisting of two columns. Column stills can produce rectified spirit (95% ABV). Description The first column (called the analyzer) in a column s ...
method invented by Robert Stein in 1826 (before the later better-known refinement developed by
Aeneas Coffey Aeneas Coffey (1780–1839) was an Irish inventor and distiller. Biography Coffey was born in 1780. According to some sources he was born in Ireland most likely in Co. Dublin or Co. Wicklow. Some references refer to his birth in Calais, France, ...
). John Haig & Co. was subsequently merged into the
Distillers Company Limited The Distillers Company Limited was a leading Scottish drinks and pharmaceutical company and, at one time, a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. It was taken over by Guinness & Co. (now part of Diageo) in 1986 in a transaction which was later ...
(DCL) in 1877. DCL combined with John Walker & Son and Buchanan- Dewar in 1925 and was then acquired by
Guinness Guinness () is an Irish dry stout that originated in the brewery of Arthur Guinness at St. James's Gate, Dublin, Ireland, in 1759. It is one of the most successful alcohol brands worldwide, brewed in almost 50 countries, and available in ove ...
in 1986, which put it into its
United Distillers United Distillers was a Scottish company formed in 1987 from combining the businesses of Distillers Company and Arthur Bell & Sons, both owned by Guinness. The company owned six single malt Scotch brands, which were relaunched as the ''Classi ...
subsidiary in 1987. Guinness then merged with
Grand Metropolitan Grand Metropolitan plc was a leisure, manufacturing and property conglomerate headquartered in England. The company was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index until it merged with Guinness plc to form ...
to form Diageo in 1997. Most current variations of the Haig brand are produced using spirits from Diageo's
Glenkinchie distillery Glenkinchie Distillery is a Scotch single malt whisky distillery in East Lothian, Scotland. It is one of the six distilleries in the Lowland region. It is owned by the drinks giant Diageo. The Distillery Glenkinchie lies, as the name might s ...
and
Linkwood distillery Linkwood distillery is a whisky distillery in Elgin, in the Speyside region of Scotland. It is owned by the British drinks giant Diageo. The distillery was built in 1821 by Peter Brown with two stills, and started production in 1825 with a capa ...
.


Bottle design

Haig was bottled in a distinctive three-sided bottle with dimpled sides, starting in the 1890s. The bottle was registered as a trademark in the US in 1958 by Julius Lunsford. It and the bottle design for
Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atlanta ...
(which was also registered by Lunsford) were the first two bottle designs to appear in the
Principal Register In United States trademark law, the Principal Register is the primary register of trademarks maintained by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. It is governed by Subchapter I of the Lanham Act. Having a mark registered under the Principa ...
of the
United States Patent and Trademark Office The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is an agency in the U.S. Department of Commerce that serves as the national patent office and trademark registration authority for the United States. The USPTO's headquarters are in Alexa ...
.


Promotions

One of their best known advertising slogans was ''Don't be vague, ask for Haig.'' Another was ''an inch of Pinch, please!''Harold S. Sharp, ''Advertising Slogans of America'', p. 224


References


Notes


Bibliography

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External links


Haig Whisky Club
{{Diageo Distilleries in Scotland Diageo brands Blended Scotch whisky