Hunter Laing

Hunter Laing

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Website: http://www.hunterlaing.com/

Hunter Laing & Co. Ltd. is a family company with an unrivalled pedigree as blenders and bottlers of the finest scotch whisky.

Starting work with his father as a young man, company founder Stewart H. Laing has spent almost fifty years in the industry – first as a blender, and latterly also as a bottler of some of the finest single cask scotch whiskies in the market.  Stewart learned the whisky industry the hard way – working as an apprentice at Bruichladdich distillery on Islay before joining his father in the export business.  Accompanying his father Frederick until his death in 1982, Stewart travelled the world selling the company’s brands – blends which were frequently best-sellers in the company’s main markets of Asia and South America. In order to create those whiskies, Frederick purchased and laid down many hundreds of casks from distilleries all over Scotland – many of which, sadly, have long since closed.  These casks however are still with us, and it is due to Frederick Laing’s foresight that we are still able to taste these exceptional whiskies.

Today, Stewart is joined by his sons Scott and Andrew at Hunter Laing. As single cask bottlers in their own right, they know the importance of selecting the choicest casks – there are few more knowledgeable consumers of a product than the single malt consumer.  It is their goal that in the years ahead Hunter Laing & Co. Ltd will continue to be regarded as one of the most respected and trusted names in the scotch whisky market.

The Whiskyphiles tasting notes

Distiller’s Art

A tribute to the artisans in Scotland’s distilleries who year after year produce such wonderful spirits, the Distiller’s Art series is a range of single-cask bottlings showcasing the character of a region, or of a distillery in particular.

Bottled at the perfect drinking strength of 48% alcohol and as ever unadulterated with caramel or chill-filtration, these single malts are chosen from specially selected individual bourbon and sherry casks. The distinctive and striking design of the presentation both does justice to the quality of the whiskies inside and makes a Distiller’s Art bottling stand out on any shelf.

Hepburn’s Choice

Always from a specially-selected single cask, our Hepburn’s Choice range is bottled at 46% alcohol, and naturally without artificial colouring or chill-filtration.

Each bottling is chosen to showcase the specific characteristics of one of Scotland’s whisky producing regions, or those of a distillery in particular. This range is named in honour of our directors’ late maternal grandfather, William Hepburn, who travelled the globe with his job in the Diplomatic Service.

With a fine judgement honed at many embassy functions, Mr Hepburn was a connoisseur of his homeland’s whiskies: with this in mind we believe these bottlings would indeed have been “Hepburn’s Choice”. Available also in 20cl miniatures.

Old Malt Cask

Old Malt Cask is unashamedly for connoisseurs of the finest expressions of Single Malt Scotch Whisky. As one of the most established brands in the single cask market, Old Malt Cask is trusted by thousands of Malt Whisky consumers all around the world as the selection which bottles some of the most noteworthy Scotches in the market.

Each month, the Hunter Laing tasting panel reviews the company stocks and, after careful consideration, selects only the casks which are of the highest quality. Whether the whisky was distilled in Speyside or Islay, the Lowlands or the Islands, they all have one thing in common – they have been bottled at exactly the right time to capture the unique characteristics of the cask.

Invariably bottled at 50% strength to maintain drinkability, each new expression is non-chillfiltered to ensure that the personality of each cask remains. Our expert blender also writes notes to guide the consumer through the tasting experience. We don’t have to do much with the whisky – we let it speak for itself.

Old Malt Cask has spent fifteen years as one of the market leaders in the single cask category. As the reputation of Hunter Laing rests on the quality of each release, we aim to ensure that each new bottling delights the consumer as much as the last one.

Old & Rare

Each bottling of Old & Rare has been matured to perfection, so due to the angels’ share there are comparatively few examples to emerge from each cask.

Presented in a highly distinctive squat bottle, each expression comes beautifully packaged in a specially crafted wooden box. The personal tasting notes of our expert “nose” are included to complement the views of each individual taster. It goes without saying that each cask remains unadulterated by excessive filtration or added caramel.

Although each sip from an Old & Rare cask is an exquisite experience the pleasure must be tempered with a little sorrow, due to the fact that such a taste can never be exactly replicated again.

The Sovereign

Long the privileged secret of Master Blenders and canny warehousemen throughout the whisky industry, well-aged Single Grain Scotch Whiskies have in recent years been growing in appreciation and popularity amongst connoisseurs.

With a history of producing luxury blended whiskies dating back many years, the Directors of Hunter Laing & Co. understand and appreciate grain whiskies and are pleased to be guarding excellent stockholdings of certain such spirits between 25 and 50 years of age.

Hunter Laing’s Sovereign range of single cask single grain whiskies are bottled at cask strength and without chill filtration or artificial colouring. Any one of these rare Sovereign bottlings represents an opportunity to enjoy a whisky experience that is both intense and uncommon.