Grant's is a blended Scotch whisky, produced by the company

William Grant & Sons William Grant & Sons Ltd. is a family-owned company that distills Scotch whisky and other selected categories of spirits based in Bellshill, North Lanarkshire, Scotland. It was established in 1887 by William Grant, and is run by Grant's desce ...

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

. It is the world's third highest selling Scotch whisky.

History

In 1886, William Grant started working in the distillery business as a bookkeeper. In 1898, Pattisons, the largest Scotch whisky blender at the time, went bankrupt, and William Grant stepped in and launched Grant's whisky. William built the

Glenfiddich Glenfiddich distillery () is a Speyside single malt Scotch whisky distillery located in the Scottish burgh of Dufftown in Moray, Scotland. Is owned by William Grant & Sons. The name Glenfiddich derives from the Scottish Gaelic ''Gleann Fhiodhai ...

distillery in

Dufftown Dufftown ( ) is a burgh in Moray, Scotland. While the town is part of the historic Mortlach parish, the town was established and laid out in the early 19th century as part of a planned new town settlement. The town has several listed 19th centur ...

, Scotland, with the help of his seven sons and two daughters. On Christmas Day 1887, it produced its first product. Later, William's son-in-law Charles Gordon became the company's first salesman, and in 1909, he spent a year taking Grant's to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

and the far east. In 1915, a new law stated that the minimum maturation period for Scotch whisky was to be two years (today it is three). While this led to the ruin of many Scotch whisky distilleries, William Grant had kept a supply of aging whisky in stock and was able to ensure continuous production. William Grant died in 1923 but by this time, the family business was already established. In 1963, William's great-grandson Charles Gordon, oversaw construction of the

Girvan Girvan (, "mouth of the River Girvan") is a burgh and harbour town in Carrick, South Ayrshire, Scotland. Girvan is situated on the east coast of the Firth of Clyde, with a population of about 6,450. It lies south of Ayr, and north of St ...

grain distillery. In 1979, Grant's UK sales surpassed 1-million cases for the first time. Today, Grant's continues to be family-owned and operated. The current CEO,

Glenn Gordon Glenn Gordon (born 1957) is a British billionaire businessman, the chairman of William Grant & Sons and a descendant of the company's founder, William Grant. Biography His family’s wealth grew by over £200 million after profits at the Will ...

, is the fifth generation of the family to lead the business. Grant's is the oldest family-owned blended whisky and is currently sold in over 180 countries. It is the world's fourth largest Scotch whisky brand, selling 4.1 million cases of whisky in the first half of 2020. The mother company, William Grant & Sons also owns single malt whisky brands, including

and The Balvenie.

Bottle

Beginning in 1957, Grant's is sold in a bottle that has a triangular cross section. The designer,

Hans Schleger Hans Schleger (born Hans Leo Degenhard Schlesinger; 29 December 1898 – 18 September 1976) was a German-Polish-Jewish and later British graphic designer. Early life He was born in Kępno, Kempen in Posen, Prussia (in modern-day Poland) on 9 ...

, came to Britain as a refugee from

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

. He was asked to create a distinctive, elegant bottle that would showcase the quality and colour of the whisky as well being able to be stacked and packed efficiently. The triangular-shaped bottle was first used in 1956 for

Single Malt Scotch, also owned by

. In 2002, the Grant's bottle and label were both updated. This included embossing the bottle with the Grant coat of arms and the motto "Stand Fast" – the war cry of Clan Grant, to which William belonged. The words "Est. 1887" and "Independent Family Distillers for Five Generations" were also added.

Whiskies

Grant's blended whiskies are made using grain whisky from the

Girvan distillery Girvan distillery is a grain whisky distillery located in South Ayrshire, Scotland. The distillery is owned by William Grant & Sons. The Girvan Distillery is one of the largest facilities in Scotland in which whisky is made. The distillery is ...

as the invariant base, with which a variety of single malts and other grain whiskies are blended. The full range includes the Grant's Triple Wood, Triple Wood Smoky, Ale Cask Finish, Rum Cask Finish, 8 Year Old Sherry Cask Finish, Triple Wood 12 Year Old, Rare 18 Year Old and the 25 Year Old blended Scotch whiskies. * Grant's Triple Wood Blended Scotch Whisky - Grant's Family Reserve was renamed Grant's Triple Wood in 2018 and is described as having a complex, clean and fruity taste. Jim Murray praised this blend, “It defies the odds for quality” in his Whisky Bible 2010. The

ABV Alcohol by volume (abbreviated as alc/vol or ABV) is a common measure of the amount of alcohol contained in a given alcoholic beverage. It is defined as the volume the ethanol in the liquid would take if separated from the rest of the solution, ...

percentage of this blend is 40%. * Grant’s Triple Wood Smoky - is said to have a sweet fruitiness and hints of citrus, finishing with smoke and a “touch of dry tannin”. * Grant's Ale Cask Finish - the only Scotch finished in ale casks, giving it a taste described as creamy, malty and honeyed. * Grant's Rum Cask Finish - aged in oak barrels before being matured further in ex-Caribbean-style rum barrels, and is said to have notes of tropical fruits, banana, vanilla oak and a touch of sweet spice. * Grant's 8 Year Old Sherry Cask Finish - finishes its maturation in oak casks that have previously held Oloroso sherry. The whisky is described as having vanilla sweetness and rich malty notes, accentuated dried fruits and wood spices. * Grant's Triple Wood 12 Year Old Whisky - the reworked and renamed Grant's 12 Year Old Whisky, blended in three types of oak casks: a Sherry cask, an American Oak cask and a Bourbon refill. The constituent whiskies have matured for a minimum of 12 years. * Grant's Rare 18 Year Old Whisky - a Scotch whisky described as rich and full bodied with fruity port notes. * Grant's 25 Year Old Whisky - a blend of 25 malt and grain whiskies, including the first ever whisky laid down at Grant's Girvan distillery. It is described as having a smooth, singular sweetness.

References

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External links

Grant's International website
Whisky brands Blended Scotch whisky William Grant & Sons