The Famous Grouse

A bottle of Famous Grouse alongside Hennessy cognac and Cork Dry Gin.

The Famous Grouse is a brand of blended Scotch whisky, first produced by Matthew Gloag & Son Ltd. in 1897, and now produced by The Edrington Group. The malt whiskies used in The Famous Grouse blend include The Glenrothes, Highland Park Single Malt and Macallan Single Malt. Its emblem is the Red Grouse (Lagopus lagopus scotica).

History

Matthew Gloag was a grocer and wine merchant in Perth, Scotland. Gloag purchased whiskies from distilleries around Scotland, and when Queen Victoria visited Perth in 1842, he was invited to supply the wines for the royal banquet.

In 1860, his son, William Gloag, took over the company and began producing blended whiskies. In 1896, William's son, Matthew, named after his grandfather, took over the company. He created The Grouse Brand blend in 1897, which was later renamed "The Famous Grouse."

In 1970, Matthew Gloag & Son Ltd., owned by the Gloag family, was sold to Highland Distillers, after the death of the chairman, Matthew Frederick Gloag.

In 2007 a peated special version of The Famous Grouse called The Black Grouse developed for the Swedish market was released. The packaging displays a black grouse in place of the usual red grouse. The following year a special version, meant for chilling, was released called Snow Grouse. The packaging features a ptarmigan.

Promotions and sponsorships

A bottle of Black Grouse

• It is supported by a series of award winning television adverts featuring "Gilbert" the Grouse, named after the rugby ball manufacturer.
• The Famous Grouse has become known in the United Kingdom for focusing a great deal of its advertising at Christmas. The Famous Grouse has also targeted November 30, or St. Andrew's Day, a Scottish traditional day, for advertising.^{[citation needed]}
• The Famous Grouse was the primary sponsor of the Perth-based football team St. Johnstone between 1986 and 1989 and again between 1991 and 1998. It also sponsored the Scotland national rugby union team from 1990 until 2007, and is now 'The Official Spirit of Scottish Rugby', making this one of the longest running sports sponsorships in the UK.

In popular culture

• The Famous Grouse is the drink of choice for several characters in The Corps, a series of novels by W. E. B. Griffin.
• The Famous Grouse Experience is located at the Glenturret Distillery in Crieff, Perthshire.

References

• "The Famous Grouse". http://www.scotchwhisky.com/english/about/blended/famousgrouse.htm. Retrieved September 13, 2005. 

External links

• [2] Global Distributors
• The Famous Grouse website
• Details on how to visit The Famous Grouse Experience
• Dr. Whisky on The Famous Grouse
• The Black Grouse website