Distiller creates pro-independence ‘45’ whisky

A DISTILLERY in Campbeltown has launched a new limited-release premium blended Scotch Whisky inspired by the number of voters who backed independence in September.

The new offering from Springbank is a premium blended Scotch Whisky inspired by Yes voters. Picture: Contributed

The Spirit of Freedom 45, made by Springbank Distillers, is a blend of the same number of different whiskies and has been bottled at 45 per cent ABV.

Ranald Watson, sales and marketing manager at Springbank Distillers, said: “Springbank was the only Scottish distillery to come out publicly in favour of independence and our stance struck a chord with many voters throughout the country and beyond. Spirit of Freedom is a brand name we have used in the past and we thought 2014 was an appropriate year to bring it back to life. We launched a 30-year-old version of the blend to commemorate the 700th anniversary of the Battle of Bannockburn in June and decided to follow that up with The 45, a blend of 45 whiskies from all the whisky producing regions of Scotland. The release has generated unprecedented comment and debate on our Facebook page and I can imagine a lot of yes voters will be hoping for a bottle in their Christmas stocking.

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“We had expected most of the interest in the whisky to come from Scotland but we have been pleasantly surprised by the number of retailers south of the border who have ordered some of The 45. We’ve also had enquiries from a number of our export markets but at this stage we have decided to make this a UK-only product.

“Although we are a company primarily focused on our single malt whiskies we do put together special blends from time to time; we look forward to the day when we can bottle The 51, The 60 and so on.”

Spirit of Freedom 45 is available through specialist retailers across Scotland and beyond, priced around £25 per bottle.

Springbank is Scotland’s oldest family-owned distillery and is located in Campbeltown on the Mull of Kintyre. It is the only distillery in the country to be completely self-contained and carries out 100% of the production process on site. Under the ownership of Hedley Wright, the great-great grandson of company founder John Mitchell, Springbank currently employs 66 full time staff and its whiskies enjoy a worldwide reputation for quality and character.

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