About Black Bottle
Black Bottle was introduced in 1879 by Charles, David and Gordon Graham, a family of Aberdeen tea merchants who moved into whisky blending. The blend was originally sold in black glass, giving the brand its name, but the First World War forced a switch to green glass when supplies from Germany were cut off. Ownership later passed through Schenley, Whitbread, Allied Distillers, Highland Distillers, Edrington and Burn Stewart, before the brand became part of CVH Spirits following the 2023 creation of the company after Heineken’s acquisition of Distell.
Black Bottle has long been associated with a smoky blended Scotch style. In the 1990s the recipe became more strongly Islay-led, before being reworked again in 2013 to bring it closer to its north-east Scotch roots while retaining a clear smoky thread. The current range includes Black Bottle Original, made with Islay peated malts and grain whiskies from across Scotland, alongside age-stated and cask-influenced expressions such as Black Bottle 10 Year Old.